Warriors PG Stephen Curry, who at shootaround said he was good to go, wound up sitting out Tuesday’s game.

After the game, he made comments we haven’t heard from him yet in dealing with his troublesome right ankle.

CURRY: “I’m kind of getting fed up with having to deal with this.”

Frustration over the trade? Certainly, Curry’s primary reason for playing through his injury was trying to help the team make the playoffs. The sentiment in the locker room was that the trade hurt their playoff chances. But Curry stopped short of saying he would shut it down for the season.

CURRY: “I’m just trying to get healthy. What that means, I’m not sure yet. … Those little incidents with my ankle, I just want to get that put behind me and move forward.”

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The tenure of Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis came to an abrupt end Tuesday.

Hours before tip-off against the rival Sacramento Kings, the Warriors agreed in principle to trade Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks, along with second-year big man Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of injured center Kwame Brown.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Ellis said as he got dressed to leave. “Not a bad thing at all.”

In exchange, the Warriors get Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, potentially quenching the franchise’s thirst for a big man. Golden State also gets swingman Stephen Jackson, who helped choreograph the We Believe playoff run in 2007 before leaving the franchise on bad terms in November 2009.

The news left the Warriors locker room stunned. Several players, choosing not to comment on the record, expressed displeasure at the move. Udoh, after going through pre-game warm-ups, found out while watching the television in the locker room.

“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he said to the media. “Thanks.”

Besides losing their best player, one of the primary concerns among the players was the remainder of the season. The Warriors are just three games back of a playoff spot and, after two straight victories over winning teams, were feeling good about their chances.

But not only did the Warriors lose two of their best players, they get back a player who is injured. Bogut is not expected back before April thanks to a fractured left ankle.

“So we’re giving up on the season?” one player asked.

The deal is not yet official. Co-owner Joe Lacob, general manager Larry Riley and assistant general manager Bob Myers are all at Power Balance Pavilion for the game. They all declined to comment.

This is Marcus’ story that he posted online a few minutes ago. He confirmed through team sources that the deal has gone through. Check back a little later for more from Marcus.

The Warriors have traded Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks in a five-player deal that will bring center Andrew Bogut and ex-Warrior Stephen Jackson to Golden State, team sources confirmed.
Yahoo Sports first reported the deal that sends Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of injured center Kwame Brown to Milwaukee.
Bogut, who represents the center the Warriors have been needing for years, is currently sidelined with a severely sprained ankle. It’s not certain when he’ll return to action.

The annual tradition was delayed a bit thanks to the lockout. But, as usual, the trade deadline is near and Warriors guard Monta Ellis’ name is out there.

One thing was obvious, as Ellis talked after Tuesday’s shootaround inSacramento, it’s a song he’s pretty tired of hearing.

Yet, Ellis said he is unwilling to copy Howard, Chris Paul’s and Carmelo Anthony’s power move – demanding a trade to get to a desired location. Ellis said his preference is for the Warriors to become that desired location. But he was not opposed to the possibility of moving on.

“I have faith, plus I’m a loyal guy,” Ellis said. “That’s just not me. It’s just I’m different. My situation is different. I was a second-round pick. I started off making a few hundred thousand (dollars). To be where I am now, I’m grateful.”

Ellis said he doesn’t pay attention to trade rumors and speculation, dropping his trademark “it is what it is” line when asked. But you get the sense he hears enough for it to get on his nerves a bit.

He said he doesn’t look at being a wanted commodity as an accomplishment because, “I know where I stand.” He seems genuinely unmoved by his rising stature, no doubt aided by center Dwight Howard naming Ellis on his short list of Robins.

But as much as he may brush it off, the options floating out there has to sound enticing. Ellis is in his seventh year, he’s scored more than 8,000 points and for the last two-plus years has been the franchise player. Certainly, the opportunity to play for a contender has to be appealing.

“I probably could go to Orlando or Chicago and get a championship,” Ellis said. “But if they don’t move me, what can I do? Hopefully — if they don’t move me – they get somebody in here so we can win and I don’t have to go through this every year.”

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Team sources, once again, refute reports that Golden State is considering trading guard Monta Ellis to Orlando for anything other than Dwight Howard. Warriors management has held with that stance even though the latest possibility includes a third team – New Orleans. Orlando, however, is doing all it can to get some help for Howard in a bid to keep him around, as ESPN Chris Broussard reported.

One of the sources said the Warriors would not give up Ellis for Hornets center Chris Kaman, reportedly New Orleans’ key piece in the three-team talks. Golden State sources have consistently said they want a star in return if they move Ellis. Kaman, who is two years removed from his best year and is a free agent at season’s end, doesn’t qualify in the Warriors’ minds. There is basically no combination of players, from Orlando and/or New Orleans, that will make the Warriors part with Ellis.

As a matter of fact, the Warriors are embracing the reality that a trade – especially a major splash – won’t happen by Thursday’s trade deadline. One Golden State source the team would be OK if they didn’t pull off the trade now. That way, the Warriors can deal in the offseason, this time without the lockout hindrances from last offseason.

With that said, there is a faction in Warriors management that feels something needs to be done, even if it’s a smaller-scale deal.

Warriors guard Monta Ellis was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week.

Ellis averaged 20.5 points and 7.5 assists last week. He also totaled eight steals and knocked down 8 of 12 from 3-point range.

Most important, he led the Warriors to a 3-1 record.GoldenStateposted wins over atWashington, against visitingDallas, and at the Los Angeles Clippers. And he did it while his backcourt mate, point guard Stephen Curry, was playing limited minutes thanks to a sprained right ankle.

Ellis had 21 points and 11 assists in Sunday’s win over the Clippers. It was his second 20-and-10 game this season and the 14th of his career.

Is this great timing for the Warriors or a meaningless award? The way Ellis has been playing, you’ve got to wonder if his value has skyrocketed a bit. A little national attention can’t hurt. Or, does it make him that much harder to get from the Warriors, who now REALLY need a big name in return for their nationally recognized star?

Perhaps, the better Ellis gets the harder he is to trade. Or does this help their bid to land the big they covet?

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said he will return to the starting lineup tonight. Curry hasn’t started in six games since he sprained the deltoid ligament in his right foot.

He’s come off the bench the last two games. He played nine minutes at Washington on Monday and 24 minutes vs. Memphis on Wednesday. Curry said his right foot has responded well so he’s ready for more minutes.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to provide some energy being back with the first unit,” Curry said.

Curry said he’s almost positive coach Mark Jackson and the team doctors have some minutes limitations in mind.

When he came off the bench, Curry played more shooting guard than anything, partly cause Jackson didn’t want Curry chasing around point guards on a ginger foot. Knowing his minutes were limited, he said he was aggressive about looking for his shot. Curry totaled 27 points on 12 of 18 shooting in 33 minutes.

Since he’ll be doing more than looking for his own shot, Curry said a big scoring night is not a guarantee. Keeping up that scoring efficiency over longer minutes would be a tall order.

“It would be nice,” Curry said. “I’d average about 40 points.”

Talks perhaps won’t really heat up for another couple days. But count the Warriors among teams interested in Andrew Bogut.

According to team sources, the Warriors are preparing to make a play for Milwaukee’s center. He’s high on their list, but one source didn’t sound too optimistic.
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Game story from tomorrow’s paper

Warriors guard Monta Ellis sprung first from the locker room, in time to escape the media, his face painted with frustration. Forward Dorell Wright, when asked what the Warriors needed to turn things around, grumbled “you’re asking the wrong person” before hustling out of the locker room.

After Wednesday’s 110-92 loss to the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, it seems the Warriors are not in a good place.

“We got punked,” forward Dominic McGuire said. “Straight punked.”

Once again, Golden State failed to capitalize on an opportunity to turn their season around. Despite a disappointing road trip, going 2-3, Golden State returned home without losing any ground in the playoff chase. The Warriors were still 3.5 games back of the eighth and final playoff berth. They had just one loss more than Minnesota, current owners of the No. 8 seed.

So how did the Warriors respond? By getting blown out at home to the same Grizzlies’ squad they’d played close the first two meetings. The Warriors have now lost three of their last four games. And it seems they may be falling apart at the seams.

“These games, the importance of them are magnified,” point guard Stephen Curry said. “We need these games more than ever to keep our season relevant. It stings even more when we don’t get it done.”

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Warriors coach Mark Jackson is going with Dominic McGuire as the starter and not Stephen Curry, who returned from a sprained right foot on Monday. However, Jackson said Curry will see action. He will just ease him back into his role as starting point guard primary player.

“I’m not going to play him 40 minutes,” Jackson said. “I think with the advantage of having two days off after tonight, we are going to use wisdom.”

Curry scored 12 points in nine minutes of Monday’s win at Washington. It was his first real action since spraining the deltoid ligament in his right foot on Feb. 22 at Phoenix. Curry sat out four straight games after the All-Star break, save for a three-second stint in a win over Atlanta when he just stood in the corner as a decoy.

Curry said he didn’t have any setbacks at Washington, so he considered the outing a success. Still, Jackson is playing it safe.

“He hasn’t practiced and quite honestly, isn’t 100 percent right now,” Jackson said. “So we want to be patient and smart about bringing him back.”

If Monday was any indication, expect Curry to play off the ball and Monta Ellis at the point. Jackson was concerned about having Curry chase around John Wall. Memphis’ PG Mike Conley Jr. poses similar threats, as he’s quick and crafty. Plus, Curry at shooting guard gives the Warriors’ a much-needed third scoring option, something they weren’t getting when he was out of the lineup.