Idk. If our style is to get up & down the court then Monte is PERFECT. Just because he can't hit 3's doesn't mean he can't be productive. Why? Because he gets to the rim at will (and draw fouls). Hes a better, quicker & more talented version of Corey Brewer
The bad defense is the issue. If he takes a pay cut, sure. He obviously can score but efficiency isn't great either. He actually has a really good mid-range game/ability to drive. His 3-point shooting is sub-par. As I write this, I'm realizing he is a poor mans James Harden.
When you are building a team, you want complimentary players. If you are looking for a player to put in the same backcourt as Harden, ideally he would be a great defender, a great spot-up shooter, be able to play off the ball well and also have some ball-handling abilities for some times but not need to have the ball in his hands in order to be effective because that is what Harden does. James Harden and Monta Ellis are basically the same player. They both need to have the ball in their hands too be most effective. They both are very good at driving into the lane, drawing fouls and finishing. They both have good mid-range shots and they can both be streaky at 3's. Both of their defenses have been questioned or even mocked before. The only difference is that, out of all of those things that I just mentioned, James Harden is better at all of them. They would not compliment each other in the same backcourt. Monta would be a great player to backup Harden, but he would be too expensive for that and that is probably not a role that he wants
My God, what an awful suggestion. He is gonna cost 12 million +, is a terribly undersized 2 guard, not a great 3 point shooter, plays awful defense, wants to be the man, will be taking the ball out of Harden's hands way too much, won't settle for a 6th man role.... He is just a horrible fit.
I honestly can't think of another guard that would minimize both him and Harden's talent the most playing together.
Monta is gonna be expecting 8 figures which is out of the Rockets' price range unless they move some contracts. He's also not much of a defensive player, he jacks up a lot of shots(which will be a problem with Harden alongside him), and he seemed to be really moody and p-ssy last season with the Mavs. Personally I think he's a horrible fit for this team.
The Rockets have "Non-Bird rights" to Smith (which are still technically a form of Bird right), meaning that they can give him up to a 20% raise, for a salary of up to about $2.5 million.
Thanks Bima. $2.5 million + what the Pistons still owe him should be enough for him to stay in Houston for at least short term.
Only if he attends the Harden Defensive Camp to find some defense in the off-season. I'm sure someone out there could make a highlight reel of all his defensive gaffs. He certainly didn't play any defense in the Rockets playoff series that I could see.
