Comments (0) Best Warriors Player - 2007
Monta Ellis
In the recent past, on those rare instances when the Bay Area sports spotlight fixed on the Warriors, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson soaked up most of the incandescence. But the '06-'07 season proved what SF Weekly prophesied a year ago: Ellis represents Golden State's future. The second-year guard, after spending much of his rookie season on the bench, wowed fans and baffled opposing teams with his blink-quick sorties to the hoop and Reynolds Wrap defense. Not to mention his pogo-stick leaping ability: Ellis' November throwdown on Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa may have ranked as the NBA's dunk of the year. Besides boasting a double-digit scoring average this season, the 21-year-old Ellis showed instant maturity when injuries sidelined Davis and Richardson for several weeks, ably taking control of coach Don Nelson's go-go offense. Step aside, Boom Dizzle and J-Rich. Monta Ellis has got next.
