Warriors may offer Ellis for Ray Allen
BOSTON — The trading deadline is less than a month away, and rumors seem to grow like algae.
This is especially true when it comes to players with expiring contracts such as Boston's Ray Allen.
While the Celtics have maintained repeatedly that they have no intentions of moving any of their core guys between now and the Feb. 18 trading deadline -- and I believe 'em on this one -- multiple league sources confirmed today that the Golden State Warriors are giving some thought to putting together a trade package that would involve Monta Ellis going to Boston in exchange for Allen.
The Warriors see rookie Stephen Curry as the face of the franchise moving forward. One league source said the Warriors believe that Curry won't develop at the rate they would like as long as Ellis is around.
Golden State saw flashes of just how talented Curry can be against New Jersey earlier this week when playing without Ellis.
With Ellis out with a sprained right ankle, Curry went off for a career-high 32 points.
For such a deal to work, the Warriors would have to include at least one additional salary. The most likely player to be included would be Vladamir Radmonovic, who has a player option after this season but isn't expected to exercise it.
Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, has talked to a number of teams about a number of players recently.
But it doesn't appear that this is a deal he has given any serious thought to considering.
Ainge has said repeatedly that he wants to see how the Celtics, as they are currently constructed, play together when relatively healthy.
Boston has yet to play a game this season with an entirely healthy roster.
That means any deal involving the C's likely won't happen until shortly before the deadline, which is about the time that Marquis Daniels (left thumb) is expected back.
While this deal would certainly give Boston another high powered scorer, on the surface it appears to hurt them in many, many ways.
Of the team's Big Three, only the 34-year-old Allen has played in all 41 games this season. Meanwhile, Ellis has a history of injuries even before his most recent setback.
Plus, Ellis is one of those players who is at his best when he has the ball in his hands.
Doing that in Boston means taking it out of the hands of Rondo, which is something the Celtics don't want to do.
And then there's the whole issue of chemistry and defense - two areas that are not considered strongsuits of Ellis.
As you can see, adding a player of Ellis' caliber poses a number of challenges, the kind of challenges a veteran, championship-caliber team usually passes on.
While it's certainly worth monitoring, fans shouldn't expect to see Monta Ellis in a Celtics uniform anytime soon.
A. Sherrod Blakely can be reached at [email protected]
http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing?More-Celtics-trade-talk=1&blockID=168603&feedID=3945
BOSTON — The trading deadline is less than a month away, and rumors seem to grow like algae.
This is especially true when it comes to players with expiring contracts such as Boston's Ray Allen.
While the Celtics have maintained repeatedly that they have no intentions of moving any of their core guys between now and the Feb. 18 trading deadline -- and I believe 'em on this one -- multiple league sources confirmed today that the Golden State Warriors are giving some thought to putting together a trade package that would involve Monta Ellis going to Boston in exchange for Allen.
The Warriors see rookie Stephen Curry as the face of the franchise moving forward. One league source said the Warriors believe that Curry won't develop at the rate they would like as long as Ellis is around.
Golden State saw flashes of just how talented Curry can be against New Jersey earlier this week when playing without Ellis.
With Ellis out with a sprained right ankle, Curry went off for a career-high 32 points.
For such a deal to work, the Warriors would have to include at least one additional salary. The most likely player to be included would be Vladamir Radmonovic, who has a player option after this season but isn't expected to exercise it.
Danny Ainge, Boston's president of basketball operations, has talked to a number of teams about a number of players recently.
But it doesn't appear that this is a deal he has given any serious thought to considering.
Ainge has said repeatedly that he wants to see how the Celtics, as they are currently constructed, play together when relatively healthy.
Boston has yet to play a game this season with an entirely healthy roster.
That means any deal involving the C's likely won't happen until shortly before the deadline, which is about the time that Marquis Daniels (left thumb) is expected back.
While this deal would certainly give Boston another high powered scorer, on the surface it appears to hurt them in many, many ways.
Of the team's Big Three, only the 34-year-old Allen has played in all 41 games this season. Meanwhile, Ellis has a history of injuries even before his most recent setback.
Plus, Ellis is one of those players who is at his best when he has the ball in his hands.
Doing that in Boston means taking it out of the hands of Rondo, which is something the Celtics don't want to do.
And then there's the whole issue of chemistry and defense - two areas that are not considered strongsuits of Ellis.
As you can see, adding a player of Ellis' caliber poses a number of challenges, the kind of challenges a veteran, championship-caliber team usually passes on.
While it's certainly worth monitoring, fans shouldn't expect to see Monta Ellis in a Celtics uniform anytime soon.
A. Sherrod Blakely can be reached at [email protected]
http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing?More-Celtics-trade-talk=1&blockID=168603&feedID=3945
