It's been a hectic summer for the Golden State Warriors' front office that has been promptly carried out on the fans.
Being a crazy Warriors fan, I can tell you I have been concerned about one matter since the abrupt departure of Baron "$$" Davis: Who will be playing the point guard position for the Warriors new season?
Not one Warriors fan out there can assertively chatter about the Warriors' future in that certain area. Everybody acknowledges that Ellis cannot effectively play the point guard position due to his high scoring ability at the shooting guard position.
The Mississippi Bullet's ability to create plays and ultimately make the team better poses a huge question mark at the age of 23. Although Don Nelson and Chris Mullin both expressed their comfort for Monta Ellis to control the team, both very well know that he can't get the job done.
After all, Ellis has yet to become that superstar the team can rely on. Basing a single-season performance on the franchise's future can be quite deceptive.
Point guards come into this grinding league exhibiting point guard-like qualities that include: Increasing assist numbers in the first three years and lower turnover numbers as well.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury made a brief comparison between Ellis in his first three years and current point guard stars with compelling stats.
Ellis has averaged 3.4 assists and 2.2 turnovers in his career and got it to 3.9/2.1 last year.
Allen Iverson is a career 6.3/3.7. In his first three seasons, he averaged 7.5, 6.2 and 4.7 assists.
Jason Terry is a career 5.0/2.2 and was 4.3 assists or above in his first three seasons.
Gilbert Arenas is a career 5.5/3.3 and averaged 3.7, 6.3 and 5.0 assists in his first three seasons.
Davis, by the way, is a career 7.2/2.8. Last year he was 7.6/2.8.
By the likes of these shining numbers, Ellis' numbers has shown the "don't" side of what point guards usually demonstrate throughout the NBA.
To top this, Ellis has become a great individual scorer the Warriors can definitely pair up with the explosive Corey Maggette.
In addition, Ellis has rarely shown the ability to create plays for other players on the court when the opposing defense overloads him. It's what lead point guards do in this league; they break through defenses in the smoothest way possible. If they can't, they give up the ball.
Quite frankly, Ellis' stats vividly portray the qualities of a lead shooting guard. A tremendous increase in scoring over a short period of time (a year in this case for Ellis) has him drawing comparisons to ex-Warrior Jason Richardson, for example.
But for Mully and Nellie to just throw Ellis into that lead guard spot and expect him to transform into a Steve Nash with a 200 percent raise could prove decieving. It does not necessarily mean that he'll be compatible in this decisive position.
Plus, Ellis can't run the team due to his high scoring ability and his AGE. At this age, making a transfer to a key position on the team could negatively impact Ellis' talent. His age restricts him because he has yet to assert himself in his original position.
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2 months ago
just telling monta what he can't do. he likes to prove people wrong.
from 2 months ago
I know Isaac. Thanks for the Comment. They said, they said, they said.
2 months ago
While your numbers comparison is interesting, you fail to note that Monte wasn't actually playing point except for spot minutes the past few years. So there's really no gauge as to how well he can do there. He do show some playmaking ability towards the end of last year, and he began to cut down on his turnovers. I think he will make the transition, with help from the rest of the team.
Remember, Nellie doesn't rely on traditional positions and he loves mixing up the defense by keeping things nebulous. i think your pessimism is unfounded (so far). Monte won't be dominant, but he'll do fine. and with veterans like maggette, jackson, and harrington (and possibly turiaf) aboard, he'll have plenty of experience to lean on in the clutch.
hopefully next year we can draft/ trade for a great PG.
from 2 months ago
I am not really being pessimistic there Safa, I'm just stating out the observations I witnessed. It's a pretty hard transition to make when you're only 23 and discovering yourself in your original position. Exactly, that's what I'm saying. He hasn't played the spot before, which could take some time to learn. I'm not saying he won't become one, I'm just saying Monta needs some development from a veteran leader in that spot. Baron was there, I really don't know who is there now. No matter how much Nellie lectures him, a veteran leader always helps.
Thanks for the comment Safa.
2 months ago
Those guys you mentioned all played PG in their first few years, so they handled the ball more than Monta, who was only sporadically played at the PG position.
If he plays more minutes there, his assists will improve expenentially. It is only logical. More minutes at a position= more productivity at the position.
I'm not saying Monta will average 9 dishes a game, but 6.5 isn't a stretch. Just give him 30 minutes a game, and he will prove you naysayers wrong that he can't play the point.
BTW, there is no way the Dubs should give up Biens for an aging, slow tempo popint(Billups). I have heard Pistons fans don't like the potential trade, and neiother does this Warriors fan. Chauncey has only a couple of decent years left, while Biedrins will be a monster for years to come. Mully.......don't do it. Stick with CJ, or some other lower level FA, but don't give up on the future to improve the team only minimally for a year or 2.
from 2 months ago
He's a pretty good ball handler, but you're missing my main point: He can't make plays for other people. He hasn't illustrated that throughout his 3 year NBA career. Know what I mean? I am not Monta Hater or anything, I'm just writing what I see. Monta thrives more at his original position. He's like D-Wade. He doesn't want to handle a lot and rather prefers to explode to the cup more. It maybe a vague comparison, but it works.
And yeah, I totally agree with you. Dre for Billups would be a waste. I'm not sure even CJ can be a sufficient back-up point guard. We should trade for a keyon Dooling or a Javaris Crittenton. Crit..will be a very good future point guard. He's got the body and skills. Just needs a boost of confidence.
Thanks for the comment man.
2 months ago
Watson will be on the roster because the Warriors will need two backups for Ellis. Dooling is a free agent and should be signed ASAP, along with Azubuike. The next move is to move Harrington for the first decent offer. The only problem is that we don't have any other experienced power forwards on the roster. Wright and Hendrix are unproven. If we could find a way to trade Harrington and Belinelli for Crawford and Lee, that would be awesome...
from 2 months ago
Yeah, I agree. Well, we haven't seen Hendrix yet. But Brandan Wright will grow into a very skilled player. He just needs to add some bulk which is not hard to do in this league. Keyon Dooling has to be a must next season. Lee would be a legit starter at power forward next to Dre. Trading Belenelli would not be the wisest thing to do, because he's gonna be a great addition with his tremendous shooting ability next season. Thanks for the comment man.
2 months ago
Monta was the Most Improved PLayer two years ago and was one of the most improved last year. This bodes well for on-going improvement. What happened two or three years ago is irrelevant. Even as a shooting guard, his assist to turnover ratio this past year was better than Iverson or Arenas. His quickness and mid-range shooting skills force opponents to focus on stopping him, which results in opportunities for teammates. In the past year, he has increasingly shown the ability to take advantage of such opportunities. He will find it even easier as a point guard.
from 2 months ago
No, the shooting guard position is a story and the point guard position is another, especially if you're playing under Nellie. He won't find it easier as a point guard. You are just generalizing without any solid facts. Doesn't mean he was the MIP that he'll glow at the point guard position. I eventually think he will, but he feels more comfortable feeding of somebody else (hint: BD). That somebody is not present anymore. But you never know.
Thanks for the comment.
from 2 months ago
Khalid, you have managed to redefine 'garbage time'.
from 2 months ago
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but you abuse the privilege. Go drool on somebody else, got it beezy?
2 months ago
Enjoyed the article. Have similar concerns as a fellow W's fan.
However, all of the aforementioned guards, other than Monta, started at the point when they played their first three seasons. Monta will definitely get more assists when he actually plays the PG position-- something he didn't do hardly at all in the past few years. I think Tim Kawakami said that Monta would have to make that transition to PG eventually, and I somewhat agree.
So long as he plays shooting guard, Monta will always be an undersized one who will have issues on the defensive end, forcing others to cover for his inability. At this point, he might even get overpowered by PGs (let alone SGs) his size, but at least he has a better shot at defending them.
By the way, he's not getting just a 200% raise, but nearly a 1,000% raise from his below $1mil salary. He gets that much more valuable to other teams, if he shows he can play a position where he fits size-wise, can distribute and still score. He doesn't need to be the best passer in the league (most likely, he'll always be more of a scoring point-guard). But either he'll play that position or he'll have to get huger (muscle-wise) to be like Baron or Wade (who can cover SGs). Dwyane Wade is 6'4", 212lbs. Ellis is 6'3", 177lbs. Therein lies the difference in suitably covering other SGs defensively.
If he can't get bigger (which incidentally, might slow him down as the speed-meister he is) or can't learn to play the point, he won't truly be a super-star player that can be a long-term solution for any team, let alone the W's. Just my two cents..
2 months ago
Also, Ellis has averaged around 4 APG in the last two seasons (4.1 in 2006-2007, 3.9 in 2007-2008). This was when he was not the primary ball-handler. He definitely has a chance to up that ante. The main beef is to cut down on the turnovers, like you mentioned. He'll get his assists-- but if he turns it over just as much, that will be painful to watch. I'm crossing my fingers!
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