Apr 28, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis (11) drives with the basketball as Miami Heat guard Norris Cole (30) and forward Rashard Lewis (9) defend during the second quarter of game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been more than a year since the Golden State Warriors traded Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut, but reporters still manage to sneak in the occasional question regarding the trade.

Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com reported that Warriors head coach Mark Jackson about how the trade has basically effected the dynamics of the team.

And Jackson’s response wasn’t all too colorful if you’re Monta Ellis:

It helped change the culture. Obviously it was easier to pull the trigger because we knew what we had in Klay and it was time for him to be a starting two-guard. And he does everything right.

Jackson became Golden State’s coach in what would be Ellis’ final year with the Warriors. While Jackson’s comments may be bold, don’t discount what Ellis did for the Warriors. From 2006-07 to 2011-12, he averaged 21.1 points in 37.9 minutes per game. His ability to penetrate the gaps was and still is his hallmark.

But on the negative side of the spectrum, Ellis was inefficient, like most scorers are. He needed 20-plus shots to score 25-plus points, on most nights, that is.

Was Jackson a bit bold considering he only coached Ellis for less than a full season? Perhaps. Then again, he has a winning formula with this current Warriors team. So maybe he isn’t one to be question at this point.

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

If this list was designed to rank pure athletic talent, Monta Ellis would have coasted to the No. 1 spot. But since we care a little more about a player’s ability to do winning things on a basketball court—and not just stuff that looks cool—Monta can’t be ranked any higher than he is here.

Ellis joined the Warriors as a second-round pick in 2005, a high school phenom out of Jackson, Miss. The version of Monta Ellis that arrived as a rookie probably shot a little more than he should have, but was a tenacious defender and an absolute blur on the basketball court. Once Ellis came into his own as a scorer in his second and third year, though, he essentially stopped playing both ends of the court and became driven by a desire for his own numbers.

Athletically, Ellis had practically no NBA peers in his Warriors tenure. He was arguably the league’s fastest player from end to end, and managed to average 19.5 points per game over parts of seven seasons in Golden State on the strength of his otherworldly speed and quickness.

When used as a third or fourth option, like he was in 2006-07 and 2007-08, Ellis was a wrecking ball on offense. He scored with terrific efficiency. But when cast as a primary scorer, Ellis’ volume numbers stayed high while his percentages suffered.

Overall, Ellis was an undeniably talented athlete, but he simply never grasped the basics of good team basketball. He dominated the ball, took difficult shots and feigned effort on defense. No teammate played better with Ellis than without him.

It’s hard to really know whether Ellis was a selfish player or not. But the best thing we can say about him is that he managed to score a lot of points for a bad team while never helping make his teammates better. He did a lot of that scoring in a spectacular fashion, but ultimately, the points were empty.

Now paired with a similarly sized, similarly minded Brandon Jennings in Milwaukee, it seems inevitable that a whole new set of fans will be treated to the frustrating conundrum that is Monta Ellis. He’ll score and score and score, but when the buzzer sounds, his team will lose more often than not.