Mark Jackson was introduced as the 24th head coach of the Golden State Warriors on Friday and took a variety of questions in his introductory press conference. It should be no surprise that one of the early questions was about working with Monta Ellis. The NBA trade rumor mill is flying fast and furious when it comes to Monta Ellis with numerous parties expecting him to be dealt at some point in the near future. Given Jackson's past as a guard, his comments on Ellis would seem to be fairly insightful.
He really wasn't asked directly about trade rumors with Monta but rather simply addressed coaching him. You can listen to his answer below. He referred to Ellis as a great scorer and an improved and underrated passer who can operate as a facilitator. While he thought there were unnamed areas in which he could improve, he said he was excited to have him on his team. I'd have loved to see a camera on Jerry West's face at that point to see if he would crack a smile or somehow give up what he was thinking. We were not so fortunate, but given all the talk in recent days, I think many people would be surprised to see Ellis in the East Bay in the fall.