There is something tantalizing about the Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis backcourt in Golden State. Two guys who can create, who play smart, who can knock down shots (they combined for 42.7 points per game last season). But it’s never seemed smooth. To be sure, part of it is the whole “who plays defense” thing. Still, you feel the pair should be better together than they have been.
Part of that is attributed to a rocky relationship between the two. That may have been the case in the past, but it’s not now Curry told 95.7-The Game radio, as reported by Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com.
And Curry doesn’t expect Ellis to be traded.“No,” Curry responded. “I think he’s happy where he’s at. We want him on our squad. He brings so much to the table from a leadership standpoint. He’s had some things going on with the front office with the Warriors, but all that’s cleared up now….
“(The pair’s relationship has) gotten a lot better from Day 1, but that’s to be expected when you have two guys about the same size,” Curry said. “We play differently. Me being the point guard and trying to lead the offense and him playing his brand of basketball.
“He attacks the lanes very well when he has the ball in his hands. If he’s not getting to the basket he can make plays. There’s a balance we have learning how to play together. When I don’t have the ball in my hands he knows I’m pretty good coming off screens. We kind of work off of each other. There’s a good, unspoken chemistry when he’s out there and it’s only going to get better with time.”I want to see this work, I want to see what Curry and Ellis can really do together in the backcourt. But what the Warriors really need is size in the middle for defensing and rebounding (no offense intended, David Lee and Andris Biedrins). To get something of quality, you have to give up something of quality. Which brings us back to trading Ellis.
