Charlie Bell Too Dumb To Sober Up for Drunk-Driving Court Date

Drunk driving is never excusable, but one might at least understand why Warriors guard Charlie Bell might have believed he could get away with it. Bell’s latest offense, however, defies all explanation.

As reported by WJRT, Bell was held in custody by a Michigan district court yesterday after failing a breathalyzer test when he showed up at a court hearing for his Oct. 21 drunk-driving arrest. Bell's attorney said that he accepts full responsibility for his actions.

It’s mind-boggling to consider how little common sense it would take to avoid getting drunk before showing up in court, let alone for an alcohol-related offense. It takes a special kind of idiot—though not, evidently, a special kind of basketball player—not to be able to figure that out.

Even if Bell were a more valuable player than he is, this incident would give Golden State more than enough reason to consider cutting him loose. As it is, Bell is a marginal NBA talent even as a backup, and he played in only 19 games last season.

In a deep backcourt like Golden State’s, Bell’s presence or absence would scarcely be noticed, and certainly wouldn’t have any measurable effect on the team’s ability to win games. 

The Warriors have little to lose (and some nice PR to gain) by kicking Bell to the curb for this kind of behavior. He’s managed to embarrass himself, the team and the league—and today, that last is no mean feat.

That’s not to say that Golden State will actually cut ties with the journeyman guard, but if it did, he’d have only himself to blame.