Ellis Has Something to Say About the Suspension

Monta Ellis is one of the league’s most exciting young players. If he learned a little more about playing point guard, he could carry that franchise for years. So why has his involvement with the Golden State Warriors devolved into a sordid tale of mopeds and legalese? I guess that’s the way a team avoids thinking about its truly war-torn roster.↵
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↵Ellis finally issued a statement yesterday, in which he deemed the 30-game suspension excessive, but apologized for it, and accepted it, and hinted that he might appeal it. From the Contra Costa Times:↵↵⇥Ellis’ agent, Jeff Fried, e-mailed a statement to the Times on Monday night that was directed to the “community, friends and fans.” In it, Ellis expressed his willingness to accept the suspension of 30 games (26 regular season and four exhibition), though he personally deems it excessive.↵⇥
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↵⇥“While management and I do not agree on their actions,” the statement read, “I want to be clear that my injury is based on my mistake in judgment. And I always accept responsibility for my actions.↵↵

Confused? Here’s Janny Hu with some clarification:↵↵⇥Ellis isn’t really appealing to have his 30-game suspension reduced. He’s appealing to make sure that the Warriors can’t punish him again for the same offense. Think of double jeopardy. The Warriors had the option of terminating his contract or suspending/fining him. They made their choice. They suspended him. His camp is arguing that the Warriors can’t go back and tack on another penalty if Ellis doesn’t get back to his old playing form. And legally, that’s a pretty sound argument.↵↵Open-court thrills! Fast-break madness! Positionless, shot-jacking euphoria! Invocation of double jeopardy? I’ll say it again: All parties involved need to squash the beef and stop looking at each other askance. That goes for Monta and the front office, and even Mullin and everyone else. Otherwise, there’s no hope of them pulling together the kind of chemistry and craziness they need for this season to be anything other than a disaster.↵