photo: sfgate.com
Last night, Golden State’s Monta Ellis continued his torrid opening season stretch by posting 39 points, eight assists and nine rebounds in the Warriors’ 115-109 victory over Memphis. He scored 17 of his teams final 21 points, exploding and elbowing his way onto the start-of-season landscape that seemed solely reserved for Kevin Durant, LeBron, D-Wade, Kobe, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and the phenomenal rookies John Wall and Blake Griffin.
Fans in the Bay Area have more than the World Series Champion Giants to feel good about, as the Warriors, under first year Head Coach Keith Smart, have the most exciting, young backcourt scoring combo in the league with Ellis and Stephen Curry.
(Yo Keith, I’m still a little salty about that stellar performance in the ‘87 National Title game where you took out my Syracuse team with Derrick Coleman and Sherman Douglass! But i’ll let bygones be bygones.)
Monta opened the year with a 46-point gem against Houston where he missed only six of 24 shots. Only one man had better opening nights for the Warriors, and that was Big Wilt who dropped 48 in 1961 and 56 in 1962.
With his sniper-like ability from deep, upper-tier speed and fearlessness attacking the basket, Ellis is approaching the super-duper star status that many saw possible after his ridiculous high school exploits in Mississippi. For any opposing defense, “Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s On!”
I was extremely disappointed when David Lee left New York in the Anthony Randolph swap, as his hustle, determination and ability to get boards and buckets in a supporting role were one of the lone rays of sunshine in the dismal Knickerbocker rebuilding process.
But seeing what he can add to the Warriors mix, evidenced by Steph Curry’s 25 points and 11 assists and Lee’s 17 points, 15 boards and six dimes on opening night, I can’t help but be excited about what they’ve got brewing .
I know it’s only a few games into the year, but Monta is scorching out of the gate, hitting 55% from the field and averaging 30 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals per game. After his 46-point opening-night destruction of the Rockets, (which reminded me of Floyd Mayweather’s surreal beat-down of Arturo Gatti), he handed out 11 assists in his next game which helped the Warriors get off to their first 2-0 start in 16 years.
With Curry, Lee and Dorrell Wright coming into his own, the Warriors will be worth the price of admission, even if Ellis rains on your team’s parade.
You gotta love this kid’s energy and essence. Right now, he’s the fastest, most dangerous offensive weapon in the league who can also pass and play a full floor-game.
Pay attention Mr.’s James, Wade, Rondo, Howard, Durant and Bryant. Someone’s knocking at the door.
November 4th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Sean Couch says:
Ali-
Always believed in Monta Ellis’talent. He is a primo player but check it, I think Stephen Curry is better. And that for Golden State to prosper one of them has to be traded. I might be thrown under the bus for it but both need the ball and space to work and for that team to get to the next level, they need to trade one of them. I would trade Ellis. i would like to see a three way trade between Denver, the Knicks, and Golden State where Melo would end up in New York, Monta in Denver, and Golden State takes Nene, Billups, and Afflalo and Denver’s #1. I’m not the capologist that Dime’s Aron “Numbers” Phillips is, but I like the look of this here.
Afflalo is a great defender and has strong upside and Nene is the bruiser Golden State would need to compete with the Lakers interior skill players. The Knicks instantly become a contender with Carmelo ready to be the man like Pierce is for the Celtics and Golden State unleashes a crazy tough team that runs and defends the ball with gusto.
Another thing, I said in a blog on this site in the summer that John Wall would set the record for steals and dunks in one game for a rookie. A beast. He’s going to dunk on D. Howard, J.Noah, and Kev Garnett this year so animalistically… Get ready…
No joke!
November 4th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
East Oakland says:
As someone who lives give blocks from oracle arena I find it disrespectful calling my warriors san fran if anything its the oakland warriors get it right
November 4th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Ali says:
sean,
i agree wholeheartedly, with wall’s animalistic potential!!!
and you can hypothesize all you like about potential trades. but if i was the GM of golden state, monta would not be going anywhere. true, he and curry both need the ball and shots to be at their maximum effectiveness, but they’re both willing passers who can make it work. i’ll take the two of them into a gunfight any day and time. how many teams can boast a backcourt that young and lethal, with the ceilings that both of those guys have? i hear you and it sounds good, but i couldn’t pull that trigger.
November 4th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Ali says:
monta reminds me of another mississippi legend. i think he’s a bigger, faster, stronger version of mahmoud, aka the artist formerly known as chris jackson, with a better all-around floor game.
November 5th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Ali says:
my man barry hit me w/ this on the email –
“watched this last night and thought that the warriors backcourt, if not the best in the nba, they are clearly the most exciting! offensively, there is nothing monta can’t do. baron davis called it a few yrs back. in the video, he gave it to houston from the outside, the inside, off the break, the strong back down moves, the handle, the quickness, the explosiveness, and the crazy range. my first thought was that he is a stronger chris (mahmoud) jackson. cats need to peep how many cats on houston checked him. he destroyed them all with ease! battier could do nothing right when d’ng up. what a performance!”
November 6th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
LowerEastScribe says:
I used to think Steph and Monta wouldn’t work, but I think they’re starting to gel. Steph is proving Coach Bobby Knight right, who said that his most impressive skill is his court vision. He’s a perfect combo guard-nothing he can’t do in the backcourt. He’s even playing some D (at least he’s not a chair). Monta is beast, a goon, a Mother-loving Problem! He can flat out score. I’m usually against having to 6-3 guys in the backcourt but hey, they create mismatches on O and With the interior D that they have now, these two might work.
November 8th, 2010 at 1:28 am
Ali says:
LES,
they’re both unselfish and, collectively, they’re a nightmare for any opposing coach. i’m really interested to see how they develop together. i think they can accomplish some big things if they’re given the time to grow and learn how to take over games while playing in unison. what other backcourt combo is as exciting?
November 9th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Ali says:
anybody see the warriors last night? yeah, they were playing the scrubby dubby raptors, but they’re off to a 5-2 start. monta had 28, curry had 34 and they accounted for 6 steals. and my man david lee just does what he does, 14 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals. and how great of a story is jeremy lin? we told ya’ll way back about the kid when he was at harvard giving uconn the bizness.
yo, i love watching zach randolph. 23 and 20 last night, that’s puttin’ in work! and if joakim noah could put up close to 20 every night to go along with his hype rebounding and carlos boozer comes back ready to rock and roll, chicago could be ready to swing w/ the big boys.
yo, rondo is AVERAGING 15 dimes a night. that’s crazy!
and one of the most slept on acquisitions this offseason was san antonio’s signing of baltimore native gary neal.