[h1]Monta Ellis on Stephen Curry: 'He's Better Than I Thought He Was'[/h1]
Posted Oct 05, 2009 7:32PM By
Matt Steinmetz (
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OAKLAND, Calif. --
Monta Ellis and
Stephen Curry weren't on the floor together at any point during the
Warriors' 108-101 preseason opener against the L.A.
Clippers on Sunday night.
That's going to change. Warriors' coach Don Nelson said so.
And you know what? Ellis, who at first
wasn't crazy about the notion, seems to be coming around to the idea.
"You can't take anything away from him," Ellis said of Curry. "He can shoot, pass, defend, all of that. He's got the whole package. ... He's better than I thought he was."
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Curry didn't shoot the ball well against the Clippers (2-for-10), but nobody seemed too concerned about that. What was most encouraging was Curry's nine assists in just 24 minutes, a wonderful statistic for a team very short on passers.
Nelson said he didn't play Ellis and Curry together against the Clippers because of
Baron Davis, a sometimes post-up guard who would be a handful for either Warrior to guard. But Nelson also made a point to say that there will be times Ellis and Curry play together even when the opposing backcourt has a big guard.
Why? Because, according to Nelson, Curry simply does too many good things not to be on the floor.
"Anybody that plays with Curry is going to be a beneficiary of a lot of looks," Nelson said. "He sees the court. That's why I probably can't keep he and Monta off the floor together. I think that combination, even though it will get hurt occasionally, is still going to be a good one. And don't forget there are two sides of the court. They have to match up with us as well."
Most, if not all, of Curry's nine assists were fairly unremarkable -- just a guard finding the open man without any hesitation. But that's a departure from what the Warriors did a lot of a year ago, which was putting the ball in
Stephen Jackson's erratic hands and letting him go to work.
"He helps me and Jack a lot," Ellis said. "He takes pressure off of us ... He can draw defenders and he can pass. He can make the game easier for both of us."
Peter Vecsey of the New York Post asked Knicks president Donnie Walsh who he would have selected had he been able to acquire the fourth or fifth pick in the 2009 NBA draft: Stephen Curry or Ricky Rubio?
