Steinmetz blog: Time to look at Monta Ellis with a more cr..

Time to look at Monta Ellis with a more critical eye
POSTED July 24, 5:24 PM


Everything is about to change for Monta Ellis.

Apparently, Ellis is on the verge of signing a long-term contract with
the Warriors likely in the neighborhood of $10 million per season. And
he deserves it. Ellis has improved every year he’s been in the NBA and
has become one of its most unstoppable perimeter players.

His upside, as they say, seems limitless, and the Warriors really have
no choice but to lock him up long-term. But from now on, everything is
going to be different for Ellis, whose salary is going to jump from
$700,000 or so last season to about $8 million or more in 2008-09.

That’s great for Ellis’ bank account but not so good for his peace of
mind.

Ellis was the team’s second-leading scorer last year, and he benefited
greatly from playing alongside Baron Davis. It didn’t hurt that
Stephen Jackson had a career year assist-wise.

Regardless, though, of whether he had help, Ellis thrived in his under-
the-radar role. He is a natural scorer and dynamic finisher, and he'll
likely be able to get his even when opposing teams really try to crack
down on him.

But shooting well from the field, scoring and getting onto the nightly
highlight reel aren't going to cut it anymore.

This year Ellis will likely be the team’s highest-paid player and No.
1 option, and it will be a gigantic change for him. And it has nothing
to do with learning the point guard position.

So much more will be expected of Ellis and rightfully so.

Can Ellis begin to make teammates better? Will he work diligently on
his game the next four or five years even though he’s got guaranteed
dollars? Will he assume a leadership role? Will he continue to excel
when defenses key on him?

Ellis should no longer be judged through rose-colored glasses.

When you’re the face of the franchise, you’re not expected to turn the
ball over because of carelessness or disappear in the postseason. You
can't get beat consistently on defense. You’re expected to be the
team’s best player … maybe not every night but most of them.

The Warriors have made no secret that Ellis is their guy and they’re
building around him. But it’s not easy to wear the “face of the
franchise” label and its done in a few Warriors of the recent past.

Antawn Jamison was a nice player and well-liked, but he was never
looked at the same after he signed his big contract. All of a sudden
he was a player with warts and a guy you couldn't win with. "He
doesn't make teammates better" was a constant fan lament.

After a while it became clear that if Jamison was the best player on
your team, you weren’t going to be a very good team. But he looks
pretty good playing with Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler in
Washington.

Jason Richardson was the face of the franchise, and he was under
constant scrutiny. He couldn’t create for others, handle the ball well
or make foul shots. As a best player he's not very good but as a third
option? Well, now you've got something.

Even if you quibble with the “face of the franchise” label, you can’t
deny that when a player gets a big payday he’s assessed differently.

Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy were never fan favorites, but after they
signed their big deals their relationship was officially shot for good
with Warriorites. It was OK when Dunleavy was playing without passion
when he was on his rookie deal, but when fans perceived he was playing
that way while making a good buck ... well, that was a big problem.

Obviously, I’m not comparing Ellis to Dunleavy.

I’m just saying Ellis, the 22-year-old kid, ain’t a kid anymore. And
he shouldn’t be treated like one.