SALT LAKE CITY -- Raja Bell may have left like a thief in the night, but the veteran shooting guard returned to the Utah Jazz on Monday with a big smile on his face.
At a press conference held at the team's practice facility, the 33-year-old said he was "really excited" to be back with the Jazz, a team for which he played from 2003-05.
Bell left as a free agent following the 2005 season, accepting a pricey offer from the Phoenix Suns. He is said to have taken the deal just minutes after the start of the free agent signing period that summer.
"Four years ago, when we lost Raja to Phoenix, it was a very good business decision for him," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "We were in a rebuilding kind of stage and he was in a position to receive a very lucrative offer from a very good basketball team."
With a wry smile, O'Connor added, "Now he's even made an even better decision."
Undrafted out of Florida International University, Bell is known for his toughness, physical defense and an intense competitive streak.
"For me, it's a no-brainer," Bell said. "I was chomping at the bit to come back here and play. It doesn't hurt that I got a good deal."
The deal, reportedly, is worth $10 million over three years.
Bell, whose career began with Philadelphia in 2000, has played in more than 600 games. Over that span he has averaged 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
In addition to being known as a top-notch defender, he is a career 41 percent shooter from behind the 3-point line.
Earlier in the summer the Jazz lost unrestricted free agents Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver to the Chicago Bulls.
In addition, the Portland Trail Blazers signed shooting guard Wesley Matthews to a $32 million offer sheet. The Jazz declined to match the deal, paving the way to sign Bell.
"We felt like when we lost a couple of players we needed some 3-point shooting and we've got a guy next to (me) that shot 41 percent for his career," O'Connor said. "And we needed some perimeter defense and we've got a guy next to me that's done a terrific job all throughout his career from a defensive standpoint. We feel like we got two in one."
Both O'Connor and Bell commented on Bell's relationship with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, himself a scrappy, intensely-competitive shooting guard during his playing days.
Said O'Connor: "We're really happy to have somebody back that's as competitive and as caring about wins and losses as our head coach is. They have a relationship that goes into that a lot deeper than most."
Bell said he and Sloan "don't pick up the phone and call each other, we don't do dinners much." However, he added that he believes the two have a great deal of respect for each other.
"From a competitive level, I think that he was the ultimate, ultimate competitor," he said.
Bell added that, "I think if Jerry asked me to run through the door, I'd try to run through it for him."
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