There used to be more than a few people who would refer to Stephen Jackson as the Warriors' best player. We know differently now.Jackson wasn't the Warriors' best player the past couple of seasons. It was Monta Ellis. And even if it wasn't (and it was), it for sure is now. For the past week or so, Ellis has been staging his own little renaissance, and everyone's trying to figure out why.
Not coincidentally, the Warriors are playing their best basketball of the season, semi-righting themselves from a disastrous start. Ellis' impressive stretch -- which includes scoring 34, 37 and 42 points in each of the past three games -- comes in the wake of two noteworthy Golden State departures: Jackson and coach Don Nelson.
Jackson, who had been the focal point of the Warriors' offense, was traded to Charlotte on Nov. 16, and Nelson hasn't been with the team since Monday, when it left for a two-game stretch in Texas.
Ellis was best friends with Jackson and his relationship with Nelson is shaky, but he's showing that he might not really need either one of them. He's been the reason the Warriors have played better post-Jackson ... not to mention taken it to another level without Nelson.
True, the Warriors are only 2-3 since the Jackson deal and that might not sound like much. But they hung together in back-to-back road games against Cleveland and Boston, then came home and handled the Blazers. They then went into Dallas and won, before losing Wednesday in San Antonio. They've done it all with a short roster.
With Jackson, the Warriors were 3-6, with victories coming against Memphis, Minnesota and at New York. They'd also endured an awful early November weekend in which the Clippers came into Oakland -- with old friend Baron Davis -- and won by 28, followed by a blowout loss at Sacramento two nights later.
The Warriors are a different team without Jackson, and Ellis is a different player. Everyone has talked about better ball movement, which translates to, "Jackson liked to hold the ball."
In any event, Ellis has flourished. Sure, he might have been best friends with Jackson, but the extra seven-plus shots per game he's getting (from 17.5 to 25) probably makes the longing less painful.
Last Saturday, Ellis not only scored 34 points against the Blazers but also confounded Brandon Roy at the defensive end. Roy shot just 6-for-17 from the field and was clearly bothered by Ellis' quickness.
What's more, Ellis' energy seemed to rub off on his teammates, which hadn't been the case with Jackson.
Ellis was money in his next game against the Mavericks (37 points, eight assists), perhaps not coincidentally with Nelson back in the Bay Area with pneumonia. The next night, against the Spurs, Ellis had 38 of his career high-tying 42 points in the game's first 35 minutes before fatigue seemed to set in.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the Warriors are more watchable. Gone is the inconsistent Jackson and his stubborn isolation, replaced by the inconsistent Ellis and his perpetual motion.
Ellis is hardly the perfect player -- or leader, for that matter -- as his 11 turnovers against Dallas proves. But he looks a lot less imperfect than Jackson.
Ellis' emergence doesn't mean the Warriors' problems are over. Not at all. They still have an issue with the 69-year-old Nelson, who finds himself on the sidelines but just 19 wins shy of overtaking Lenny Wilkens on the all-time coaching wins list.
Nobody seems to be clamoring for Nelson's return, either. But he's awfully close to that record and still owed most of $12 million for this year and next. If and when Nelson does come back, he's just as likely to add to the Warriors' problems as solve them. His strained relationship with Anthony Randolph is well-documented.And it's no longer a secret that Nelson and Ellis have issues. In other words, who knows how delicate it will be if and when Nelson returns. That's a question for tomorrow or next week or farther down the road.
At least for now the Warriors know that Monta Ellis is better than Stephen Jackson.
More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
It was Nelson who coached the team in Boston and Cleveland and for the victory against Portland.
Come on Matt. Don't go all Kawakami on us. Ellis said he doesn't have a problem with Nelson. Nelson and Smart are on the same page. Nelson was criticized for delegating so much authority to Smart over the last few years but that experience is paying off now. Of course the players resent the coach on some level but you've got to hand it to Nellie for the way he handled Jackson up until the trade. I think his suspension of Jackson might have kept the cork jammed in the bottle for the last few weeks. I think he deserves more credit for not taking the bait to join Jackson's circus. He stayed on the high road even as insults from Jackson's agent were hurled his way.
I don't think he's lost the team. At least I hope not. I wonder if you're reporting what you hear as an insider or feeling that you need to push the envelope to keep up with the sensational reporting that plagues this team.
I like your interviews on TV and the radio. You seem balanced and insightful. Wish you much success.
I think anyone that watches basketball already knew Ellis is a better player than Jackson.
Come on Matt ... their winning has nothing to do with whether Nelson is there or not ... it is about being without the cancer Jackson ... not Nellie being sick. Grayson hit the nail on the head and writing this BS spin is just more negative crap ... not reality. The Warriors have a team full of good YOUNG players that are just making some kind of chemistry after the loss of their cancer Jackson and dealing with most of their big players injured. They will get better as the season goes on ... and when they get their chemistry going they will surprise lots of teams. THey are way better than the BS that has been written about them. Quit the negative crap and write REAL stories ... not this made up BS spin!
Amen to Commenters #2 and #4 who called you out, Matt, for your transparently off-base Nellie comments. So what if Nelson wasn't on the bench for the past few games. The Warriors are clearly playing Nellie-style ball, and doing it a lot better since Jackson the ballhog is gone. Give credit where credit is due. Keith Smart is a nice guy, but he's a placeholder until Nellie returns. "Nobody seems to be clamoring for Nelson's return, either," you wrote. How many people did you ask? Not us three.
Seems to me this is one of those stories where you are letting your need for a hook drive the story. I didn't see much difference between the way were playing under Nelson and Smart. And I didn't see much difference in the coaching. Is this going to go on all season? Matt, I thought you were above this piling on thing. The Warriors are playing Nellie ball and for my part they were moving the ball a little better under Nellie than Smart.
What we have going on now is Iverson ball. Monta and four players he is turning into stiffs. It's not good for the long haul and I thought you were smart enough to know that. The ball either has to be in Monta's hands less or he has to learn to do something with it besides create for himself. Matt, next time you are sick, I am going to write about how Fanhouse really does need Matt either. He's like Ziller, I'll say. That's not true, but you have your lapses. Every now and then you just have to forget that you know a little something about the game and be one of the guys (who like Ziller don't).
You sound stupid in this article,and I reverence your quote for calling you stupid "True, the Warriors are only 2-3 since the Jackson deal". Monte is not better than Jackson, and Charlotte will do better this year becuase of Jackson being added to the team. You should be fired for this article.... Either you don't know basketball or you just didn't have anything elst to write about...