» Blog Archive » Monta Ellis showing the Warriors he’s not just empty talk
  • Jan
    14

    Monta Ellis showing the Warriors he’s not just empty talk

    By Geoff Lepper
    48minutes.net

    OAKLAND — The Warriors’ own Mouth of the South has roared to life.

    Monta Ellis didn’t just partake in his first 5-on-5 practice drills Tuesday. The pride of Jackson, Miss. took them over, cajoling teammates and yapping at foes in a surprisingly noisy session of mostly half-court work.

    With Baron Davis gone and Stephen Jackson sidelined — and before even getting into a game this season — Ellis has taken up the mantle of being the vocal leader for the Warriors.

    “The whole time . . . he didn’t stop talking,” said Jamal Crawford. “That country slang, he just kept going.”

    This is as close Ellis has been to returning from his August moped accident, a tantalizing prospect for a Warriors team that will be missing not only Ellis and Jackson but also forward Brandan Wright, guard Marco Belinelli and potentially guard Kelenna Azubuike when it faces Sacramento on Wednesday night.

    “(Ellis) is getting closer,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said.

    Ellis wasn’t pushed to go 100 percent Tuesday, but looked smooth in what he did do, including a drive from beyond half-court that led to a gliding finger roll. He also served notice that he would be following through on his earlier promises to take on a greater position of prominence as a team leader.

    “Bringing the joy back to basketball, to Warriors basketball,” Ellis said of his talking. “When I’m on the bench or watching the game, it seems like some players get down on themselves too easy. (I’m) just talking and just lifting them up, keeping them going the whole game. Don’t let down. You’re going to make mistakes; move on and continue to play basketball.”

    Ellis’ non-stop chatter came as a shock to Crawford, who said he “had no idea” Ellis could talk so much on the floor.

    “It was fun because days like today, when you have a day off and you’ve got to get back into the gym, he raised the level of practice, put his energy into trash-talking and it brought everybody’s level up,” Crawford said.

    (As an aside, Crawford said he’s the type of player to instigate a war of words on the court, but he also wouldn’t shrink from Ellis’ challenge: “I’m not backing down. I’m not gonna start it, but I’m gonna finish it. I’m not 50 Cent but Jay-Z. I’ll finish it.”)

    Ellis and the Warriors would like be finished with his rehabilitation soon.

    “I want to play,” Ellis said. “Bad. At the same time, with this, I have to take my time and make smart decisions. So when that time comes, I’ll let everybody know when Monta Ellis is back in the starting lineup.”

    Although his ankle shows no signs of swelling, causes him no pain and is 100 percent in terms of strength, Ellis needs to regain significant conditioning before he can get back on the court.

    “C’mon, man. It’s been nine months,” Ellis said. “Anybody (who tries) to come back after nine months and play this game, they ain’t gonna have it there. . . . I’m not fixing to go out there and hurt my team just going out there, not in shape, with just my presence. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to take my time and get everything back 100 percent.”

    A team spokesman said that when Ellis, athletic trainer Tom Abdenour and the medical staff all feel he’s ready to play, the three parties will meet and evaluate the situation. That point has not yet arrived.

    In terms of off-court issues, Ellis loudly refuted a report from Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that he is unhappy with Nelson and considering asking for a trade rather than play for him again.

    “Whatever it is about me leaving, wanting to go, I don’t want to play for Nellie — that never came from my mouth,” Ellis said. “I don’t know where they got that from. But I’m here for the next six years. I’m a Warrior. I’m always going to be a Warrior. Whoever put that out there, they did it because they wanted a story. But I’m making it known right now that I’m a Warrior. I love playing for Nellie, and I never said that. Not one time. So you don’t have to worry about that. . . .

    “It shocked me when I read it. But I’ve never said that. I’m here for the next six years. The only thing I’m worried about is getting back on the basketball court. Everything else is irrelevant.”

    Then again, this was the same Ellis who, when asked how many more tattoos he has now than for his last NBA appearance, back in April, claimed the figure was “two,” despite having at least four new ones visible.

    When a reporter asked “Two times how many?” Ellis stuck by his assertion:

    “Naw, just two. I don’t know what y’all talking ’bout.”

    Notes
    Azubuike sat out from practice as a precautionary measure after straining his neck in the Warriors’ win over Indiana on Sunday. He’s considered questionable against the Kings. . . . Andris Biedrins worked out in the weight room but did not take part in the full practice.

    Contact: geofflepper@48minutes.net

12 Responses to “Monta Ellis showing the Warriors he’s not just empty talk”

  1. Chris Cohan January 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Tim’s piece didn’t say what Ellis has been advised to argue against.
    Were you at this practice, Geoff?

  2. Geoff Lepper January 14th, 2009 at 11:17 am

    CC: I’m not sure what you mean — advised to argue against?

    And, yes.

  3. M.Squared January 14th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    Geoff-
    What was your impression of his play? Rusty? Still quick?

  4. J the Fan January 14th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Geoff,

    I have been following your blog for a few months now. I really enjoy your work and think you do an outstanding job covering the Warriors. I like how you provide mostly factual information with a little opinion mixed in. This is solid journalism and your peers should take not.

    J

  5. THIZZ-A-LOT January 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    for real, i read all the blogs and this is pretty much the only one i read as fact and not gossip. Keep it up Geoff. Man reading that put a fat smile on my face, maybe Monta can be a leader…

  6. jsl January 14th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

    Nice report, Geoff. I don’t find any meaningful inconsistency between TK’s report and Monta’s statement; let’s wait until Fried has his meeting with the Warriors brass next week.

    The real question re Monta is: Can the kid elevate yet? Does he get any distance off the ground on his jumper? Can he drive to the hoop for a jam?

    It’s good to know he can start, stop, and run (until he tires). But the two key parts of his offensive game are his speed and elevation, neither of which have been coveredf in any of the reports of yesterday’s scrimmage. Which suggests to me he’s still got a ways to go.

    Also, no report discussed whether Monta can stay with his man on D. (I know, I know. A lot of fans would argue he couldn’t do that before — but, fact is, he could and did in his first year. Last year, though, he played matador and went for the quick release. Still, if he’s going to be a superstar, he needs to defend.) Can he?

  7. Warrick January 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    Geoff,

    - All business journalism, Like everyone said hope you keep it up. Seems like the losing has affected some bloggers and journalism around here.

  8. Son of Ahmed January 14th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Good questions, jsl. I was also wondering about Monta’s hops and speed. But if he was getting levitation and if he was blowing by guys, I’m sure the reporters would have mentioned it. Geoff did say he was not going at 100%. Still, good to see he’s practicing.

    J and Thizz,
    +1

  9. Geoff Lepper January 14th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

    Thanks for all the kudos. Much appreciated.

    As for how Monta looked . . . it was hard to really tell because everybody (not just him) were going at 80 percent much of the time. This wasn’t a full-court scrimmage, but a half-court setup where the Warriors go over whatever offensive sets or defensive schemes Nelson and Smart want to highlight.

    I did mention in an earlier post about two plays that I thought showed real promise: When the defense came up with a rebound, that team was allowed to run full speed downcourt, and in one of those situations, Monta took the ball from Jermareo Davidson just outside the 3-point line, sliced through the starters’ transition defense and did elevate for a 4-foot finger roll. I believe he took off on his left foot, although I’m not absolutely positive. But it looked like he had that same burst — at least in that instance.

    The other time was when he looped around the outside of Corey Maggette and forced a steal. He showed quickness there as well.

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