Just realized he's on right now, 11:15 pm PST, in a few minutes, on TNT post-game show. An interview about his upbringing.
Wow -- this was one heck of a good story!! It showed Ellis' hometown in Mississippi, about how his older brother, 5 inches taller, was a star until he went on the wrong path, how Monta promissed his mom he would never go that way (drugs, crime) and how he avoided the neighborhood playground because of those things, instead shooting on a milk crate nailed to a telphone pole in front of his house. Interviewed his brother who seemed a little out of it (could have been a star) and how Monta says he's just hoping to get his brother back on the right path. Monta Ellis is officially my favorite player in the NBA! Please come back soon!
<div class="quote_poster">AlleyOop Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wow -- this was one heck of a good story!! It showed Ellis' hometown in Mississippi, about how his older brother, 5 inches taller, was a star until he went on the wrong path, how Monta promissed his mom he would never go that way (drugs, crime) and how he avoided the neighborhood playground because of those things, instead shooting on a milk crate nailed to a telphone pole in front of his house. Interviewed his brother who seemed a little out of it (could have been a star) and how Monta says he's just hoping to get his brother back on the right path. Monta Ellis is officially my favorite player in the NBA! Please come back soon!</div> Best thing is his personality, attitude, and humbleness. You see other NBA players that grew up tough like Monta... and they all act hardcore and have detrimental personalities.
Yep -- from day one this was what made Monta so special -- I really truly hope he doesn't let any of the hype go to his head -- I thought I read a few weeks ago he just signed a small shoe deal with Adidas, I think -- oh geez. His humble attitude will carry him farther than anything else, let's just hope JRich rubs off on him more than Baron
<div class="quote_poster">AlleyOop Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yep -- from day one this was what made Monta so special -- I really truly hope he doesn't let any of the hype go to his head -- I thought I read a few weeks ago he just signed a small shoe deal with Adidas, I think -- oh geez. His humble attitude will carry him farther than anything else, let's just hope JRich rubs off on him more than Baron </div> The shoe deal was with And1. Don't diss on Baron
<div class="quote_poster">AnimeFANatic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The shoe deal was with And1. Don't diss on Baron </div> lol -- actually, I think there's a lot to Baron's game that Monta should look up to -- after all he's hands-down the best player on the team. But in terms of attitudes -- we all know Baron craves the spot light, and while it suits his game well, I don't see it being a good thing for Monta. I see him more like a Rip Hamilton-type attitude -- awesome player that you never hear a peep out of. Just seems like his humble nature and work ethic are his strongest traits -- ala Jrich -- and I hope he doesn't loose that!
I think J-Rich craves the spotlight more than Baron does. That said, I don't think J-Rich or anyone on the team is a me-me-me player/person.
I was wondering why Monta Ellis went so late in the draft, and the interview revealed he had health issue concerns prior to the draft, which scared teams off. They also showed a stat comparison with other guards selected in his draft class, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, and Monta right in the mix with them statistically. Great kid, I really enjoyed the interview and the fact he's getting some national media attention.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I was wondering why Monta Ellis went so late in the draft, and the interview revealed he had health issue concerns prior to the draft, which scared teams off. They also showed a stat comparison with other guards selected in his draft class, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, and Monta right in the mix with them statistically. Great kid, I really enjoyed the interview and the fact he's getting some national media attention.</div> It's crazy how the Lakers chose Von Wafer over future all-star Monta Ellis Imagine the Lakers with Monta Ellis right now
<div class="quote_poster">AnimeFANatic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's crazy how the Lakers chose Von Wafer over future all-star Monta Ellis Imagine the Lakers with Monta Ellis right now </div> Yeah he's a constant reminder of how bad our GM drafts. The other reminders are Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard. Lakers elected to draft Brian Cook instead.
http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?cont...a_ellis_147.asx ^^ Link to the piece for all who missed it. Great story, for a kid like him to make it out of such a rough area. It gives you a good idea of how a couple of kids with equal talent can go down such drastically different paths. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I was wondering why Monta Ellis went so late in the draft, and the interview revealed he had health issue concerns prior to the draft, which scared teams off.</div> Yeah he had a major knee injury if I remember correctly but his doctor had said he had fully recovered and it was no longer a problem. He also tested terribly in the Chicago pre-draft camp and was rated the worst athlete (or the worst among guards, something like that) in the whole camp. Supposedly the night before had been his first time experimenting with alcohol so he was hung over for the combine, but it just goes to show you how heavily teams weigh their decisions on combine results or "potential" when the most important thing is if the guy can play or not. I believe I read somewhere that Mullin himself went to Lanier High School to see him play, something many GMs didn't want to do because it was a ghetto, so he evaluated what he saw Ellis do in games and saw the athleticism first hand while many GMs just looked at a piece of paper with his vertical leap and his knee injury and didn't even consider him.
<div class="quote_poster">Run BJM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> I believe I read somewhere that Mullin himself went to Lanier High School to see him play, something many GMs didn't want to do because it was a ghetto, so he evaluated what he saw Ellis do in games and saw the athleticism first hand while many GMs just looked at a piece of paper with his vertical leap and his knee injury and didn't even consider him.</div> If only he put the same effort in signing players...
