Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

[pw_1016]

I know alot of people do not like his attitude and say he is too selfish, but the guy has some of the most amazing finishing moves I have ever seen. Put him on the Bulls with D-Rose and you have a championship.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

Certainly, Ellis is a potent scorer. Can finish in traffic, create contact, pull up and catch and shoot. Passing? He doesn't much care for it. Off ball play? He stands around and waits for the ball to come to him. Defense? He doesn't play it.

So, for all his scoring heroics, Ellis is a one dimensional player. Its doubtful that his presense on the Bulls would guarantee a championship. Derrick Rose needs max ball time to be most effective, and Ellis' disinclination to move without the ball would not complement Rose.

[BringTheHeat]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

Defense for me. He's a great offensive player, but not even average defensively.

[ojandpizza]

I still consider him a top 5 SG in the league right now. He's a better player than the glorified James Harden. People say Ellis is overrated, which by some fans he is, but Harden is super overrated by almost everybody.

[iAM-IncReDiBLe-]

I still consider him a top 5 SG in the league right now. He's a better player than the glorified James Harden. People say Ellis is overrated, which by some fans he is, but Harden is super overrated by almost everybody.

For me it's
Kobe
Wade
Johnson
Gordon
Ellis/Manu

[Dice]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

I think Ellis on the Bulls would be a perfect compliment. Is he one-dimensional? Yes. But his one-dimension is something the Bulls desperately needs. Rose is the only go-to scorer on the roster and the other championship contending teams having at least two. The Bulls better wise-up and get that second scorer before the window of a championship closes on them.

And as far as off-the-ball movement, I'll reserve judgement when he plays with a coach that will preach it to him.

[Macar91]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

High usage, low efficiency. Bad combo.

[Caveman24]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

He's top 5 shooting guard IMO

[DukeC]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

Certainly, Ellis is a potent scorer. Can finish in traffic, create contact, pull up and catch and shoot. Passing? He doesn't much care for it. Off ball play? He stands around and waits for the ball to come to him. Defense? He doesn't play it.

So, for all his scoring heroics, Ellis is a one dimensional player. Its doubtful that his presense on the Bulls would guarantee a championship. Derrick Rose needs max ball time to be most effective, and Ellis' disinclination to move without the ball would not complement Rose.

The past couple of years his assist numbers have improved tremendously. Going from around 3.7 in 08-09 to it's peak at 6 APG this past season.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

The past couple of years his assist numbers have improved tremendously. Going from around 3.7 in 08-09 to it's peak at 6 APG this past season.

Ellis only looks to make passes when he is under severe pressure. You don't ever see him make the set up passes or simple reverse passes that fuel team offense.

[Dice]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

Ellis only looks to make passes when he is under severe pressure. You don't ever see him make the set up passes or simple reverse passes that fuel team offense.

That’s what I would want out of him if he was playing for the Bulls. I’m not looking for him to be Magic Johnson or John Stockton and average 12 assist per game. I’m not looking for him to setup the offense. That Derrick Rose’s job. Or whoever plays the point until he comes back. They need to set him up.

I understand Ellis is not the most ‘well rounded’ player. All I want him to do is be a scorer because that what he does. You do what your good at. The Bulls never asked Dennis Rodman to put up points or shots. Why? Because he can’t. They asked him to guard the opposing players best big and grab every rebound in sight. Why? Because that what he does best. They didn’t need him to score because they already had Jordan and on occasion Pippen.

[ojandpizza]

Ellis only looks to make passes when he is under severe pressure. You don't ever see him make the set up passes or simple reverse passes that fuel team offense.

Why does that even matter? He's not a PG, he's a SG

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

If Monta Ellis is a Top 5 SG, then that says more about the lack of elite players at that position than it does about Monta's game, especially if Joe Johnson and D-Wade are top 3 SG as well.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

As a Bucks fan, a part of me was extremely excited to finally have a go-to scorer when we acquired him last year. But the rumors about how he literally never passes and doesn't give a **** on defense scared the hell out of me.

But from the moment we got him, I believe our team led the NBA in assists per game, and he was a big part of that. The ball movement on our team went from being non-existant to being almost like watching the Spurs or Mavs move the ball around. It was really beautiful basketball to watch (offensively...defensively, the team still sucked, but they sucked without him too).

I truly believe the Bucks will reach the playoffs this year if they stay healthy, and he and Jennings will most likely be the biggest reasons why; especially now that we have one of the deepest interior defenses in the league. Jennings and Ellis both struggle to man up, but they play passing lanes well, and if they get beat, we have Dalembert, Henson, Udoh, Sanders, etc. to block shots. I believe we're averaging 13 blocks per game so far in the pre-season.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Why is Monta Ellis not considered a top guard?

Ellis doesn't have to be Magic or Stock, but he must make quicker decisions with the ball. When he catches it, the ball sticks and the defense loads up. Simple wing passes and post feeds breed five man concepts. Move the ball Monta!

How about running some off ball patterns? The kind that Ray Allen runs. Curls, fades, and baseline sprints. These sharp off ball cuts confuse the defense and force the opposing bigs to make quick (usually wrong) decisions.
On the defensive end, he must combat screens more aggressively, refrain from turning his head, improve his posture, and halve his rotations.

As it is, Monta is either a spectator when he doesn't have the ball or else he is making a spectator of his teammates when he has the ball. To work well in tandem with Jennings, he must broaden the scope of his game.

The truth is, that whenever the ball is carried into the paint, the interior defense is compromised. The onus is on the perimeter defenders to contain the ball (Jennings and Ellis).