He didn't request a trade, per se. He asked to play for a winner. If they can make a move to pick up a big, this team will be significantly upgraded. Unfortunately, the best way to get bigger may mean moving Monta.
Well, it's time for him to go anyway. This franchise is moving in a direction that precludes leaving remnants of the past behind. That means either overwhelming it with change that its voice and power is greatly stifled compared to what now exists (see L Riley) or outright leaving it behind (see Bobby Row). Another option is replacing (see Nellie). But actually any of these options would probably work with Monta, well, save for the outright waiving. Except at this point, it could help the win column, even as a negative in the "not paying for a player on some other team" column. But really, any decent trade at this point is fine by me. And it's not hard to do "decent" here now that we've added more pieces in the draft. Defense, length, toughness, etc.--someone's gotta be willing to part with that for Monta, am I right? Let's just not drag this out, until Ellis starts getting negative in the media and decreasing whatever leverage the front office in Oakland has in any potential deals.
UPDATE: David Aldridge of NBA.com adds some more context to whether or not Ellis has asked out, writing he didn't quite demand a trade. "During the hour-long chat (with Warriors' brass Thursday) he did make it clear that he didn't want to be around for the meat of his prime if Golden State's new ownership group was no more committed to making the roster better than the old regime," wrote Aldridge. "He did say that if the team wasn't doing any better by the trade deadline next February, he'd like to be sent somewhere where he'd have a chance to compete. In the meantime, he's all in with the Warriors and Mark Jackson, who reportedly has called him twice already to insist he'll be on the roster next season ... Call it a demand with an asterisk." So while Ellis remains for the here and now, don't be surprised if trade chatter for him picks up again at some point.
LOL Here's the thing. If we made the playoffs we wouldn't be so concerned with Monta's weaknesses. He's a pretty good deal for what he gives us (super star scoring and a guy that can get his shot any time he wants) The big glaring hole has always been coaching strategy, personal accountability for bad play and crappy shot selection, defensive effort from the entire team, and lack of size/depth. When Biedrins was failing to play like he was earlier with double doubles and nobody behind him to contribute, that's just asking for trouble. Plus, David Lee doesn't bring much defensive intensity nor is he a dominant inside player. The only reason why that is tolerable is because Lee makes other players around him better and wasn't a black hole like Murphy and Jamison were. I am really hoping that our new draft prospects can bring some inside power to the table. We need guys who can really move opponents out of the painted area and underneath the basket like a Shaq or an Elton Brand or a Zach Randolph.
