NBA Insider: Warriors will pair Ellis, Curry in backcourt
By Chris Colston, Brian Kapur and Matt Poms, USA TODAY
The Golden State Warriors' top player is
Monta Ellis, a 6-3, 180-pound scorer who wants to play point guard. Yet the Warriors drafted
Stephen Curry, a 6-3, 180-pound scorer whom they want to play point guard.
"We would've taken Curry No. 2 overall had we had that pick," Golden State coach Don Nelson said.
Nelson and new Warriors general manager Larry Riley visited with Ellis before the draft, but Riley said they never promised they wouldn't take a point guard.
"That story was really out of whack," Riley said by phone from Las Vegas, where his team is playing in summer league games. "We're trying to open up communication with our players. We're not necessarily seeking their input, but we want to get them to the point where they understand what we're doing and why. When we visited Monta, we wanted to let him know where we were going as a franchise and that we wanted to let him step up and be a team leader."
Riley, who replaced Chris Mullin, said he was working to improve lines of communication not just with the players but also with "trainers, doctors, everybody. We want to bring everyone in under the same umbrella."
Riley said Ellis told them his big issue was playing time: "He told us that very candidly."
As for Curry, "He's going to play a lot for us next year. He could play some (off-guard) as well," Riley said. "We see him and Monta complementing each other quite well. ... I expect they'll both be on the floor quite a bit together."
