Well, the Golden State Warriors surely taught Monta Ellis a valuable lesson, and at only the cost of humiliating their most important player for no apparent reason.
Ellis, the Warriors' point guard, grasshopper to Baron Davis and the center of the franchise for years to come before this, was suspended for 30 games Saturday for excessive moped. He won't be paid for the four exhibition games and the first 26 regular-season games, which carries though Dec. 17.
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| Monta Ellis won't soon forget the Warriors' publicity stunt. (Getty Images) |
Now, we're not against punishing athletes for defying their contract provisions here, but we do know that the Warriors were aware of Ellis' faux pas before the news was released, and we also know that they waited until now to act upon it.
And why does this make a difference? Because they chose to make it public, rather than do what smart teams do in such a situation and handle it privately.
One visit would have done it, too, back when the transgression, and Ellis' deceit, was actually discovered.
"OK, Monta, here's the deal. We're not paying you until you're available to play again, and we're within our rights to do so. If you want to make a big deal of it, fine, but that'll be on you. For our part, we won't make a big deal out of it because we don't have to. You're still an important part of the team, and we want you to be happy, but actions have consequences, OK?"
No fuss, no muss. The player takes the hit he has coming to him without the entire nation lining up to put in the boot of public scorn. He feels properly chastened while still loved for his talent, and is more likely to keep his displeasure inside.
But this way, Warriors owner Chris Cohan and his enforcer, Robert Rowell, get to posture publicly, and we all know how public posturing pays off in the end.
And yes, this certainly does imply that there are different rules for different players. If Ellis were just an average player, the Warriors might have just cut him and not thought a thing about it. But he isn't. He is the player they needed so much that they are paying him $66 million over the next six years if things go according to plan.
Well, $66 million, minus the $2.8 million or so the Warriors say Ellis will miss.
But like we said, it isn't the money, it's the public preening the Warriors are doing about it that will bounce back at them in the end. Ellis already feels lousy about it, and the money matters as well. But the extra step of displaying their hard line so gleefully will remind Ellis that the front office had a choice to make, and it chose the louder and more embarrassing one.
And that's the only difference between the two paths here -- the public display of "See, we showed him we aren't to be trifled with."
