I said this in another thread, but IMO Monta Ellis deserves his own. In regards to this most poignant quote by Dave Del Grande: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">An exciting rookie explodes onto the scene, but his minutes are limited because the organization has about $100 million invested in two other point guards, one of which sucks the life out of the team's offense every time he dribbles the ball. Bad mix.</div> This is the main theme I'll be harping on all summer long. So hop on the band wagon now if you like. Frankly, we're at the crux of the position -- does Mullin find a way to feature Monta Ellis (i.e. pull off a miraculous Fisher trade, move JRich in a blockbuster, etc.) or does he let this opportunity slip by? From watching the film it should be evident to the viewers that Monta Ellis can do things right now that no current Warrior will ever be able to do. That includes JRich and Baron. Monta just is. He just does. It's natural, it's pure, it's simple, and when he's on the court he shines. A triple double comes easy. Mark my words <font size=""5""> This off-season is the most important in franchise history simply because of Monta Ellis.</font>
I'm excited about the guy, but I'm not expecting him to be a franchise player. He's a very good defensive player, but we'll see how well he can stay consistent on offense and make others better with his playmaking skills. Until he proves himself in his next few years, I'm pretty much not believing anybody is a sure thing.
Monta Ellis has great potential but I can already tell you that Mullin won't be trying to drop J-Rich or Fisher just to get Monta a bigger role. Maybe one of those two wil be gone in a trade but I think Mullin will just get another SG or backup PG. Pietrus will more than likely be gone, its obvious that Monta can easily replace him right now. Monta has great potential but we don't know how much hes going to improve or what his future position is. If he never fills out and gains a good amount of strength will he be able to handle a starting position at SG for an 82 game season? He may just end up like Juan Dixon with defense or a Cuttino Mobely with better court vision or a shorter Larry Hughes. Or he if plays PG he could end up like Mike James or Jason Terry. The best case scenario is that he turns out like a 6'3 A.I. or Steve Francis, hes definitely got the potential; hes already a pesky defender, super quick, good athleticism, nice courtvision but not great. Mullin knows Monta's potential (remember when we were all questioning why he drafted a shoot-first, no defense tweener) but I think he also knows that he can't just trade off some pieces and hope Monta will be better. It could definitely happen (especially in D-Fish's case) but I think Mullin and the coaching staff will make room for him by moving Pietrus and giving him the backup SG role.
Well, I could ride the fence, and say something like "Monta Ellis has great potential, he might turn out to be a great player, but he might not, we'll just have to wait and see," but that would be too "Rick Barry"-ish. It wouldn't be any fun for you guys! This way, if I'm wrong you can grill me in a few years. But, I truely believe this: Monta Ellis will be an All-Star.
Well, I can certainly say that Ellis so far ain't a prima donna. I like that. We've got a lot of humble guys thus far. I want more Richardsons and "Yes, Sir" Ellis' and the fact how Ike ain't pulling a Darko to the media. Patient players that are talented on both ends of the floor and don't whine or gripe are the true heroes of this team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">I can already see AlleyOop going berserk after Mullin sends Monta in a trade.</div> Oooohhhhh that's not even funny
Mullin implied everyone is fair game when it comes to a trade this off season, and when you have a extremely cheap, talented (defensively and offensively), and promising rookie that fell off everyones radar during the draft and ended his rookie season with a 27-8-6 game... everyone will ask for him. So we might as well say it now... Bye Monta! just kidding... ...or am i?
I guess I could live with it if Mullin used him to get a proven veteran presence, like Nick Van Exel or a Greg Ostertag type. just kidding..... .....yes I am just kidding.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">I can already see AlleyOop going berserk after Mullin sends Monta in a trade.</div> I hope you were kidding. I think Mullin was kidding about being happy with Foyle, Fisher, Dunleavy, Murphy, Baron and JRich and he would trade those guys before Ike, Monta and Beans. But in order to get an all-star in return like Jermaine O'Neal he may have to give up a youth. BTW I was happy with JRich and prolly so was Mullin except his free throws, lack of D and ball handling.
JRich has one of the best work ethics in the league. We don't even have to question his ability to get better, I expect great things from him in the future. I wouldn't give him up in any trade, he's too awesome of a player and person.
Maybe Monta should be traded to a team that will let him play the minutes he deserves. He is an extremely talented player and shouldn't have to put up with people like Mullin and montgomery who cant even see his allstar potential. If you beleive that Monta deserves minutes then you have to realise that they will not come while playing for the Warriors, and he will never play to his full potential if he isnt playing for a different squad.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AKIRA:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe Monta should be traded to a team that will let him play the minutes he deserves. He is an extremely talented player and shouldn't have to put up with people like Mullin and montgomery who cant even see his allstar potential. If you beleive that Monta deserves minutes then you have to realise that they will not come while playing for the Warriors, and he will never play to his full potential if he isnt playing for a different squad.</div> Yeah, we should trade him to the Lakers for their 2015 second round pick. Just kidding. I'm sure you mean well, but I hope the only time Monta Ellis ever lights up the Staples Center is when he's droppin 50 on Kobe's head -- as a Warrior.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AKIRA:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe Monta should be traded to a team that will let him play the minutes he deserves. He is an extremely talented player and shouldn't have to put up with people like Mullin and montgomery who cant even see his allstar potential. If you beleive that Monta deserves minutes then you have to realise that they will not come while playing for the Warriors, and he will never play to his full potential if he isnt playing for a different squad.</div> Hes already probably gotten the most minutes of any rookie from high school, as he deserved. Everyone realizes his potential and once hes ready to replace any of the starters we'll find room for him. Monta could easily fill in for one or both of Monta/Pietrus right now and get close to starter minutes. If/When Monta is good enough to replace one of J-Rich or Baron it shouldn't be hard to move either of them. Monta is only 20 (college Freshman age) right now, when Baron Davis's contract expires Monta will be 24 (college senior age) and Baron will be 30, if Monta is good enough to fill in then I think we can just let Baron walk or S&T him. If Monta turns out to be a SG then we could easily move J-Rich as well since hes paid pretty fairly, which is rare in the NBA, and if Richardson continues to improve for a few more years he could be a 25+ ppg scorer.
It'd be nice to move Richardson to SF and Monta to SG if matchups allow it, and dump Dunleavy on the end of the bench.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">It'd be nice to move Richardson to SF and Monta to SG if matchups allow it, and dump Dunleavy on the end of the bench.</div> Exactly what I've been thinking. JRich would be more suited to the SF anyway, that's what he played in college. He'd be a bit shorter than the Tayshaun Princes and Richard Jeffersons (I think) but he plays strong enough, he's done an admiral job adapting to the 2 guard but it's just not quite a natural fit. There are only 2 porblems with this: 1)We'd have to have two big, thick, tough, rebounding defenders at the PF and C positions to balance the lack size at SG and SF. This is possible if Biedrins puts on some weight and Diogu adopts a defensive mentality. 2) Not enough touches. As humble as Monta is, he'll need 17+ shots a night. That' s just his game, and I want him to have 17+ shots a night. But between Baron and JRich, that ain't happening. Now, if it were Steve Nash and Jrich... ahh, well, so what I mean is if Baron somehow miraculously decides to lead the league in assists and become a floor-leader / distributor, then he could create for Monta and JRich all day and Ike / Biedrins could clean up. If.
Well Monta doesn't need to have 17+ shots to be useful, he'd be great help in guarding the Tony Parkers, Dwane Wades, and Ray Allens of the league. Right now his defense is why he's even been playing. The coach didn't put him in to score but for defense. But as long as we have Dunleavy this lineup would never happen.
Only problem I have with that is that J-Rich would get eaten alive by LeBron, Carmelo, Lamar Odom, Rashard Lewis, T-Mac, and pretty much any other 6'8+ starting SF. That lineup can definitely be effective for certain stretches of a game but I don't think it would work full-time over an NBA season. If we go back to a running style offense there would be enough shots for J-Rich, Monta, and Baron but then you add in Diogu, Fish, Murphy, Dunleavy, and whoever else takes some shots and it gets a little clustered. Thats why I like Monta coming off the bench until hes really as good or better than one of our starters, he can play PG or SG and be the main option or co-main option if anyone in the organizaiton gets the bright idea to give Ike the ball. If we get an upgrade at center this offseason I think we'd be better suited to keep the starters the same (except C obviously) and have a second unit of Fish, Monta, Pietrus, Ike, and Biedrins or whoever we might get if Pietrus/Fish are replaced. Monta off the bench just makes more sense for now because we can use Baron at 1, Monta at the 2, and J-Rich at the 3 effectively for stretches of the game as well as running Monta at the 1 or 2 with any other combonation of players.
The way this back-court pans out, will be very interesting. It is easy to enjoy Monta's game. He is one of those players that brings it on defense, and has offensive skills that can develop into a very solid offensive player. The way Monta plays both on defense and on offense is the reason why Mickael Pietrus was very highly coveted by myself in the past couple of seasons and why I would hope that somehow he could stay and get a much better role with the team compared to what he has been given by Montgomery. As for Baron Davis and dishing, I will take Baron Davis' second in the league in assists/game mark that he had this season. Through a large portion of the season he was averaging about 9.9 assists/game. The trades that can bare Monta Ellis or some other young players from this team is by trading for Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal type of deals. The deal that I would encourage would be Jason Richardson/Derek Fisher/Zarko Caparkapa for Jermaine O'Neal. This way, the Warriors get a duo of Baron Davis and Jermaine O'Neal, a duo I would have been thrilled to have two years ago. Then to fill in the roster with players like Andris Biedrins, Dunleavy, Pietrus, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, Chris Taft, a draft pick(Rudy Gay?), Will Bynum, etc. would be very interesting. The defense of this team could be one of the best in the entire NBA with O'Neal and Andris in the front court, and possibly Pietrus and Ellis in the backcourt. And the offense is taken care of by Baron and Jermaine along with one of the young guys like Ike or Ellis or Pietrus who can put up points in a hurry. Anyway this is my trade thought, going away from the actual main topic... (wait, maybe dealing Murphy in the trade instead of Fisher and Zarko will be more even for the Pacers. If they want Fisher though, maybe we swap Fisher and Stephen Jackson in the deal as well)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Clif25:</div><div class="quote_post">The way this back-court pans out, will be very interesting. It is easy to enjoy Monta's game. He is one of those players that brings it on defense, and has offensive skills that can develop into a very solid offensive player. The way Monta plays both on defense and on offense is the reason why Mickael Pietrus was very highly coveted by myself in the past couple of seasons and why I would hope that somehow he could stay and get a much better role with the team compared to what he has been given by Montgomery. As for Baron Davis and dishing, I will take Baron Davis' second in the league in assists/game mark that he had this season. Through a large portion of the season he was averaging about 9.9 assists/game. The trades that can bare Monta Ellis or some other young players from this team is by trading for Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal type of deals. The deal that I would encourage would be Jason Richardson/Derek Fisher/Zarko Caparkapa for Jermaine O'Neal. This way, the Warriors get a duo of Baron Davis and Jermaine O'Neal, a duo I would have been thrilled to have two years ago. Then to fill in the roster with players like Andris Biedrins, Dunleavy, Pietrus, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, Chris Taft, a draft pick(Rudy Gay?), Will Bynum, etc. would be very interesting. The defense of this team could be one of the best in the entire NBA with O'Neal and Andris in the front court, and possibly Pietrus and Ellis in the backcourt. And the offense is taken care of by Baron and Jermaine along with one of the young guys like Ike or Ellis or Pietrus who can put up points in a hurry. Anyway this is my trade thought, going away from the actual main topic...</div> Well Indiana would need a PF in return, and I think they'd want Murphy. And I'd want to give up Murphy as well. I can't believe you'd part with JRich
