Too Obvious Curry v. Monta, Right Now

Watched some of the W's v. Nuggets last night (a high quality opponent). I know it was just one game but I think now is a good time to make a comparison because Curry is no longer the tentative/scared rookie, he's playing confidently.

Yes I'm a Curry lover because he passes the ball.

Could the contrast be any brighter? Curry looks to make the extra pass to give his teammates a chance to score. Now he's a scorer as well. Monta made a couple of tries on the pick and roll but that's it. As Collins pointed out, otherwise he's looking to score. Curry is a better passer, and a better rebounder even though Monta can sky.

I wish we could keep both but not with the current team and definitely not with Nellie ball. This is probably a decision that the Trailblazers wanted to avoid when MJ was available, Clyde was already a star, when get another one? Because the next one could be even better. Thankfully the Warriors did not skip Curry to get Jordan Hill.

 

I don't disagree with any of this except we should put things in perspective.

Why does it have to be Monta vs. Curry? Can't it be Monta AND Curry? Isn't that what they should be working on? To create some chemistry? I am tired of the "trade Monta" talk because the fact is, the Warriors aren't going to get anything as good or better than Monta. I don't think OJ Mayo is better than Monta.

Another thing about last night's game. Monta was playing with a bad back. His shot was off and he was forcing a lot of things. Playing without CJ also probably made him press a little more. Monta is allowed to have a bad shooting night once in a while. Now is the time to take all the good scoring he has done this season and have it gel with all the good things Curry is starting to show.

Isn't that the high road? As Warrior fans, we're too quick to want to get rid of a player because they don't "fit."

BTW, your boy Kawakami pointed out Curry's -24 in the +/- category. You might want to talk to him about it next time you play golf.

 

Curry Signing Autographs in the Oakridge Mall tonight

I'm getting a Warriors Onesie Autographed tonight to frame for the baby room

 

I don't think you can have the 2 of them on a winning team. Monta is too insecure for them to co-exist. Had he been more mature, I'd say no problem, but he started pouting before even seeing Curry play. And Monta is turning into a volume shooter.

I'll give you a perfect example of the maturity difference. Curry caught an outlet pass somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd yesterday. He pushed the ball, forced the defender to come to him because he was setting Morrow up for a catch and shoot 3. Morrow caught it in rhythm and drained it.

Monta would've tried to take the defender, and potentially turned the ball over. If Monta could sit on the wing, and be the guy taking the pass, then no problem, but he wants and needs the ball in his hands. Curry would make Ellis a 25 point scorer with high efficiency if he'd just scale back a bit. But I just don't think he's capable. Everything points to him turning into Iverson the II (albeit a poor man's Iverson).

An example of a team player: Curry gets a triple double and humbly defers to his team. Monta is asked about his scoring numbers and he says that that's what he does, he's done it his whole life, it was just a matter of time. No mention of the team, no mention of the system that allows for a guy like him to score in bunches.

Simply put, Monta is selfish. He's not the guy I want the team to build around. (This is assuming that a new owner comes in and wants to build the team, not just put fans in the seats)

Monta needs an Andre Miller type of point guard next to him. A defensive distributor who doesn't mind taking a back-seat. Anything other than that is gonna be trouble.

 

I also don't disagree with this but it's too early to tell. We've seen a little over half a season of "selfish" Monta. No one was criticizing him a few months ago when he was blowing up for 30 - 40 ppg. Yes, Monta needs to scale back his volume shooting (I wrote a pretty long blog post about this) and allow Curry to lead the team as PG more. But I don't think he's uncapable of doing this. He's very capable as he showed a few seasons ago when he played alongside Baron. He averaged 20 ppg that season and shot over 50% from the field.

I realize Monta's game has evolved (or devolved) into him becoming a volume scorer like AI, which has increased the likelihood he will become that type of player going forward, but he's still 24 and still learning. Yes, he's trying to force the issue and he's forgetting about his teammates. I haven't seen Monta come off staggered screens for a mid-range shot in a long time. He's actually becoming more like Maggette. Speaking of Maggette, a couple months ago he was playing really well. You know, slowing the tempo, picking his spots, cutting to the lane, using screens. Not anymore.

I guess my point is, it's not impossible to start playing as a team, but everyone's point is duly noted...that it seems very unlikely with Monta and Maggette on the team.

 

I think it's pretty obvious that Curry is the cornerstone of the future. So really, I'd ask myself "who fits best with Curry?" That's the essential question, IMO.

Well, good shooters fit in very well, because unlike Monta, Curry is always collapsing the defense and then finding open shooters, just like Steve Nash does.

Another thing that will fit very well with Curry is a cast of players who do not need to dominate the ball. Curry needs to dominate the ball. He should be running the show. He should be initiating everything. Other players should be supporting this.

Another thing that will fit well with Curry at the SG position is a guy who is a bit bigger than a PG. A guy 6'4 or 6'5, who can body up the opposing SG's and end the defensive liabilities we currently have on the perimeter.

Essentially, then, it's Raja Bell! Excellent defender, and shooter, who will get open and wait for Curry to work his magic.

Unfortunately, I don't see it with Monta. He's undersized, and he wants to dominate the ball. The more time GS takes the ball out of Curry's hands, the less chance they have of winning. When you reduce the Steve-Nash-like Curry to a spot-up shooter, you've taken your best chess piece and thrown it off the board. Why do this?

Maggette + Monta dominating the ball is not a recipe for success. Curry running the show is. I have loved Monta, but honestly I'd trade him while his value is high. Try to get a starting PF like Boozer or Bosh, or David West, or Elton Brand, or something.

This really needs to be Curry's team, and I don't think Monta will be willing to go for that.

Oh, and P.S. get rid of Maggette-Regrette...

 

Is there really a problem if Monta Ellis is a volume shooter? He shoots higher than 45% from the field, scores one of the most points in the paint than any other player in the league, and it's not like he is just hoisting up 3 pointers and taking ill-advised shots.

Ultimately it does not matter if this team is Monta's or Curry's or both. They need a lot of other help either way. We have gone through this over and over again with players. We change whose team it is all the time. But first we should really just worry about making this a winning team. Monta seems to be the last player keeping this team from winning.

I'll agree with AlleyOops last point though. Getting a really good PF to join the team would be very helpful, assuming there are no external contract or attitude problems. So in such, trading Ellis for such a player might be optimal.

 

It's a problem if the ball stops when it gets to him 80% of the time because it takes all the other players out of the game. That's unfortunately how Ellis ends up scoring a ton of points in Warriors blowout losses. Curry gets his shots, but has a knack for keeping everyone else involved.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=OmsvhQFS6-8&v=rJEbbS1wY0Y

sick

 

I think with the emergence of Curry's game, Monta's volume shooting does become an issue.

 

I'd take Curry over Collison every day.

 

I would too but Collison has been shockingly good lately, he really exploded onto the scene out of nowhere. I just wish I could watch Curry play with real basketball players, those guys who can actually rebound, play a little defense, and, you know, catch a pass and hit shots. How many assists would Curry be averaging if he wasn't on a team that has these 25%-30% shooting halfs?

 

Word. What makes Curry's season more amazing is that he's playing with a bunch of scrubs, literally! Devean George! Are you kidding me? He was supposed to be our 15th man and he's starting games guarding Carmelo Anthony (albeit, doing a decent job, but still!!!).

I do wonder how Randolph and Wright would be doing if they hadn't gotten injured and getting the opportunity to play alongside Curry the past two months. I also wonder how Biedrins would be doing if he didn't play for the Latvian National Team.

Finally, I wonder if I'll be able to play bball tonight without getting sore after 3 games. LOL

 

It's funny, I was thinking the same thing last night. Turiaf dropped that pass (albeit there was a bit too much on it for how high it was) But Randolph and Wright would be beasts working that pick and roll. I think Wright will shine next to Curry, because he takes the time to stay focused and do the detailed work (setting screens). If Randolph follows Ronny's lead and sees that Curry can get him 3-4 wide open dunks a day, the guy could flourish as well. Can you imagine the pick/roll pick/pop game using these 2 guys? If the team could pickup a guy like Millsap or Boozer it could be scary. Eventually you get a guy sagging which will open up the 3s for Buike and Morrow. Curry will get his.

Curry will probably will average 20-10 simply by having someone who can run the pick/roll with him

The 2 guys that don't necessarily fit in that discussion are Ellis and Magette....

 

Found this link to last night's game in Portland:

[video=youtube;fU5gfBg1fpY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5gfBg1fpY&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Curry is going to just keep on getting better and better. Yeah he made a lot of shots but I love how there's one where he gets the tough rebound then dribbles out to start the fast break and gets Monta a layup and others where he gets others easy looks.

 

Monta quietly dropped 34. Curry and Monta combined (and they played the entire game) for 76 pts.