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The Warriors traded star guard Monta Ellis away for Andrew Bogut, who has been sitting on the bench for a while now. He was supposed to be out “7-10” days, but that has turned into two months, as he is likely to make his return in January of 2013.
This article is just a quick lineup comparison between the Warriors and the Bucks. Who made their team better, and who made their team worse?
Let’s take a look.
1. Stephen Curry vs Brandon Jennings: Since Ellis and Jennings now share a backcourt, they resemble the Curry/Ellis backcourt that didn’t work out. They both played a PG style and are both considerably undersized. That could be problematic. This matchup has a clear winner, Stephen Curry.
2. Klay Thompson vs Monta Ellis: The reason the Warriors were able to trade Ellis was because of Klay Thompson’s great play up till Ellis’ departure. Thompson has continued his hot shooting and true spot as a shooting guard: just like Ray Allen. Although, I fear as if he hasn’t been driving to the basket as much as he should. After all, he is 6’7. This matchup goes to Monta Ellis, who is a pure scorer.
3. Harrison Barnes vs. Marquis Daniels: One of the best matchups on this list. I agree, nobody knows who Marquis Daniels is, but he plays like a champion. He works hard, rebounds, and lashes out sometimes scoring up to 20 PPG. He’s a perfect fit at SF for the Bucks and he has really worked hard. Barnes, on the other hand, is also a hard worker and for the Warriors, he has completely changed his game. He is driving to the basket more than ever, and having success doing so. Unfortunately, his scrappy and inconsistent play credits this matchup to Marquis Daniels.
4. David Lee vs. Ekpe Udoh: While Udoh does occasionally score as many points and grab as many rebounds as the Bucks would like him to, he hasn’t really blossomed into the role as 6th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. No question, this matchup goes to David Lee.
5. Festus Ezeli vs. Larry Sanders: So far, Ezeli’s substitution for Bogut has proved to be more than beneficial, as he has done well enough as a starter: the Warriors are 14-7. Apparently, the work that he does for that short stint of minutes in the game is enough to give David Lee and Carl Landry time to work with a smaller lineup. Ezeli gets an A+. Unfortunately, Larry Sanders’ shot blocking, rebounding, and sometimes even scoring is good enough. He may turn into a top-5 center in years to come. The Bucks should stick with Sanders, and the Matchup goes to Larry Sanders.
Warriors: 14-7, Bucks: 10-9. The Warriors are in front, for now.