The Warriors will visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, and in the process will see old friend Monta Ellis. Although “old friend” probably isn’t what Stephen Curry would call him. Then again, Curry just might; he’s that freakin’ good of a guy.
If there’s one guy Curry would have every right to be more than a little rankled at still, it would be Monta Ellis. Nobody did Curry fewer favors in the NBA than Ellis.
As teammates for more than two seasons, Curry and Ellis may embrace before the Warriors-Pacers game, share some pleasantries, make quick talk about their wives and children. After all, it’s been a minute since they played together. Though a cynic might suggest that, yes, they were teammates but they never really did “play together.”
Make no mistake, from the day Curry started his career as a Warrior in 2009 until the day Ellis was traded to Milwaukee in March 2012, Ellis hindered rather than helped Curry.
Within the relentless joy that has become the Warriors over the past season-plus, it’s easy to forget the absolute mess of a situation Curry came into when Golden State drafted him in the summer of 2009.
Remember media day of Curry’s rookie season, in September of that year? That was the day Ellis, the team’s star guard, announced he couldn’t play alongside Curry, whom the Warriors drafted seventh. Also, the team’s starting small forward, Stephen Jackson, reiterated that he wanted to get the hell out of Oakland, sooner rather than later.
Welcome to the Bay, Steph!
Matt Steinmetz 