Monta Ellis was the last Mississippi player to take advantage of no age limits in the NBA. Photo by Keith Allison

Monta Ellis was named Parade Magazine Player of the Year in 2005, his senior year at Lanier High School. Named to nearly every all-star squad and given nearly every award possible, Ellis was one of Mississippi's most celebrated basketball stars ever.

Ellis had committed to Mississippi State but never played for the Bulldogs. Instead, he chose to enter the NBA Draft. The Oakland, Ca. Golden State Warriors selected Ellis with the 40th pick in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Ellis started slowly his rookie season, averaging only 6.8 points per game and starting just three games. In his second season, it all started to come together for Ellis, as his average jumped nearly ten points from 6.8 to 16.5 points per game.

Golden State has never been a premiere franchise in the NBA but Ellis has given the Warriors a young star. Ellis became the highest paid player on the Golden State team when he signed a six-year, $67-million contract. After signing his big contract, Ellis injured himself before the start of the 2008 season.

Because of the injury, Ellis missed most of the 2008-2009 season. When he started, he started slowly. But before the season ended he was back to being a prolific scorer. Currently, Ellis is ninth in the league in scoring with a 22-point game average.

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, Ellis has become one of the biggest topics of discussion. Rumors have Ellis involved in a trade with the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard. Some have also suggested that Orlando would like to add Ellis so they can keep Howard happy.

Because he is an excellent scorer, several teams in the playoff hunt that are looking for a scoring punch will seek out Ellis. Over the next week, Ellis will become an even more popular topic of conversation.

It would be great for the young player to land with a contender and for the rest of the county to see his talents. In Golden State, he is only seen on Sportscenter highlights--if they even have time to get to the Warriors.

Ellis has only been in the playoffs once, in 2007, which the Dallas Mavericks upset highlighted. Ellis averaged only eight points in that playoff appearance.

Previous Comments

ID

167242

Comment

A product of 833!!! Saw the young dude play many a game.... Hope he gets a trade that would put him on a more visible team and allow him to still put up the points.

Author

833WMaple

Date

2012-03-08T15:04:00-06:00