If ever there was any doubt as to who the main man – now that Baron Davis is out of the picture – in Golden State is, the Warriors have put an end to all of that.
Monta Ellis has just gotten one of the largest pay raises in League history; the 22-year old guard went from making just under $800 K per season to $11 million a year.
The Mercury News has the details:
The Warriors locked up their franchise player for at least the next five years when restricted-free-agent guard Monta Ellis signed a six-year, $66 million deal.
“He stated to me right away that his strong preference was to play for the Bay Area fans,” Ellis’ agent, Jeff Fried, said. “Obviously, you have to factor in the economics. But this is where he wanted to be.”
Monta has the money and the status, now what? As the great philosopher Peter Parker often said, with great power comes great responsibility. Or in Monta’s case, great pressure to deliver the goods.
The Warriors have made it clear that they will go only as far as Ellis can take them, and in the loaded Western Conference, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll get very far anytime soon. That’s a lot to handle for a 22-year old. Best of luck to you, young man.
