Former No. 40 overall pick Monta Ellis recently opened up about his time with the Warriors, playing seven of his 12 NBA seasons in Golden State. Ellis was a workhorse for the Warriors, to say the least, leading the league in minutes per game twice, playing 41.4 minutes per contest during the 2009-10 season. That year, Ellis averaged 25.5 points, 5.3 assists, four rebounds, 2.2 steals and 0.4 blocks in what was the strongest campaign of his career.
Recently, after being named the new general manager for Alcorn State basketball, Ellis revealed his thoughts about what transpired in Golden State after he had left, saying, "They know the team that I was dealt with. If you switched me and Steph out with the team that won the championships, it'd be the same
thing. So you've got to take the good with the bad, and that's cool. It put me in a position to make money for me and my family. I ran with that."
While Ellis' success and accomplishments with the Warriors shouldn't go understated, especially at a time where the franchise needed it, his comments are a bit extreme. Ellis and his 31.4% mark from beyond the arc would not have suited Golden State as well as two-time MVP Stephen Curry, to say the least.
Not to mention, Golden State's second championship with Curry came in the 2016-17 season, Ellis' last season in the NBA, where he averaged 8.5 points with the Indiana Pacers at age 31. Although the "Mississippi Bullet" should still be celebrated in the Bay Area for his contributions during a rough rebuilding stretch, he and Stephen Curry aren't comparable.
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Former Golden State Warriors star makes bold NBA championship claims
