Monta Ellis Trade: Best Expert Reactions to Blockbuster Deal
In what is the biggest deal of the NBA season so far, Golden State Warriors shooting machine Monta Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for the two players that wanted out anyway, Stephen Jackson and Andrew Bogut.
The Golden State Warriors' official twitter gives us the details on this wild deal:
"Now Official: @Warriors acquire Andrew Bogut & Stephen Jackson from Bucks in exchange for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh & Kwame Brown.
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) March 14, 2012"
As far as the Bucks go, they honored the wishes of the players that wanted out of town while still upgrading with not only Monta Ellis, but role players Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown. Milwaukee has to be happy about this move.
The Bay Area may not be as happy as the Bucks fans, though. Not only did the team lose their top offensive machine, they gained a locker room distraction and an injury-prone center. The Warriors clearly just wanted to get out from underneath Ellis’ contract.
What the Experts Said
Grantland NBA writer Jay Caspian Kang has an amazing piece on Monta Ellis and the deal that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks:
"Instead, to nearly everyone's surprise, Monta ended up with the Bucks, playing alongside Brandon Jennings, who had to promise to shoot over 40 percent this season. Milwaukee's season, despite its current position as the eighth seed in the East, will not hinge on whether Monta Ellis can carry the team through scoring droughts. And while there are legitimate questions to raise about playing two smallish guards who don't shoot particularly efficiently, Monta and Jennings will instantly be the fastest backcourt in the league. Baron Davis never shot over 44 percent from the floor in Golden State, but he engineered the fast pace that allowed Monta to flourish beside him. I'm certainly not going to say that Brandon Jennings will ever be the distributor that Baron was for the Warriors, but, as Chuck always says, winning teams have always been able to establish the pace of the game."
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting on the Warriors’ reaction to the deal:
"The Warriors were clearly caught off guard by the trade of Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of Kwame Brown to Milwaukee for center Andrew Bogut and swingman Stephen Jackson on Tuesday.The news hit about 1 1/2 hours before the game at Sacramento, sending the remaining Warriors spinning into clusters of confusion. It also showed an obvious organizational change in philosophy from hoping to sneak into the playoffs now to trying to compete for championships in the future.
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The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting about how and why this trade happened:
"It became clear last week that Bogut was hoping to be traded before the deadline - although he did not make a formal trade request - and the Bucks also had interest in making a deal. Bogut was seeking a fresh start in the hopes of putting his injury-plagued run in Milwaukee behind him. Ellis had said earlier Tuesday he was getting tired of the trade talk surrounding him. The Warriors played in Sacramento on Tuesday night.
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Twitter Nuggets
Not to be outdone, the Milwaukee Bucks official twitter shares a very interesting factoid:
"Ellis was one of only 5 players in the NBA to avg at least 20 points & 5 assists (Rose, James, Westbrook, Williams) on.nba.com/y5Zz3d
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 14, 2012"
Bleacher Report's own NBA connoisseur Tom Kinslow shows us the irony of this deal:
"Did the #Bucks read an Onion article about the NBA adding a second basketball and then trade for Monta Ellis? Makes no sense.
— Tom Kinslow (@TomKinslow) March 14, 2012"
Not NBA insider Not Bill Walton tries to comfort the Golden State fanbase, but to no avail:
"Warriors fans are upset that Monta Ellis was traded away. I would tell them things are going to get better, but they still live in Oakland.
— The Bill Walton Trip (@NotBillWalton) March 14, 2012"
Jason McIntyre from Big Lead Sports is tells us about Ellis’ doppelganger and where the bucks are seeded for this year’s street ball tour:
"Monta = guard version of Melo RT @jdubs88: Monta Ellis & Brandon Jennings... Bucks are a 1 seed at Rucker Park this summer
— Jason McIntyre (@TheBigLead) March 14, 2012"
My Take
As much as people don’t want to hear this, the deal is fair for both parties in this case. Golden State obviously wanted to deal Ellis, and he wanted to go. The same can be said for Stephen Jackson in Milwaukee, with Andre Bogut reportedly feeling the same way.
With fresh starts all around, these teams can start going forward with a different shape to their landscape. The Bucks have a few weeks to find themselves if they want to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, but they can do it with all the scoring they have.
The Warriors on the other hand are clearly going back to the drawing board and are starting the process of building a championship contender with Stephen Curry as their main player. With Ellis out of town, the ball is all Curry’s.
The trade looks great now, but judge it again in two seasons.
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