Its Time To Grow That Mustache, Monta Ellis!

“I can’t grow a mustache, I aint got no season pass
All I gots a mo-ped (echoed 2 times)”

- Bowling for Soup "Girl all the Bad Guys Want"

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I'm calling it my Bowling for Soup Theory. Kidding aside, I am talking about the need  Golden State Warrior guard Monta Ellis to move on to a new chapter in life. It is time for “The Kid” to mature to the 67 million man the Dubs signed him to be. See Monta Ellis a huge investment for the Warriors, and big money equals big responsibility. It made sense when the “The Kid” made 900K and exceeding expectations then anyone thought the former 2nd round pick . Now he is earning the big bucks. He’s the star. The Show. The Feature. The main event. Monta Ellis is no longer “The Kid” and needs to grow up starting now.

Monta Ellis has been in the news this last month for his trouble with the Warriors Organization. No, he didn’t get caught with weed. No he hasn’t beat his wife/girlfriend/family etc. No, Monta hasn’t gone Reverend Wright on us (see Josh Howard). Monta’s predicament is more complicated than all of those. Worse? No, but more complicated. See it looks like Monta Ellis injured an important ankle ligament, not by shooting hoops as he initially said, but by riding a moped. Yeah mopeds are awesome when you are under 16. But once one gets a license, a mo-ped becomes relatively pointless. Looking at a positive level, at least it was just a Mo-ped and not a motorcycle.

I don’t blame Monta too much for what he did. They say 50 is the new 40, and 40 is the new 30. True that, but I also think 22 is the new 17. He is still a very young man, who many people his age would commonly do something similar. Also, he has had a difficult childhood, and easily could have been some gang member, spouse beating, drug-dealing kid. But he is not. The Media shy, well liked “kid” is a fan favorite here in Northern California. Yes, he does seem to act like a child a little too much at times, with his demeanor. Maybe this is why we like him so much. He seems to play the game of NBA basketball with love and passion day in and day out.  Game after game, Monta always shows up to play ball, and he plays it real well. It is time for “The Kid” to keep playing the way he is, and at the same time bear more responsibility. He is an adult. He needs to act like one.

What should the Golden State organization do with Monta Ellis then? Fine him? Suspend him? I don’t think either of these solutions will do good in solving this problem. Monta Ellis seems like the guy that right now probably feels absolutely horrible for what he did. He knows he let his team down for the first month and the Warriors will miss him dearly when the season starts. I think a few meetings with the organization and Monta face to face is the best solution on tackling his problem. The Warriors seem to be trying to put this issue to rest, but the media continues to refuel the story with the little findings they have each day.

Monta Ellis seems to be a good kid and a good role model in the NBA. Although his decision probably wasn’t the greatest decision, he will learn from it. The time is now to grow that mustache Monta.