Thursday, January 20 (4:13 p.m.)
Monta's All-Star Endorsements
Monta Ellis added to his All-Star credentials on Wednesday with 36 points and a game-winning shot. (VOTE NOW!) (photo: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty) |
The numbers are there (25.9 points (3rd in NBA), 5.6 assists (1st among NBA shooting guards), 2.27 steals (3rd in NBA), 40.9 minutes (1st in NBA)), the Warriors are starting to win on a consistent basis – nine wins in the last 14 games – and there is no question that he’s the main cog in this recent run of success. Monta Ellis hasn't missed a game all season. He comes ready to play every night and as a result, his critics are starting to run out of excuses to leave him out of the list of elite guards in the NBA.
In his sixth season with the Warriors, Ellis is finally getting the respect and recognition he deserves around the NBA. Whether it is an NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honor or knocking down a last-second shot to lift the Warriors to victory, “the Mississippi bullet” is making his case to be an All-Star. Don’t just take our word for it; big names around the NBA are fully backing Ellis’ All-Star candidacy. (VOTE NOW!)
“Absolutely, he is a fantastic player,” Kobe Bryant said following the Warriors-Lakers game on January 12. “He can shoot the ball well, which is something he’s really improved on. He can get to the rim, obviously, and he has a mid-range game as well.”
In addition to drawing the praise of his peers, Ellis is also the source of constant headaches on the opposing sidelines. Listen to what NBA coaches had to say about the Warriors guard in the audio players below:
Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson On Monta Ellis - 1/12/11
Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra On Monta Ellis - 1/12/11
While the numbers are impressive – he ranks first in the NBA in games with 35-plus points (9) and 40-plus points (3) this season and shoots at a very efficient 47.4 percent from the field (second only to Dwyane Wade among guards in the top 20 in scoring) and 39.4 percent from three-point range – the words of players and coaches throughout the league might make for the best case yet for Monta Ellis to be a 2010-11 All-Star.
“If he’s not an All-Star this year, then we need to re-do the process,” David Lee said after Wednesday’s game, the one in which Ellis capped a 36-point night against the Pacers with his game-winning shot.
Find out what other Warriors had to say about Ellis' All-Star credentials in the video below:
Quick Hits
• Jeremy Lin was named NBA Development League Co-Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 10. Playing for the Reno Bighorns, Lin was named to the All-NBA D-League Showcase First Team and averaged 20.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 steals.
• The Warriors teamed up with Ross Stores to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. through the Read to Achieve and Junior Leaders community relations programs on Monday.
• Warriors Basketball Camp recently unveiled the dates and times of its 11 spring sessions, including two that will take place at Oracle Arena.
• There’s still time to sign up for 25 Days of Winning, presented by Cache Creek. Sign up today for the chance to win Warriors tickets, autographed memorabilia, ski lift passes, a day of golf and much more.
• The Warriors will play nine of their next 10 games at Oracle Arena, and fans can get the best deals on tickets by taking advantage of several available Steals and Deals.
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