Warriors guard Monta Ellis has already had surgery on his abused ankle, setting in motion dreams of being ready for basketball by Thanksgiving. (Christmas looks more likely.) But the story doesn't end there. According to Marcus Thompson III of the Contra Costa Times, the Warriors are investigating the circumstances around which the ankle was injured.According to team sources, the Warriors have questions about the explanation Ellis gave them regarding how he sustained the injury. The team has launched an investigation, dispatching athletic trainer Tom Abdenour to Jackson, Miss., to take a look at Ellis. ...Thompson mentions the Warriors could void Monta's shiny new $66 million contract if Ellis is found to have been in violation of any "morality causes" in the deal, such as "don't ride motorcycles, don't jump out of planes, don't mow your lawn with a fifth of whiskey in you."
Team officials, according to one of the sources, are skeptical about Ellis' explanation of how the injury occurred because of its severity.
Of course, Golden State would be dumb to even attempt to void the contract -- it's a good deal for the Warriors if it's for six years or 5-1/2 years. Further, these things never work: the players union would fight hard and probably win. And you'd just create bad vibes around the franchise, both for Ellis and friends as well as any free agents out there. The real endgame here is making an example of Ellis via fine or suspension if he in fact did violate his deal. Maybe convince Andris Biedrins to cancel his llama expedition to Antarctica.
