 |
| Monta Ellis will dawn a new uniform for the first time in his career this season. |
Well, it finally happened. After a few years of trade talks
before the deadline, the Warriors finally dealt explosive high scoring guard
Monta Ellis. To go along with Ellis, the
Warriors are also parting ways with the 6th overall pick in the 2010
draft Ekpe Udoh. While this trade is hardly a shocker for any Warriors fan,
this trade seems to sting a bit more than fans had anticipated.
First off, let’s talk about what the Warriors are getting in
this deal. Andrew Bogut is a top five center in the league when he is healthy,
emphasis on when. Currently, he’s expected to miss the remainder of the year
with a broken ankle, so there’s no way this trade will help the W’s this year.
However, if Bogut can return to his 2009-2010 form, the Warriors will finally
have the post presence that they have been desperately lacking for years. With
this, the Warriors will look to build toward the 2012-2013 season with a
healthy Bogut and Curry.
After Bogut comes the odd part of the trade: Stephen Jackson. The Warriors are getting a player that
basically burned every bridge in Oakland before getting traded to Charlotte
back in 2009. Jackson is a confusing player; when in the right situation he’s a
great defender and a more than capable scorer. However, when he’s not in the
right place he reverts back to playing “point forward” - and not a good one,
either. He’ll be jacking up random three’s and turning the ball over. This part of the deal doesn’t make too much
sense for the W’s and don’t be surprised if he’s traded again to a contender
over the next few days.
What does this all
mean for Golden State? And how does it help?
 |
| When healthy, Andrew Bogut is one of the best centers in the NBA. |
In the short term this hurts the Warriors no doubt – Golden State
is losing their starting center in Udoh and their leading passer and scorer in
Ellis. However, if Bogut does pan out, the Warriors could be a much-improved team
depending on one thing: if the Warriors suck this year.
The W’s only get their first round pick this year if they
finish in the bottom seven of the NBA thanks to a trade with the Utah Jazz back
in 2008. Currently, they have a ways to go but it’s not impossible. For
starters, we’ve probably seen the last of Curry for the year. With his nagging
ankle injuries becoming a reoccurring problem, the smart thing to do is shut
him down. And since the team just made the choice they are going to build
around Curry, it’s almost a no brainer.
This seems to be the only logical explanation for the
Warriors. With the hope to draft a player among the likes of Harrison Barnes,
Jarred Sullinger , Micheal kid Gillcrist, Perry Jones, or another great player
in this loaded draft class, the losing might be worth it. If the Warriors can make that happen it’s
going to turn this franchise around. As much as we Warrior fans loved Ellis, we
all knew the day would come when either him, or Curry would get the boot. It
seemed the Warriors were stuck in basketball purgatory during the Ellis years.
The teams were always terrible except for Ellis and Curry,
whose talent was just enough to keep Golden State from not sucking completely
every year but they never had enough help to make the playoffs. The problem
with this is the Warriors never got any better through the draft because they
couldn’t land a star player. It seems
management is thinking it’s just a better idea to give up one season of
competitive basketball to turn the franchise around. How great does a
Curry/Thompson/Barnes/Lee/Bogut lineup sound? That’s a team that can take the W’s
to the playoffs with a balanced attack of offense and defense. As much as we
are all going to miss Ellis, it may end up working out for the better in the
long run.
In what ways does
this hurt the Warriors?
 |
| Ekpe Udoh was just starting to come into his own. |
As much as we are going to miss Ellis and his 25+ point
nights and amazing highlights, losing Udoh hurts more. Thompson has begun to
show he can really play so a mix of Thompson/Rush will be more than capable.
Udoh, however, was just starting to flourish on the court with his great D and
improving offense. When he was on the court, the Warriors had a positive +/- stat
and their rebounding percent went up. Best of wishes go to him as he continues
to develop with the Bucks.
Next, Jackson is a huge cap hit for a team looking for a
fresh start. With a 9.8 million dollar hit this year, and 10+million dollar hit
next year, it’s really going to mess up the Warriors’ chances of signing a free
agent in the upcoming years. A trade seems like the only way the Warriors are
going to get out of this, because nobody is going to want him on this team. He
still gets booed every time he’s back at Oracle and now he wants another large
extension. Best case scenario is that he’s traded to a team that needs a
secondary scorer (Chicago, Orlando, etc.) for a backup power forward and a pick.
After Jackson, the biggest hole in this trade is the heath
of Bogut. A broken ankle is not
something that a player is guaranteed a full recovery from. He very well could
not return to his old self, losing quickness and his athletic ability. If this
is the case, the Warriors will have a major setback because they will have
essentially given Ellis up for nothing. Plus, they’d be down a big man and
wouldn’t have another one on the roster who could step in since Udoh is now a
member of the Bucks.
As a fan, it hurts to see the player you’ve grown to love
over the years be traded for anything, especially for a deal with as many
unknown factors as this one. Good luck to the Bucks and Ellis as well as Udoh.
Ellis was a player who never complained, played hard every night, and did what
his coach asked him to do. He stayed with the Warriors after they continued to
tell him they were going to build a contender around him while they kept
drafting guards like Curry and Thompson. He gave Warriors fans great memories
and will always be remembered as a Warrior. As Ellis once said, “I am a Warriors,
I’ll always be a Warriors.” How could you not love the guy after that? Good
luck, Monta. Here’s to hoping you get that All-Star selection and some playoff
wins.
As for the Warriors, it’s time to sit back and see if this
trade pays dividends in the long run. After all, Golden State fans have been suffering
for the last decade, if not more. If all goes well, this could be a new start
for the embattled franchise.
Monta Ellis will dawn a Bucks jersey against the Warriors Friday night at Oracle Arena. That will most certainly be a painful experience for Warriors fans and players alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment