Before joining the Dallas Mavericks, Monta Ellis wasn’t happy.
The eight-year veteran spent six-plus seasons with the Golden State Warriors before being shipped off to the Milwaukee Bucks midway through the 2011-12 campaign. He lasted a season-and-a-half there, ultimately deciding to sign with the Mavericks during free agency.
Few people need an explanation as to why he left Milwaukee. For one, it’s Milwaukee. The Bucks are notoriously mediocre and with all the Brandon Jennings drama that had gone down over the last year, it’s easy to understand why Ellis bolted.
But he’s also in search of something other than an escape—happiness.
Ellis told cirquedusirois.com that his last few years in the league have been a disaster, and he’s looking for something more in Dallas.
“My last 4-5 years in the NBA were miserable…this is just a breath of fresh air,” he said. “I wanna be willing and open in Dallas.”
“In Minnesota it was worse than it was in Golden State,” he added on how things feel different now with the Mavericks.
First and foremost, I can only assume that a) autocorrect sabotaged cirquedusirois.com’s tweet or b) Ellis despised Milwaukee so much he misspoke. Either way, Ellis apparently hasn’t been happy for the last four-to-five years.
It doesn’t take much to get a handle on the last two. In 2011-12 there was the lockout and his eventual trade, and in 2012-13, he was with the Bucks. The previous two or three years are a bit more complicated. During that time, he was Golden State’s prized scorer, playing for one of the most loyal fanbases there is. Most players wouldn’t be “miserable” in such an environment.
For Ellis, however, it could’ve been different. Tasked with leading Golden State’s offense, he shouldered the burden of missed playoff berths and, inevitably, inefficiency. Stephen Curry’s arrival in 2009 may have played a part too. Curry was never blamed for the Warriors’ shortcomings and the flack he withstood on account of his fragile ankles, didn’t compare to the barrage of criticism constantly aimed at Ellis.
The combo guard was constantly mentioned in trade rumors, even before Dwight Howard actually orchestrated his escape out of Orlando. Ellis was going here. Or there. Or over there. Almost every time, he went nowhere.
Then a little over a year ago, the Warriors made an active decision to run with Curry over Ellis and take a chance on Andrew Bogut. People hated the trade at first. Bogut was more injury-prone than Curry. The Warriors had traded their leading scorer for nothing.
More than a year later, things have worked out for Golden State. But things are only beginning to take shape for Ellis. In Milwaukee, he fought off the same type of criticism he faced with the Warriors, only he was trapped. It wasn’t his choice to play for Milwaukee. From Day 1, it didn’t seem like he would ever re-sign there.
And he didn’t. He’s hoping to start fresh in Dallas, where Mark Cuban is known to spend whatever it takes to win. The Mavs don’t figure to be a contender this year, but if Ellis finds peace next to Dirk Nowitzki and crew, and becomes more of an economical scorer, they shouldn’t fall out of the playoff conversation entirely.
This soon into his tenure with Dallas, that will have to be enough for him to elude the misery that’s dogged him for a half-decade.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
