<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Warriors second-year guard Monta Ellis was asked last season if he shared then-coach Mike Montgomery's opinion that he wasn't ready to play point guard in the NBA. Ellis didn't say a word in response. He just shot a stare that would suggest he wouldn't dare answer the question for fear of dignifying it. The question was rephrased, asking him flat out if he can play point guard at this level. Again, Ellis didn't say a word. He just shot a stare that would suggest the question shouldn't have been asked. Anyone who knows Ellis will vouch for his supreme confidence. So him saying he can play point guard must be placed in the context that he feels like he can do anything. But coach Don Nelson sharing his beliefs has opened up a door that was closed last season, and the Warriors are reaping the benefits. Unlike Montgomery, who spent much of last year defending his stance that Ellis wasn't ready, Nelson is dogged about molding Ellis into a point guard. Nelson said he believes Ellis' only chance at becoming a special player is at point guard. He and Ellis are turning out to be right. Ellis is not only proving he is ready to give the position a go, but he can be productive, downright dominant even. He's no Chauncey Billups. When it comes to running the show, making teammates better, being the coach on the floor -- he has a ways to go. But Nelson, unlike Montgomery, saw the urgency in Ellis learning what he needed to learn right away. If nothing else, Nelson realized Ellis is ready to learn by trial. "I was going to play him from what I saw on film," Nelson said. "I thought that he needs to play a lot and get better. When I have a really good player, if we go through that process, that was more important than anything else. If anything, our strength is in our youth. We have some really good young players and I'm going to bring them along as best I can, and he's as good as any of them. ... I don't want it to cost me any games. I'll have it cost me possessions and opportunities, but I'm trying not to lose games by doing it. With Monta, I'm not worried about that anymore. He's such a positive out there." In fairness to Montgomery, Ellis perhaps wasn't ready to play the point guard the way Montgomery wanted him to. Montgomery likes his point guards traditional, focused, distributing and running the offense. But Ellis isn't from the Brevin Knight mold and he probably wasn't ready to be that for the Warriors as a rookie. Nonetheless, Ellis is more of a Gilbert Arenas type of point guard anyway -- explosive, improvisational, aggressive. He doesn't rely on the offense to produce for him, but rather his supreme athleticism and knack for scoring. Which is why Ellis can play point guard for Don Nelson, who is more concerned about playing up strengths than avoiding weaknesses. In Nelson's system, he doesn't need the point guard to be a floor general, but a creator. That, Ellis can certainly do. Just ask Phoenix point guard Steve Nash. "He's terrific," Nash said. "He's so athletic, and he's a really good shooter. ... It's really tough when you've never played the position before. Very few people can play both (guard) positions, so he's ahead of the curve." There was one play in the Phoenix game that displayed why Nelson believes Ellis is ready to play some point guard. Ellis was leading a fast break and realized they didn't have anything, so he pulled it back out. He waited for his teammates to spread the court, then took Nash off the dribble, hitting a right-handed runner over Nash. In that one sequence, Ellis displayed poise, understanding of situations and the ability to make plays. Aren't these the foundations of any good point guard? "He's a special talent," TNT analyst Steve Kerr said. "His playing next to Baron (Davis) helps him because it takes some of the load off." Fast forward to this season. Ellis was asked if he knew all along he could produce as a point guard in the NBA. Again, Ellis didn't speak. He just shot a stare that would suggested the question shouldn't have been asked.</div> Source
