For Jazz, Bell to toil

Raja Bell kind of thought he might be taken in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who'd told him that would happen and were the only team that looked at the Florida International product that year.

But it didn't happen. Bell ended up playing in the CBA.

"I took the long road, and I wouldn't have had it any other way," said the Utah Jazz's newest addition. "It keeps me humble and working hard."

And doesn't that just sound like a Jerry Sloan kind of guy?

Bell, 27, and the Jazz came to terms Friday on a two-year agreement. He will arrive in Utah Sunday night, have a team physical and — as long as he passes — sign the contract early next week. Bell expects to pass, having had only the usual ankle sprains and one stress fracture four years ago in the way of career injuries.

Jazz training camp begins Tuesday with media day, and the first formal workouts are Wednesday at the Zion's Bank Basketball Center.

The 6-foot-5 Bell, who played two years for Philadelphia and with the Dallas Mavericks last season, may not make the Jazz an instant favorite to make the NBA playoffs for the 21st straight season — the first in 18 years without Karl Malone and John Stockton — but the unrestricted free agent's addition makes the roster look better than it had Friday morning.

And Bell says this will be the first time in his career he's had the luxury of being able to relax a bit and play his own game because it's his first multi-year contract. He was always sweating getting another deal in his first three years.

"It gives me a chance to — for the first time in my career — feel like there's a little bit of stability there," said Bell from his home in Miami, where he and his family have lived since moving from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, when he was in the eighth grade.

"I have to think that's going to help my performance on the court," Bell said of the two-year deal. "You're not looking over your shoulder worrying about if they're going to re-sign you or anything like that.

"That's pretty much what I was looking for, and I'm very excited. I was kind of nervous this summer not knowing what to expect. I saw a lot of people getting signed. But I couldn't have asked for a better situation, I don't think."

Bell said he did not agonize over the Jazz/Jason Terry saga as Utah waited 15 days to see if Atlanta matched its three-year offer to the restricted free agent. Atlanta matched that offer on Thursday.

There was speculation that Utah would sign Bell only if it couldn't get Terry, though Jazz player personnel director Walt Perrin said Friday the team might have taken both if it could get them.