<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OAKLAND -- Monta Ellis rarely left the court last season at Lanier High School in Jackson, Miss. There's little reason to when you're busy scoring 38.4 points per game and earning co-national Player of the Year honors from Parade Magazine. But Ellis, a 6-foot-3 guard, has seen action in just two games this season for the Warriors after being drafted in the second round in June's NBA draft. With swingman Mickael Pietrus out for an extended period with a knee injury, it would seem like minutes could be available for Ellis. Derek Fisher has been playing primarily shooting guard in Pietrus' absence, meaning minutes are available at the point when starter Baron Davis is resting. But Warriors coach Mike Montgomery has been hesitant to use Ellis at point guard, or anywhere else for that matter. He pointed out before Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons that it will take time for Ellis to get used to the pro game. "He's doing fine, he's 19 years old (actually 20)," Montgomery said. "This is the NBA. He's a high school kid." The Warriors obviously were impressed with Ellis' physical skills or they wouldn't have made him the first American high school player ever to be drafted by the organization. He averaged 28.7 points over four years at Lanier, and his 4,167 career points were second all-time in Mississippi at the Class 5A and 4A levels. But don't expect him to be seeing major time soon. "He's got some athletic ability," Montgomery said. "In the right situation I'm sure he could go in and everybody would kind of 'Oooh and ahhh.' But there are some other situations where he could be troublesome." Ellis played nine minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Phoenix Suns and registered his first NBA points -- a 3-pointer from the left corner. That's been his only regular-season action aside from a five-minute stint against Phoenix on Nov. 12. "The physical skills are there," Fisher said of Ellis. "The challenge, which it is for everybody, is to mentally have focus and commitment. It will take some extra time to develop that because of his age and coming from high school."</div> Source
I agree with what the W's are doing with Ellis. There's really no need to rush him into games. Just being able to practice and observe from the bench is plenty of exposure to the NBA game for him. The organization seems to have high hopes for him so babying him into the NBA is the right thing to do, since afterall, he's a baby.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kensaku:</div><div class="quote_post">The organization seems to have high hopes for him so babying him into the NBA is the right thing to do, since afterall, he's a baby.</div> Funny thing is that he's older than Biedrins.
I think Ellis needs to gain some weight if he wants to play with the big boys in the NBA. he is like a twig, nit only that but he needs to practice with the team well also. But Montgromey should play him for the future a player cant get better if he does not have the experience needed.
He has the skill and athletic ability (he got hops), but you're right about the weight. But with proper training, practice, and experience he can get around the problem of weight. Look at T.J. Ford for example.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">He has the skill and athletic ability (he got hops), but you're right about the weight. But with proper training, practice, and experience he can get around the problem of weight. Look at T.J. Ford for example.</div> Yeah, Ellis will never be like Gilbert Arenas or Dwayne Wade in terms of strength but he'll learn to play around it like Iverson and Ford.
