The Golden State Warriors thought they'd kick off the 2009-10 NBA season on a positive note, sending stars Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson to speak to reporters about all the good things happening with the team at Monday's Warriors Media Day event.
It went about as well as Latrell Sprewell giving P.J. Carlesimo a reconciliatory hug.
Ellis and Jackson said all the right things. All the right things to get themselves traded to another team as quickly as possible.
Monta Ellis flat out predicted doom for Golden State if he were to play alongside the Warriors' highly-touted new point guard Stephen Curry.
"Us, together? No," Ellis told NBC Bay Area, when asked about his on-court relationship with his new Warrior teammate. "You're not going to win that way."
And Monta was the optimistic guy. Stephen Jackson just reiterated his trade demand and told the Mercury News, "It feels like we’re not getting better."
So the Warriors are kicking off the season with a team captain who's demanding to be traded, Monta Ellis complaining about having the play with the team's first-round draft pick, and Don Nelson so determined to keep his grip on the franchise that he's offering to coach for free.
It kind of makes you long for the good old days of Latrell Sprewell when everyone on the team got along so much better.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who is suffering from recurring visions of Monta in a Charlotte Bobcats uniform.
