This is the full article of that link; it's a nice read
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a blur, much as when
Monta Ellis slashes to the basket for the
Golden State Warriors, came a welcome change.
Ellis, who had played 47 minutes in a game, was excused from practice the next day with a sore knee, but he couldn't let his teammates suffer without him.
"We were turning the ball over in the scrimmage, so I had everybody run," says first-year Warriors coach
Keith Smart, who was an assistant in Ellis' first five seasons. "He got on the floor and ran with the rest of the players. He didn't have to do that. That showed some leadership."
How Ellis, 25, has grown, from a player who feuded with previous Warriors management and backcourt mate
Stephen Curry. In his sixth season, the NBA's seventh-leading scorer (24.6 points a game) has transformed from temperamental to level-headed.
Ellis got married over the summer to a police officer he met in Memphis, and they have a son, Monta Jr., who is almost 2. A daughter is due in May.
Would the younger Ellis, a 2005 second-round draft pick out of Lanier High School in Jackson, Miss., have run that day?
"No," Smart says. "He would've sat down. The newness of everything in his role, with his young family, his kids developing, he's a better person, a better man. He's moving in the right direction because of it."
So are the Warriors (27-33), a win ahead of last season's total but stumbling at 1-4 since the All-Star break. Even though their playoff hopes have dimmed, the franchise is on an upswing with Ellis, Curry (18.7-point average), power forward David Lee (16 points) and small forward Dorrell Wright (16.3). They added forward
Al Thornton on Thursday.
"We got the talent," says Ellis, whose tattoos are as pronounced as his Mississippi drawl. "When we have the heart to go out there and compete every night, we'll be all right.
"We're considered one of the softest teams in the NBA. Even teams softer than us come in and try to bully us. Some guys let it be. Until you get the heart of that dog in you, you won't win."
That Ellis is still there to fight the battle is a bit of a surprise. He was unhappy with the Warriors, who have reached the playoffs twice in the last 18 years.
They were unhappy with Ellis in 2008, when they fined him $3 million and suspended him for 30 games after he tore an ankle ligament in an offseason motorbike accident (and initially lied about how it happened). The motor-biking violated terms of his six-year, $67 million contract. The Warriors considered trading him.
Last season, Ellis had an icy relationship with Curry, questioning the first-round draft pick and their ability to co-exist because both are 6-3 with smallish frames. Today, the Warriors are under new ownership and Ellis is on good terms with Curry, who attended his wedding.
As Ellis has to do more at home to maintain his family, he has added responsibilities on the court as well. He knows when to lead or defer to teammates.
"I get him to try and guard the best perimeter player sometimes, and yet we ask him to create and score for us and then come in the next day and lead the team in practice," Smart says. "To sometimes take a step back and allow a Steph Curry or Reggie Williams or Dorrell Wright to push through from time to time, that's unique about him."
Lee is in his first season with the Warriors after being traded by the
New York Knicks. Ellis has made a favorable impression.
"He's an unbelievable teammate. He's as talented as anybody in the league scoring the basketball," Lee says. "His ability, at his size, to hit jump shots and also get in the lane is remarkable"
While Ellis, raised by his maternal grandparents, is flying high, he vows his Southern roots will keep him grounded. He intends to be a good soldier regardless of how tough the going gets while leading such an inexperienced team.
"I'm here unless they make a move. I'm not going to demand something," says Ellis, who adds the loyal, passionate fan base in the Bay Area makes him more determined to make it work despite two consecutive losing seasons and possibly a third. "If I get moved it's going to be because they feel it?s the best thing for the organization.
"I love playing basketball. I know that one day we will become that (winning) team. I'm just going to play it out and see what happens. As long as I'm under contract with
Golden State, I'm going to be here."
Being a small-town guy himself, Lee can appreciate Ellis' sentiments.
"He's a guy who grew up in the South in a smaller area, kind of like I grew up in St. Louis. Guys that are maybe from L.A. or New York may have that thing where they seek the spotlight more," Lee says.
"He's an easy guy to get along with. He's not a guy with 200,000
Twitter followers preaching about how he needs to be the next superstar. He goes out and competes every single night, which is what he's supposed to do."
Smart is certain that Golden State finally is on the right track.
"You've got to lay a foundation first for how you operate, how you practice, how your players get ready to work," Smart says. "If you're not one of the top six teams you don't just make the big jump right away.
"We're not there yet. We're still too young."
Ellis was overlooked for the All-Star Game when he could've become the Warriors' first selection since 1997. He's not only their best player, but their rock.
His upbringing prepared him well. His grandparents didn't pamper him. They taught him how to be self-sufficient, though his early years in the NBA made him realize it was more about business than just basketball.
"I wouldn't say I was ready for the NBA," Ellis says. "But life? Yes."