Warriors take risky proposition in trading franchise face Ellis

On March 13 the Golden State Warriors rolled the dice on their future with a major trade headlined by the franchise’s face, shooting guard Monta Ellis being sent to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Andrew Bogut. 

Bogut, the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a fractured ankle.

When healthy, at 7-feet tall Bogut solves the Warriors hole at center that hasn’t been filled with satisfaction it seems since Wilt Chamberlain last donned a Warriors uniform in the 1960s. 

However, there are serious reasons to question this trade as well. For starters, Ellis is amongst the top scorers in the game to go along with being a solid defender. He’s elevated his passing abilities to another level this season as well averaging six assists per contest while with the Warriors. Further, Ellis has proven to play through pain and be known around the league as a grinder; a guy that will not miss games. 

Guard Monta Ellis was beloved by the
Warriors fan-base.

He has been a fan favorite for years (originally drafted in 2005) and arguably the most exciting and entertaining player in basketball to watch, helping the Warriors to be able to sell tickets through their struggles. Given his amazing natural speed and quickness, Ellis was given the nickname, “The Mississippi Bullet.” He also helped the team to their lone playoff appearance in the past 18 years in 2007 with the “We Believe” team. 

The trade of Ellis frustrated many within the Warriors fan-base, even enough to boo the team’s owner Joe Lacob during a half-time celebration in which Warriors Hall of Famer Chris Mullin had his number retired this past Monday night. If the Warriors do not win now after trading not just there best but most entertaining player, people will be left with outrage and anger at the Warriors management and have no reason to attend games. 

The Warriors are putting much stock into not just the health of the newly acquired Bogut but point guard Stephen Curry as well. Curry has sprained his right ankle on multiple occasions this season and is also expected to sit out the remainder of the season. 

Some people around the league are skeptical how much longer Curry’s playing career will even last given the multiple flare ups he’s had with both of his ankles in the past year. 

Yet, despite being injury-prone Curry still has garnered trade value around the league due to his silky, smooth shooting abilities and passing vision on the court. Leading myself to wonder why the Warriors brass would trade Ellis rather than Curry?

The pros of keeping Curry are as follows: Better outside shooter and slightly better passer. For marketing purposes, Curry seems to be more sophisticated and intellectual; he also represents a clean image, with no visible tattoos. 

For Ellis: He’s Proven to play through pain and avoid injury, is a better pure scorer and defender, and is a quicker and faster player. He’s more athletic, more entertaining to watch, and is signed for two more years after this season (rather than Curry’s one). Ellis had stated he’d like to remain a Warrior for the entirety of his career (he even has the Warriors new logo of the Bay Bridge tattooed to his back). 

To put icing on the cake, had the team traded Curry instead, due to his lower salary the Warriors would not have had to take back more salary to their team’s payroll (as the team acquired Richard Jefferson for Stephen Jackson from San Antonio; after the Warriors had previously acquired Jackson in the Milwaukee trade). Jefferson can now be added to the list of bad contracts the team seems to be stacking up on (i.e: center Andris Biedrins). He is soon to turn 32 years old this June, has been declining in performance the past few seasons, and has two more years left on his deal totaling over another $21 million.

Can Curry and Bogut can stay healthy? Can Curry and rookie shooting guard Klay Thompson continue to progress as young players and become elite at their respective positions? Will Jefferson have a resurgence in these next two years? Can the Warriors find a way to put together a complete roster given the restraints on their salary cap?

If they can answer all these questions with “yes” they’ll be just fine and become a contender. However, given the Warriors track record it would not be wise to bet on it. If this is the case we are in for more mediocre or simply sub-par basketball which is nothing new to Warriors fans having witnessed that level of play for nearly the last 20 years; only now it will be boring with Ellis gone.  

Below is a tribute video to one of the most beloved Warriors.
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