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What is Monta Worth?

By Marcus Thompson
Wednesday, June 27th, 2007 at 2:43 pm in Uncategorized.

Chris Mullin is no dummy. So not for a second did I ever think he was willing to give up Monta for the No. 11. That obviously was just a prelude to other moves. But, the question begs, what would you trade Monta for?
If Atlanta offered No. 3, would you take it? If Milwaukee offers No. 6, do you bite?
I’ve been weighing both options, and I can’t decide.
On one hand, I’m thinking you can’t trade possibly the next Gilbert Arenas, not for an unknown. For KG, sure. For Yi or Horford is another story. Do you sacrifice what you know you have for the hope of something else?
On the other hand, Monta is a project himself. As Nellie said, he’ll only be great as a PG, and he has a lot of work to become a good point guard. And big men are hard to come by, unlike PGs, so why not grab a good one when you have a chance?
I’m very interested in what you all think, but honestly, it’s all moot anyway. I don’t think Monta alone is enough to get the Warriors high enough in the draft to get someone they really covet, whether it’s Yi or Horford or Brandan Wright or Joakim Noah or Jeff Green.
*Atlanta clearly isn’t willing to give up Monta for No. 3.
*Memphis (No. 4) will have a much cheaper option in Conley, who even at this point is a better point guard.
*Boston (No. 5) loves its own young PG in Rajon Rondo
*Milwaukee (No. 6) would much rather draft for size and re-sign Mo Williams
*Minnesota (No. 7) has Randy Foye, so they’re set in the combo guard category
*Charlotte (No. 8) has Raymond Felton
*Chicago (No. 9) has Kirk Hinrich
*No way the Warriors trade Monta to the Kings (No. 10).
So Monta alone doesn’t get the Warriors in the top 10, which means anyone they would really want will not be around anyway.
Monta is a great prospect and all. But he’s got flaws that were broadcast consistently and nationally during the playoffs. Plus, he’s set to make big money next offseason and any team that needs a point is more likely to take one of the good ones in this draft (which they can get for two to four yers for cheap).
What can’t be overstated is that he’s perfect for the Warriors system, which doesn’t emphasize offensive schemes and doesn’t require its point guard to be a true one. Monta fits the Warriors and few other teams (can you imagine him running point for Utah, setting screens for the PF?). Other teams know that. Likewise, few guards fit the Warriors so well. The Warriors certainly know that.

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  • john motroni

    Hey Marcus:

    I’m curious about how the Warrior’s new found wealth will translate to player spending. Four thousand new season tickets plus all that extra dough from the playoff games. Does that mean they have more to spend on keeping or acquiring players they want or need?

  • commish

    The great thing about this question is Monta’s potential is intriging so keeping him could pay big dividends. On the other hand, if the right deal came along to trade “small” for “big”, we could make that deal. I don’t see that deal being in the draft but post-draft with another team who has what we need and which has need for what Monta brings.

  • manhattanproj

    like i said before, i really dont think monta will be the next gilbert because the doesnt have the upper-body strength of gil. he’ll be somewhere in btw iverson and gil. great quickness to go with scoring ability but lacks handles and strenght.

    i think if atlanta bites, i would do a monta for 3rd or even for boston’s fifth. pick horford, noah, or hawes. i really like noah, he brings alot to the table other than scoring, which if the w’s pick him, it’s like having two andris on the floor. horford is good but i dont see him being a force on the block.

    if not for a top 7 or 8 picks or at least joakim noah, then i wouldnt trade monta.

  • dareedle

    Monta for anybody was dead on arrival. Many teams are placing huge expectations on this years draft and the price to enter is outrageous, which is why teams like Dallas and the Warriors will sit tight and see what player falls without destroying team chemistry. This is really a four player draft with the big two, Horford and the marketing machine in Yi. There is no player at 5 that is so much better than the player we can get at 18. From a pure busines s perspective, Yi is the only logical choice to trade up, but Atlanta is so unpredictable it would be hard to give up on Ellis without even getting a sniff at Yi. Ellis played a key role in the regular season, and teams can’t trade superstars (T-Mac, Carter, Dirk) for a bad playoff series.

  • JustPuked

    Monta Ellis is a diamond in the rough. Yes he was a little bit deer in the headlights in the playoffs. Even so, remember when Baron went down in the first quarter at home? Monta took over for the next quarter until Jackson went on fire Baron finished the Mavs off. Kid Flash is like a young Tony Parker, a light weight, lightning quick slasher who knows how to get to the rim. Even though he may never get 8 assists a game, look how Tony Parker turned out. Not too shabby.

    Hey Marcus, 2-3 months ago we were debating the relative merits of Tony Parker vs. Baron Davis. Well why choose one or the other when you can have both?!!? Kid Flash is already in the upper ranks of guards in the league. Check his stats vs. all point and shooting guards. Even playing only 20+ minutes a night, he’s already formidable and he’s only going to get better.

    Ellis and Biedrins earned untouchable status by mid-season, what the hell has changed? Just because we made the playoffs, we’re supposed to throw our future out the window for…what, ANOTHER project? We all know what happened to the Justice League after the Flash died; let’s keep that from happening to our superhero Warriors.

    Keep Kid Flash!!!

  • EJ

    I think the Warriors will probably wait to see where Yi actually lands

  • greg c

    Blog Question:

    Marcus,

    What do you think of Jason Smith of Colorado? I know it is easy to dismiss him because of the “Skin Complexion” but from the video I say he appears very athletic. I think I read somewhere that he has a 37″ vertical leap. Maybe he could be a Tom Gugilotta or Tom Chambers (man, that tomahawk dunk over Mark Jackson is still fresh) type.
    I could roll with that.

  • AAA

    Whatever happened to Darius Miles? Whats does his contract look like?

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