SFC: New point guard will have Azubuike

SFGate
New point guard will have Azubuike
Chronicle Staff Report
Friday, July 25, 2008


(07-24) 22:24 PDT -- The Golden State Warriors' front office ran the
fast break Thursday as well as its team on the court.

It was a frenetic day for the Warriors, as they re-signed Monta Ellis
to a multiyear contract, matched the Clippers' offer sheet to Kelenna
Azubuike and also signed second-round pick Richard Hendrix out of
Alabama.

Ellis' contract is expected to be in the 6-year, $66 million
neighborhood.

"Despite the tremendous interest from many teams throughout this
entire process, Monta seems to have a special affinity with the Bay
Area fans," Ellis' agent Jeff Fried said. "I know the Warriors
received many calls, but at the end of the day, Monta's preference was
to play before the Bay Area fans."

Ellis will be the face of the team's helter-skelter offense. He's
expected to become the starting point guard and handle the offense
with Baron Davis bolting for the Clippers earlier this month.

Last year, Ellis made another run at Most Improved Player in the NBA
(he won the award in 2006-'07 season averaging 16.5 points after a
rookie season of a little more than six points per game) as he raised
the level of his game in the second half of the season to help the
Warriors stay in playoff contention until the end.

The 22-year-old averaged a career-high 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4
assists and 1.53 steals in 37.9 minutes in 81 games last season.

The 6-foot-3 Ellis scored a career-high 39 points Jan. 24 against New
Jersey and scored 30-plus points on 12 occasions overall.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have Monta under contract for the next
several years," said team vice president Chris Mullin in a press
release. "He has been one of the top young players in the NBA for the
last two years and enjoyed a tremendous season last year. The growth
that he has demonstrated at such a young age is incredible and we look
forward to him playing a big part in our future success."

The Ellis signing, in particular, puts a more positive spin on a
summer of negatives that included the departure of Davis as well as
unsuccessful efforts to lure Elton Brand from the Clippers and Gilbert
Arenas from the Wizards.

Mullin had said all along that he wanted to sign Ellis and Andris
Biedrins before the start of the regular season.

With Biedrins' contract in the works, this may signal the end of a
very busy period for the Warriors and, in fact, the roster may be
almost set.

With regard to Azubuike, Mullin had seven days to match the Clippers'
offer, starting when he received the offer on July 18.

Azubuike, 24, appeared in 81 games with the Warriors last season,
averaging career-high figures in scoring (8.1), rebounds (4.0) and
minutes played (21.4).

Briefly: The Warriors edged the NBA D-League Ambassadors 82-81 to win
their third straight game at the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake
City. The Warriors' Anthony Morrow led all scorers with 19 points.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/25/SPKT11V24P.DTL

This article appeared on page D - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle