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Could Ellis Work for the 76ers?

Even with Game 4 of the NBA Finals looming and the draft just a few weeks away, basketball fans were treated to a trade rumor Tuesday morning in the form of the reported Andre Iguodala-for-Monta Ellis swap. As Alex Kennedy mentioned in the NBA AM, ESPN.com’s Ric Bucher wrote that there has been negotiations between the 76ers and Warriors for a straight-up, player-for-player deal. But while the proposed trade only involves two players, the ramifications could be felt throughout both teams’ rosters.

“I think they’re both quality players,” a Western Conference scout told HOOPSWORLD, “but you’d become really small in Philadelphia with Ellis at the two. Monta is a tremendous scorer and player, but the 76ers would become more like Golden State was.”

The 76ers already have two other players at shooting guard—Jodie Meeks and Evan Turner—which means an Ellis-for-Iguodala trade would likely signal a few more roster moves by Philadelphia.

From Philly’s standpoint, the 6-3 Ellis is barely tall enough to defend shooting guards. He was third in the NBA in steals this season, but 76ers coach Doug Collins prefers disciplined defenders to those who sacrifice positioning to pad their stats. Furthermore, Ellis can’t come close to matching the defensive contributions of Iguodala, who was able to guard shooting guards and small forwards. Ellis’ presence means Turner will be defending more threes than twos, and that could present a problem.

“I think of Turner as a two and not a three,” the scout said. “Iguodala can guard LeBron James when they face Miami, but if the trade does happen, who’s going to guard him?

“If you take Iguodala off of Philadelphia, it hurts them more than taking Ellis off of Golden State,” he added.

Philadelphia, the league’s eighth-best defensive team this season in terms of efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions), would obviously be looking for an offensive upgrade should the trade be completed. Elton Brand led the 76ers with his 15.6 PPG scoring average, so dealing for a player like Ellis, who was the Warriors best scorer at 24.1 PPG, makes sense on paper.

But offense isn’t just about volume. It’s about being productive with each and every possession. No matter what pace a team prefers to play at, it will finish the game with roughly the same amount of possessions as its opponents. So while the Warriors were seventh in total scoring (103.4 PPG), they were tied for just 12th in offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions), and the discrepancy can be attributed to Ellis’ style of play.

Ellis is a high-volume shooter who finished the season as the eighth-best scorer in the NBA, but he ranked only 170th in the NBA in true shooting percentage because he takes so many ill-advised shots (long two-pointers, forced jumpers, etc.). So yes, his 24.1 PPG helped the Warriors score more points than 23 teams over the course of the season, but Ellis’ league-leading 20.1 field goal attempts per game kept the team from realizing its offensive potential. According to 82games.com, Ellis’ plus-minus rating was a ghastly -233 for the season, which was the worst on the Warriors outside of Andris Biedrins’ -236.

Furthermore, Ellis used more possessions per 40 minutes (26.5) than point guard Stephen Curry (23.9), which raises questions about how he’d coexist with up-and-coming playmaker Jrue Holiday in Philadelphia.

“From an offensive standpoint, they’re going to put up points,” the scout said of the possibility of Ellis joining the 76ers. “I think it’s going to change Philadelphia from an offensive standpoint because Monta needs the ball to be successful. For him, it’s more important to have shooters around him when he’s penetrating. I think that Holiday would to have to shoot [more 3-pointers].”

Don’t forget, 76ers president Rod Thorn likes to have an offensively balanced team. Yes, he drafted an all-time great scorer in Michael Jordan, but Thorn’s Nets teams made it to two NBA Finals without a true go-to scorer. In fact, Kenyon Martin was New Jersey’s top scorer at just 14.9 PPG when the team won its first Eastern Conference crown in 2001-2002.

Can Ellis really survive on a pass-first team molded by Thorn?

“I’d rather see Ellis on Chicago, for example,” he continued. “Then you could find out what kind of player he really is. There he’d be playing next to a legitimate small forward in [Luol] Deng, who can defend, and he’d be with [Dere] Rose in the backcourt. When you have three small people, that’s when it becomes a problem. That’s why I’m not as crazy about [the proposed deal] for Philadelphia.”

Could Iguodala Work for the Warriors?

Unlike Ellis, Iguodala might be a decent fit if the trade were to be completed.

“Iguodala is used to being among the top 10 in fast-break points, so again, it’s a good trade for Golden State [the fifth-fastest team this year in terms of possessions per game],” the Western Conference scout said.

“Iguodala has a little more versatility,” he continued. “The knock on him is he’s not a 3-point shooter. Ellis was a one-way player. He’ll get you steals, but he’s a gambler totally. In terms of helping Curry, [Iguodala] would be better. Curry will add a little more balance on defense next to him. Iguodala guards aggressive drivers and [Dorell] Wright can guard shooters, so they’d have more flexibility that way.”

Iguodala’s presence could also help Curry on the offensive end because the 23-year-old isn’t exactly a pure point guard. He’s tied for 47th among NBA point guards in assist rate (possessions that end with an assist), but took more shots in 2010-2011 than all but five players at the position. Iguodala, meanwhile, ranked second among shooting guards in assist rate (29.1% of his possessions ended with an assist this year), and he has a significantly lower usage rate than Ellis (19.1 compared to 26.5).

“Iguodala can handle the ball so he can play the point forward position,” the scout said. “He will have to chase around the smaller two-guard types in the Western Conference, though.”

Iguodala has a couple of years on Ellis and his contract gets more expensive over the next two seasons, but he would be a nice piece for the Warriors franchise as it moves in a new direction under first-year coach Mark Jackson.

“Mark Jackson is closer to Jeff Van Gundy,” the scout said. “He played for him, [Pat] Riley, and listening to his thing, he’s going to preach defense first and Iguodala can defend. They’re still going to want to run because they’re still Golden State, but Iguodala can do that.”

Iguodala can’t replicate Ellis’ scoring (he finished the season averaging just 14.1 PPG), but it’s his entire game that makes him a better asset for the Warriors moving forward.

Malone Joins Jackson’s Staff

The Warriors have already begun assembling Mark Jackson’s coaching staff, and it looks like team is moving in a more defensive direction. Golden State hired Michael Malone as an assistant on Tuesday. He served as an assistant with the Hornets in 2010-2011 and has 10 years of NBA coaching experience.

Primarily known as a defensive assistant, Malone helped New Orleans cut its opponents’ scoring average by 8.7 PPG this season.

“We are thrilled to be in a position to add Michael Malone to our coaching staff,” said Warriors general manager Larry Riley said in an official statement. “He is a youthful coach with great experience and knowledge of the game. This is a very positive addition to our organization.”

“I am really pleased that Michael has chosen to join our staff as we try to build something special with the Warriors,” Jackson said in the team release.  “I have known Michael for a long time and think he is one of the bright young minds in the sport. He’s a tireless worker and has a tremendous understanding of the game, which is a potent combination for any coach. Obviously, he is very well respected in this business and will be a great asset to our staff and someone whose opinion I will value greatly.  I think he will be a perfect complement.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to join the Golden State Warriors organization,” Malone said in the statement. “It’s hard to express how excited I am about working with Mark Jackson and helping build something here with the Warriors.”

{AUTHOR_BOX}76ers for Sale?

Monta Ellis-for-Andre Iguodala isn’t the only deal the 76ers are considering. Sources have told ESPN.com’s Henry Abbott that New York leveraged buyout specialist Joshua Harris is in talks with the team’s current owner, Comcast-Spectacor, to purchase the 76ers.

Unlike the trade, one source says this deal could be “imminent,” which means we might see something finalized within a week.

Even though he’s based in New York, Harris has ties to Philadelphia because he went to University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, which also includes 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski and Nets director of basketball operations Milton Lee among its alumni.

Harris’ group is reportedly not the only interested party, but seems to be the top candidate. Comcast-Spectacor currently owns the Wells Fargo Center and the Philadelphia Flyers, but is supposedly only interested in selling the 76ers.

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