OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - First, his right forearm cramped turning his arm into the shape of a V as his hand bent back, and Jordan Bell could not move it for several minutes as he sat in the bathtub as he recovered post-workout. He yelled for his girlfriend’s help. The cramp briefly released, then quickly returned. Soon, his quads, calves, hamstrings, biceps, hands and feet followed suit.
Then, Bell blacked out. He came to and his girlfriend got him into bed, and he doesn’t remember anything but waking up there.
“I just got cramps everywhere, all at once,” he recalled after a workout at Warriors headquarters this week. “The pain was just so much, I blacked out.”
It was terrifying - “very,” Bell said. He realized he had pushed his body to the brink of physical exhaustion after one especially grueling mid-August day with far from enough food and fuel. He did his cycle class, weights and conditioning, then a couple hours of open gym in Los Angeles - his regular routine all summer to get ready for his second season with NBA champion Golden State.
He’s feeling great now with training camp set to begin Tuesday.
Just chalk that scary experience up to another key learning moment in Bell’s evolution to rising star with the Warriors alongside All-Stars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and, now, dominant big man DeMarcus Cousins.
“There’s a confidence to him. I think he was confident when he came in but he’s a little more seasoned, which is good, which is what you want in a second-year player,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said of Bell. “The thing about playing as deep as we did, the best you can give players that are young is experience, because you can’t simulate an NBA Finals game, you just can’t. You can talk about it but he’s actually gotten to experience that and that’s much more than any of us can do to get him ready for his second year. I think there’s a seriousness to him, which is good to see. He’s a fun guy but I think he senses he’s going to have a good opportunity this year.”
Bell’s dynamic play in the post will be even more important now with three centers from last season departed - Zaza Pachulia signed with Detroit, JaVale McGee joined the rival Lakers and David West retired - and Cousins is still recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon that required surgery and ended his season in late January.
And Bell spent the summer taking his fitness and game to another level. He often forgot to eat, just wanting to get home and into bed.
Then he learned his lesson with the blackout episode, likely dehydrated, too - another in many key growth opportunities for the Warriors’ second-round draft pick out of Oregon last year.
In Golden State’s fourth game, he threw the ball off the backboard to himself and slammed it home for his own alley-oop. In a blowout win no less.
Rookie mistake? Maybe. Growth moment? For sure. Even if Curry and Durant could only watch in awe and delight, their mouths agape.
Bell tossed the ball off the glass then dunked during a 133-103 victory at Dallas last Oct. 23. Coach Steve Kerr spoke to Bell afterward and warned him he might face some retaliation the next time against the Mavericks.
Now, Bell is ready to take on a greater role as the Warriors chase another championship as the NBA’s team to beat out West. He’s also treating himself to a new smartphone at long last this season, his other one cracked on draft day a year ago. Though the old one will find a special place in his trophy case.
“I know my role is going to be more extended just because of the bigs we have this year,” he said. “Whether it’s starting, whether it’s playing more minutes or sixth man, whatever it is, I just know I’m going to have a big role and I think the work I put in this summer is going to have me ready for it.”
Bell’s troublesome ankles are strong and healthy, too. He was out with a sprained left ankle for 14 games from Jan. 20 through Feb. 24 before working his way back into Kerr’s deep rotation while continuing to deal with ankle issues. After being inactive for six games early, he had emerged as a starter for 11 games before the injury as Kerr went with a more up-tempo lineup.
It took time for Bell to find his groove again. He wound up averaging 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while playing 14.2 minutes in 57 games with 13 starts. Kerr realized early on he needed to create ways to get Bell minutes. While the rookie needed to learn, he would do so by making mistakes and strides on the court next to so many greats.
Then Bell impressed everybody as he handled the load of helping defend James Harden. Bell earned key minutes as the Warriors went on to a repeat championship and the franchise’s third title in four years that sent Golden State into dynasty status.
“Great energy, great speed and athleticism. He’s a good playmaker,” Kerr said. “We’re thrilled with the way he’s played and his future here.”
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