Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: monta ellis

Warriors GM: ‘We are not shopping Ellis’ ... maybe

via nba-point-forward.si.com

Just read the interview from Larry Riley in SI. I'm taking it with a grain of salt given that Riley is a lame duck GM who is just grooming his replacement Bob Myers. My guess is that a deal may still be in the works for Ellis but one of two things could be happening. Either the Warriors are trying to get more for Ellis or they are bracing the fans should a deal not materialize.

Ellis is a valuable trade commodity. He's young, scores in bunches and has a reasonable contract given his level of performance. He also plays no defense but in the right system, that might not matter as much. I'll believe Larry Riley when it's October and Ellis is still in a W's uniform.

Lots of Warriors news ... Mark Jackson as head coach and Ellis trade rumors

Wow, lots of news today for the W's. First a confirmed event - Mark Jackson is announced as the new head coach. Not 100% sure of the success of this choice but it does mix things up a little bit (not necessarily a bad thing). However, without any NBA coaching experience, Jackson will have a tough road ahead of him leading a team that is not the most disciplined. Up tempo may be exciting to watch but doesn't always lead to many championships.

As for the Ellis for Iguodala trade rumors, that one might be interesting. Of course, Iguodala is not as dynamic a scorer as Ellis but he does have size, can rebound better, and may fit better with Curry. However, he is a year older and $11.1M more over the next 3 years ($2.5M, $3.7M and $4.9M). If he plays like he did in 2006-2008 then this could work. However, if he's more like his 2009-2011 numbers then this is a bad trade. Still, it'll be hard to see Ellis go. He was definitely exciting but in the long run, there was no way the Warriors could win with two undersized guards.

Warrior's lost a good piece of the puzzle

Looks like the Warriors are letting Anthony Morrow walk. At a time when the fortunes of the team were looking up, they lost a pretty good piece of the puzzle. Granted, Morrow is not a premiere player but he served a very important role - dead-eye outside shooting (he was one of only 4 guys last year who shot more than 45% from 3PT land).

Ever team needs a guy who just hangs on the perimeter to knock down open 3's. With David Lee as an above average passing big man, Monta Ellis driving and kicking out, plus Curry creating open shots, the Warriors needed a guy just like Morrow. Plus at only $4 million a year, he's great value considering guys like Reddick and Korver were getting $5M - $7M. Compounding the issue is that the Warriors signed Dorell Wright, who by all measure (other than height) is inferior to Morrow, to the same exact three year $12M contract. He scores less, grabs fewer rebounds, and doesn't shoot as well from the floor or the free throw line. The only way I can envision the Warriors letting him go is if he expressly asked to leave and the Dorell Wright move was in reaction to that. Two steps forward, one step back.  At least we get a trade exception out of it.

Geez... I didn't think it could get any worse for the W's...

It’s the Warriors. The only ones who stay are the fools, the corrupt and those with no other choice.
via blogs.mercurynews.com

Just read this on Tim Kawakami's blog. If this is true, the Warriors have pretty much sunk to a new low. I was never a Nelson lover but I didn't really hate what he did for the team either. That is until now. He's looking more and more like the old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn. The team needs to be sold... now... to anyone. Nothing can be worse than the combination of Cohan-Rowell-Nelson. The fans deserve so much more yet I get the impression that until they stop buying season tickets en masse, management will never change. They're making money while the team/fans suffer.

Azubuike's time to shine

As the Amare to Warriors trade rumor gains steam, it got me thinking that next year should be Kelenna Azubuike's time to shine. This is a guy who plays with a ton of heart and always gives maximum effort. Being undrafted, he's got a huge chip on his shoulders and understands that being on an NBA roster is a privilege and not a right. His numbers have improved every year as he gets more minutes and more confidence. The thing I love about him is for a 6' 5" guy, he rebounds with the best of them. Kinda reminds me of when Jason Richardson lead all SG's a few years ago in rebounds (6.7 a game). If the 2005 NBA draft were re-ordered here's how I'd see it:
 
Brandon Roy
Rajon Rondo
LaMarcus Aldridge
Paul Millsap
Rudy Gay
Randy Foye
Kelenna Azubuike
 
If Amare does come to the W's, here's my projected starting five - Monta, Azubuike, Jackson, Randolph, and Stoudemire with CJ, Morrow, Maggette, and Turiaf as the main bench players. Assuming Randolph continues to develop, I'd say the Warriors are a solid playoff team - maybe as high as 5th or 6th seed but more likely 7th or 8th.