Monta Ellis speculation has run rampant in the streets the past few days. The momentum again appeared to stall once Golden State Warriors general manager Larry Riley was questioned on the issue. Basically, all the trade rumors you've heard the past few days? Bunk, pure bunk. Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area reports.
"This is one of those things where there have been at least two stories that were absolute fabrications. Some of those things that are coming out are an insult to the people on the other side."
(To have an idea of the trades that have been suggested, they involve Dwight Howard, the #2 pick, and Andre Iguodala. Some of these appear to be a little ridiculous, so draw your own conclusions as to which ones Riley is referring to.)
Moreover, Riley says that teams seem to be more interested in another Warrior. Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reports:
Riley also said the trade calls for Stephen Curry far outweigh those for Ellis: "Nobody is saying,'What will it take to get Monta Ellis?'"
This is a master work in obfuscation by Riley. The Warriors could be deflecting interest in Ellis to try and drive down interest in him publicly. They could just be trying to assuage Ellis. And while it seems unlikely that they're trying to shop Curry, but it's not out of the realm of possibility, right? Both together seems like a defensively deficient backcourt, so one has to go, and if it's not Ellis ...
All in all, don't think this saga is quite over yet. The Warriors could not make a move most of the summer, and the Ellis rumors won't die down until Golden State makes some type of move to transition to the defensive-minded basketball they want to play.
Warriors fans, would you trade Monta Ellis? If you had to trade Ellis or Stephen Curry, who would you trade and why? Let us know in the comments!
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