Unfortunatley, in our society, money equates to power. Monta in many respect is still a kid and has a lot of maturing still to do and the people around him are probably hesitant to give him that guidance because of his new found status.  This is where one's veteran teammates need to step in and have a heart to heart with a young player like Monta.

Please, for a moment, let's set aside our idealist visions and think in terms of reality. Of course a team captain has no duty to be a team shrink but he does have some duties', and in Captain Jack's case those duties were side stepped and very clearly so. Think about it, the guy has gone into hibernation this summer, he doesn't return the head coaches phone calls and the only player he talked to was Baron, a teammate that was for all intent and purposes, out the door.

Being in the league as long as Captain Jack has been, and, playing with trouble makers like Artest, Tinsley, and a good portion of that Indiana Pacers team, captain jack was ever so equipped to have a heart to heart with Monta and share his experiences of what happens when you go about things the wrong way. Those of you who say "monta should have known not to put his body in harms way" need to remember he is a KID and Kids think they are immortal. Who better than captain jack to bring this kid down to earth and explain to him how Ron Artest lost a year of his career, millions of dollars, his reputation, and started the downfall of a franchise because he made a stupid decision.

Not even as a captain, did you owe this talk to Monta, but as  a friend and a human being. You shoulda said "look kid, your making a lot of money now and your too important to the team to put your body in harms way for no reason, we need you". But nope, no talk, no phone call, no nothing. Consistent and true to form as he has been the entire off season.

Look, am I blaming Captain Jack for Monta's poor judgment? NO. Am I blaming him for being pissed off at the team? No. At the end of the day everyone is responsible for their own decisions, and who knows if such a talk would have even done anything. But am I mad at captain jack for not being in any sort of communications with the players on this team when he is the only remaining leader?, hell yes. What are you a leader for captain jack? the money, the glory, what is it? A true leader cares about people and realizes he has duties that extend past those of others and he needs to stay true to those duties even when he himself is treading through the roughest of waters. You are a good player, and, I hope you get an extension and a good payday because you deserve it. But you are one poor captain.

My diary is assuming Monta did something stupid, or in the least, something he shouldn't have been doing because he was scared to tell the warriors the truth. I think it is a fair assumption to make, and, even though we don't know for sure yet, liars for the most part don't get the benefit of doubt. If nothing else this whole debacle has shown us that Monta is not ready to be a team captain, and, captain jack probably never was. Like I said he is one of my favorite players on the court, but, leadership extends beyond the court.