Golden State Warriors: Revisiting the Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut trade
Before the Golden State Warriors became the sports juggernaut that they are, they took a massive gamble shipping a star player for what fans thought were damaged goods. Now, we can see just how wrong fans were.
OAKLAND, CA, March 20, 2012 – A jersey retirement ceremony for Golden State Warriors legend Chris Mullin devolves into fans relentlessly booing owner Joe Lacob as he tries to flip through his notecards and remain composed.
The reason for the boos: The Warriors had just traded star player and fan-favorite Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fans were at Lacob’s throat from the moment he held the microphone to his lips — the first public appearance in front of the hometown crowd since the trade had become official. As Lacob attempted to turn the attention to honoring Mullin, fans chanted “We want Monta!”
Fans weren’t backing down whether Mullins tried to quell the situation with his optimism or Hall of Famer Rick Barry tried to lecture the Oracle crowd into a subservient applause. Looking back on that night all these years later, the chastisement from Barry is infamously comical.
Fans were frustrated.
Aside from a magical run during the “We Believe” era of the mid-2000s when the Warriors were able to overcome the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors had been abysmal. Year in and year out, Warriors fans had little hope to latch onto.
Ellis had become the face of the franchise — a pure scorer who offered perimeter shooting, quick hands, and a willingness to embrace the spotlight. He served as a reminder of the mystical days of the 2006-2007 season. He was a holdover of that hope.
And he was traded away for what Warriors fans believed were damaged goods in the form of a center who apparently had his best years behind him.
The trade itself was somewhat a matter of luck and timing. The former first overall draft pick had requested a trade from the Bucks after a frustrating string of seasons where he couldn’t stay healthy. At the time, Bogut was out for the season with a fractured left ankle.
The Warriors, who were floundering similarly to the Bucks, had been searching for a compelling big man to fill the center position and offer some physicality to the team.
The tandem of two undersized guards was proving to be ineffective, especially with questions about Stephen Curry‘s ability to play the point.
On March 13, 2012, the Warriors would finally pull the trigger.
They went all-in on a high-risk gamble to take on Andrew Bogut, who had dealt with everything from back strains to bone bruises to dislocations and fractures.
They sought to establish a pick-and-roll pairing with a young, promising Stephen Curry, whose career was seriously threatened by chronic ankle issues.
As fans booed, Mullin got to his feet and put an arm around public enemy number one, Joe Lacob, trying to subdue the angry crowd. In the process, he might have unveiled a prophecy for the Golden State Warriors:
"“Sometimes change is inevitable and it’s going to work out just fine…With your support and patience…use that passion in the right direction, this thing is going in the right way.”"
Over seven years later, there’s no doubt that what Chris Mullin had to say to the Oakland crowd was spot on. Fans would need to be patient, but they would be rewarded in due time.
As a dynasty has risen before our eyes from the shambles of perennial failure, we take a look back at how both franchises have fared as a result of the infamous Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut trade.