Golden State Signs Two Local Products

Miles should definitely stick with the team for the last roster spot. He provides us with what we're needing at the backup point. Assists and defense. Perfect fit. He could even run with Baron. Baron could slide over to the 2, allowing us two playmakers on the floor at the same time.

For defensive purposes, he could help guard the Boykins, Stoudemire, Telfair, Ridnour, types. These smaller guys give both Fisher and Davis trouble. Our points are some of the biggest in the L. so having Miles in this area would help.

I love what I'm hearing about Ellis. I hope he gets some opportunity this year. I don't like the idea of him going to the NBDL. He should be learning with the master on the big boys squad.

 

That's pretty much the bottom line for Miles. We geta guy ready to do the PG skill stuff/D that Monta will need to develop over time. Obviously all these walk-ons won't fit the 15 man max. Ths fill our camp roster but there will be cuts. Miles is pretty sure to make the cut-with the others scrambling to be the last guy..and mainly play Devo league. Devo league rules appear to let a guy get called up and sent down a few times. Monta,Taft,and Miles...and any surviving walkon,likely goes down to get some action at some point.

Generally I'd figure Monta-Taft-Miles DO need some taste of the NBA,and work with the team and coaches but each needs to add stuff to the toolbox and PLAY,so unless someone catches on very fast and gets a role-they get some Devo time. Davis is interesting. He is not as wide,strong,or skilled as Ike-obviously,but can play.Akindele and Young need to show a lot of effort and some progress in camp to stick as a Devo guy. We can't keep rights to everyone. If Akindele can show good hustle-good D-some long term potential he may get a Devo job with the thought that a tall shotblocker can have value down the road.

 

Oh, man. I was about to start yelling! haha. Good one...

 

From What I've read, as I haven't seen him play, Miles sounds a lot like Eric Snow, but in a smaller body. Miles is only 6'-6'1" with almost no offense to speak of. I read that he is quick and can defend but doesn't have the quicks of say Raymond Felton or the other racers in the league. It will be very difficult for any of these guys to stick. Once training camps break and the season starts there will be a pool of fresh bodies floating around for teams to evaluate.

Bring on the season

 

Good insight REREM. As much as I like Montay Ellis, he's going to have a scorer's mentality for awhile until he feels comfortable running/organizing a team the way a good point guard should or an NFL quarterback does in football. So we might as well take on Aaron Miles as insurance as a guy that can run a team. He doesn't really score which could be a problem for those types in the NBA, but he can develop an offensive game and shoot when he has to. With a lineup of 3 or 4 other players that can score the ball moving without the ball, it shouldn't be a problem as long as the players know when to cut and where to receive the ball. What we have problems with is defense and the number of guys that can create shots for others if not for themselves.

It would be good to see how Ellis can run a team and make others better, otherwise he's not really going to be much of a true point, but just a combo guard more suited to coming off the bench and Ellis definitely has the display of early court vision, both defensive/offensive potential and the overall potential to be more than what he is now as a borderline point guard/shooting guard. He's mentally tough considering the pressure to perform with an unguaranteed contract and two point guards ahead of him. He also physically could be there in a few more years at 6'3 + athleticism. Now he's got a little money in the bank to get a personal trainer and a stricter diet.

I hope this guy is the real deal. There's really been no successful high school guards to speak of yet. Telfair is the only other guy I remember that jumped in right away and rookie Louis Williams is definitely a two guard Dajaun Wagner/Allen Iverson style and he's unproven just as much as Ellis is against real NBA bodies.

 

Once Livingston puts on a little weight I think he'll be one that translates from High School. Telfair has shown flashes of great passing and scoring. He torched us in one of our games last year.

If Ellis uses his defense as a spring board we'll be forced to play him this year. Latrell Sprewell was a eye opening defender when we first got him ,and it opened alot of eyes. Same thing with Pietrus. His first year showed everyone how great a defender he was, and it earned him instant minutes. Of course Piet is falling in love with his offense, and he needs to get back to D. 1st, and O. 2nd.

Who knows if a youngster like Ellis will ever have point guard skills. Hopefully he can be groomed by one of the best points in the L. He'll be battling Pietrus for Barons right hand man honors.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mylie10:</div><div class="quote_post">Once Livingston puts on a little weight I think he'll be one that translates from High School. Telfair has shown flashes of great passing and scoring. He torched us in one of our games last year.

If Ellis uses his defense as a spring board we'll be forced to play him this year. Latrell Sprewell was a eye opening defender when we first got him ,and it opened alot of eyes. Same thing with Pietrus. His first year showed everyone how great a defender he was, and it earned him instant minutes. Of course Piet is falling in love with his offense, and he needs to get back to D. 1st, and O. 2nd.

Who knows if a youngster like Ellis will ever have point guard skills. Hopefully he can be groomed by one of the best points in the L. He'll be battling Pietrus for Barons right hand man honors.</div>

Yeah I guess Shaun Livingston of the clippers was drafted as a point guard, but I don't know if he truly is. They thought guys like Lebron James and Steve Smith were going to be the next Magic Johnsons but instead it's more than likely they'll take any 6'5 and over point guards and push them to shooting guard or small forward. I guess we'll see how it turns out, but I think he's a shooting guard or a future small forward.

I definitely believe in getting more defensive toughness out of all of our guys. Baron Davis is just one of these guys that will play with energy, toughness on both ends of the floor and he'll make his teammates better and will deliver when the team needs him. That's the makings of a true superstar. Montay definitely looks like he wants to be that type of player just by the fact he wasn't panicking after he got drafted in the 2nd round and was performing well against college and foreign pros in Las Vegas. Some would have cried, but he took it like a man and performed well in summer league trying to run a half court system when his game is clearly to score and run and gun like Gilbert Arenas or Dajaun Wagner. Let's just say his bball understanding and intensity is affected by the fact he played with a scorer's mentality in high school. When he was getting his points and getting in that lane he made Diogu a lot better in that last game by creating off the dribble than he did when he was throwing him lazy or just plain poor entry passes that took him off the block. Now I know it's easy to get the ball stolen or intercepted in an entry pass to the big man inside, but Diogu clearly had a foothold and a good half a foot reach over his guy to catch the ball and it was just thrown away from that position toward the 18 foot mark! I hope Ellis works on polishing all of his game even if it's really polished for a high school player (especially his shooting is polished which is incredible, but his passing and dribbling need some work since a point guard needs to master those skills)