The Warriors have been making a lot of noise this off-season and, possibly, for the right reasons. Historically known to over-evaluate their talent, the Warriors this off season are making moves and trading, arguably, their best player in Monta Ellis is one scenario that seems to be gaining steam in recent days.
The trade talks began with Jerry West, recently hired advisor, mentioning that trading his favorite players, as difficult as it was for him emotionally, payed off in the end because of the talent it added to the team. Recognizing Ellis' talent, West added that scoring wasn't all that mattered to a team's success. Hint hint?
In the last few days, Ellis for Andre Iguodala trade talks swirled in addition to other discussions about the Warriors engaging in trade talks with other teams.
Some analysts believe the Warriors and Bulls could both benefit from a Monta Ellis trade given the potential size the Bulls could offer the Warriors in return. Not all, however, are convinced Ellis would fill the Bulls' void at the 2-guard spot nor any other strategies as upgrading their team against their new nemesis in the Miami Heat.
Doug Thonus of Bulls Confidential, a Chicago Bulls blog on ChicagoNow.com, believes that trade talk of Ellis for the size of Joakim Noa or Luol Deng merely recreates the size issues in Chicago that the Warriors currently have in their backcourt:
Ellis, similar to Rose, is largely an on the ball player with great quickness who attacks the rim, draw fouls, and only shoots if he can't find a seem to the basket. He's worse in terms of PG skills and a worse defender (IMO), but he's basically a small A guard (by A guard, I mean a guard who looks to score when he has the ball).
This is not so different than what Chad Ford mentioned about the size issues that a Ellis for Iguodala trade would create for Philadelphia 76ers. With that said, are Monta to Philly or the Bulls not likely to happen? Ellis as a ball-dominate player doesn't seem like a fit for the Bulls given how the team is centered around Derrick Rose's dribble penetration. Ellis could take a backseat and he managed to get his points just the same at the end of the 2009-2010 season when Don Nelson officially handed the keys over to Stephen Curry on an injury-ridden and talent depleted Warriors squad. By adding Ellis, however, the Bulls seems bent on outscoring teams and we know how far that's taken teams like Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns.