FanPost

Without Monta Ellis, Team Is Better / Looking to the Draft

Why the Warriors are a better team without Monta Ellis

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What did the Warriors learn from the Jeremy Lin situation?

The NBA is a player's league, but basketball will always be a team game. Lin was able to lead his team on a valiant winning streak without the team's best scorer (Carmelo) on the court. It was not until Carmelo's return, that the Knicks and Jeremy Lin lost their successful momentum. Why did this happen?

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It goes without saying, that the best one-on-one "scorers" in the league, are most often players who love to dribble the ball. Since basketball is a team sport, the most effective offense is one that finds success through the utilization of the team as a whole.

Passing - Consistently passing the ball well on offense keeps the opposing defense on their heels. The way to burn a defense is through ball movement and high percentage shooting. The two go hand in hand, since passing enables open, high percentage shots.

Dribbling vs. Passing - If you watch film of Ellis, you will immediately notice something when he catches the ball: He puts it on the court first, looks to pass second. This is flawed action, and is counter-productive towards activating high percentage shots. It shuts down your offense. Playing this way, you live and die with your scorer.

When you're passing the ball effectively on offense, the opposing defense is screaming WAIT! STOP THE BALL! LET ME CATCH UP! They are constantly trying to cover lost ground, and have no idea where the ball will be passed next. It keeps them in limbo.

When you dribble the ball first, and look to pass second, you allow the defense to catch up the ball, get themselves set, and the momentum is lost.

TRANSLATION: When your best player/scorer (Monta Ellis) is the guy who touches the ball the most, dribbles it first and looks to pass second, it destroys your offense's momentum.

Now the defense has located the ball. Ellis is over there dribbling it....noted. There's only one place he's going to take it, and it's not his own goal. Now the defense is positioned to deny the pass. Now, they're planning on reacting to the Ellis drive. They're ready for it.

Question:

Exactly how much is there to gain from your big minute player, who's only strength is his offense, if he's disrupting the team's overall offense?

Conclusion:

There are capable scorers on this team abound. The offense will produce much more efficiently, and at a higher rate, simply without Monta Ellis on the court.

Monta needs a center who can finish at the rim, to be an effective fit with a team on offense. Without this, he will simply present the same dilemma to the Bucks.

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The Warriors made a statement with the Stephen Jackson / Richard Jefferson trade, and it was this: We are a team that is going to build through the draft, from here on out.

The Warriors willingly bit the bullet before the trade deadline, taking back 3 years worth of contract in the 10.0 million range, in sacrifice of attaining a 1st round draft pick. This tells us what?

Free Agency: We tried it, we failed. We can't afford to fail again.

The Draft: We tried it, we succeeded. We need to succeed more often.

THE DAKOTA WIZARDS -----------

Developing Talent: With the vision of Jerry West, young assets will become the marrow of this team. We will be a farm system for the NBA's youngest and bravest. Our newly acquired NBADL team will leave our draft picks untouched by the greedy hands of our NBA neighbors, leaving Joe Lacob to buy as many draft picks as his heart's content.

We have nothing to lose by acquiring as many 2nd round picks as possible,and we can raise them in our system through the Wizards. How many great players have been drafted late? It's a stroke of genius. How exciting it is to be a Warriors fan! This organization will change the league and the use of the D-League, forever.

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There have been statements coming from the Warriors' FO, that they will be a busy team come draft night...

The team currently has 3 draft picks at their disposal. With young, athletic, F/C Jeremy Tyler, combined with the Warriors 3 draft picks, could it be enough to move up in the draft and acquire a talent like Thomas Robinson?

Utah is sitting at 10 and 13 right now. If the draft were today, they would have a shot at two lottery picks. They need a point guard, and they currently have a plethora of young, talented bigs.

Could Utah use their 10th or 13th draft pick to add Austin Rivers?

Could Golden State offer all of their draft choices + Jeremy Tyler and Dorell wright for Thomas Robinson, if he were to fall from the top 10 selections?

Thomas Robinson

The Warriors need a third big man. Robinson owns one of the best per - minute rebounding rates in college basketball. Rebounding translates to the pro's.

He becomes an option for Andrew Bogut or David Lee as an extremely athletic cutter, and his ability to finish at the rim ranks him amongst the most explosive. He has an outstanding motor, so he remains a threat in the open court, and as a defender, you're forced to find him on the court at all times, because of his knack at coming up with offensive rebounds, and his ability to cut and finish strong.

He is a good weak-side shot blocker, and this will pay dividends when putting him in the line up with Lee. His role as an explosive big man off the bench, could prove indispensable to the Warriors' cause. They need to replace Udoh.

Conclusion

If the Warriors' brass has a chance at acquiring Robinson (Utah being an excellent suitor), and they've truly admitted now that they are looking primarily to the draft for ways of improving the team, they have to go after him with everything they've got.

We will win more games without Ellis this season, than with him.



This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!