I am sure you have been watching these Mavericks the past two years as much as I have, and if not, you're still a smart enough guy to know just how well he has played over the past two seasons now with Dallas.
I'm not going to sit here and spew about Dallas' chances at contending, that talk is for April/May. I'm not going to spew about Dirk either.
But Monta has been a treat to watch over the last year and a half. It's just a blast. He's quickly become my fourth favorite Maverick player of all-time, surpassing Jason Terry. JET was great, he was clutch at times, and he was huge in the finals for us, but the effort that Monta puts out there all the damn time to put the team on HIS back to win by any means necessary, it's a beauty to watch unfold.
He just works so well under Carlisle. We all know Carlisle can turn junk into treasure, but what happens when your junk is as talented as Monta is? What makes Monta such a treat to watch is his ability to not just get to the basket, but to be creative once he's there. It's not the fancy finishes, or the consistent outside shooting, it's the dishing to others, it's taking charges and playing passing lanes. As a collective, he's turning into one of the most versatile players the Mavericks have seen in an extremely long time.
And when the game is on the line, it's Monta's time to shine. This guy has had more moments in games I feel like than any other Maverick not named Dirk Nowitzki. Everyone loved Jason Terry for what he did for the Mavericks, but the magnitude of impact Monta has had on these Mavericks is the biggest impact since Dirk came on board. Again, I won't get into the hypotheticals of title contention, but Monta is the first guy I can now trust down the stretch of games to take over. Did Kidd, Nash, and Terry all have big moments for us? Yeah of course.
But Monta has had that killer instinct that only Dirk has had for the Mavericks all these years. He has the same instinct that Tyson Chandler has had for this team in both stints he's had here (don't get me started about Tyson either, that's another story for another time). The prowess and demeanor that Monta has shown the past two years makes me confident that the Mavericks can lean on him once Dirk retires. Will we be a great time once Dirk retires if we only rely on Monta? No of course not, but am I starting to see that Monta can be a huge piece going forward under Rick Carlisle? Absolutely.
Just look at what Chandler Parsons has done in his short time here, and compare it to what Monta Ellis did when he got here. I know, Parsons has had a short sample size to deal with, but he's had his struggles. It's no secret that Dallas was hoping for more when they signed him. There's still time to improve, but he has a lot of work to do. From the gate, Monta has been everything that we had hoped for, and then about 1,000x more.
It's the selflessness that he brings every game that just shines each game. Will he be ball-dominant at times? Of course. He is Monta after all. But what I have learned to live with is that I trust the guy. He has enough talent around him to realize when he needs to take over, or when he needs to get others involved. His pick and roll game with both Dirk and Tyson has been nothing short of spectacular. Seeing him explode for double-digit quarters and taking no prisoners is a thing of beauty, because it is so effortless. Yet he doesn't bring the team down, it's not a Brandon Jennings streakyness. It's him realizing that his team needs a boost, and he's not going to stop until his team is in a better position.
Seeing the respect between Tyson, Dirk, and Monta is so encouraging as a fan who had lost most hope just a few seasons prior. Before Monta had come, we were dealing with OJ Mayo (who displayed tonight why he was never going to be the future of Dallas basketball), Mike James, and Darren Collison. Nothing against those guys, but those aren't players who are going to build you a franchise. When I watched Dallas push San Antonio last year, and how hard Monta was trying to will his team to victory, I was astonished. I had only seen two guys go to that extent to help this team before, and those two men were Dirk and Tyson, who gave it all for this team in two very different ways. Monta, although admittedly not a great defender by any means, gives it his all on both ends, something neither of those guys do. Monta will take a bump as hard as anyone on the defensive end trying to get his team the ball back. Seeing the determination in Monta's demeanor trying to will his way to victory against San Antonio is what showed me that this guy is about Maverick's basketball.
I admire everything that the guy has done for my team. In a short amount of time, he has given Dallas hope again when there was none. It's the same kind of inspiring hope that Tyson Chandler brought to Dallas in his first stint. Before Tyson Chandler came to Dallas in 2011, there was always a gaping hole in the hearts of Mavericks fans. We never had a big to compliment Dirk Nowitzki properly. Now, Monta has brought new hope that we've also never seen before; Monta brings reliable scoring and execution down the stretch of basketball games that frees Dirk up from having to carry the burden of this team on his back, which he's had to do since Nash and Fin left in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Lastly, it is not speaking to Dallas' title aspirations this year, it is speaking to the fact that people are having faith in Dallas basketball again. A faith that wavered after we were demoralized in 2006, a faith that was revitalized by Tyson Chandler in 2011, a faith that had wavered after that point, and now a faith of potential from this point on.
Monta has said it best himself, “The first time I ever walked into the [Mavericks] locker room, I could feel myself starting to enjoy the game again,” Monta Ellis stated. “That’s when I knew it was going to be different for me. There was just a different vibe that I got when I walked in there, just letting me know that everything was going to change, that it was going to be different here. That’s when I realized what was wrong before.”
Thanks Monta.