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Golden State Warriors History: The ‘We Believe’ Backcourt

By Owen Dillon

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We continue our look back at the “We Believe’ Warriors, revisiting the main storylines from the surprisingly magical season of 2006-2007.

What would the 2006-07 season be for the Warriors without their starting guards? For starters, we wouldn’t be talking about it here in 2015 after the Dubs just won a championship.

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Those guards were Baron Davis and Monta Ellis, of course – two ultra athletic scoring guards who could, and would, shoot from anywhere on the floor, and could dribble for days. Their defense was a little less impressive, but hey, it was a team coached by Don Nelson, so who needs defense?

Davis averaged 25.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a game in the 2007 playoffs, and then analyst Steve Kerr described his play as “outrageous… stunningly athletic and creative and explosive”. Davis was benched at halftime in a must-win game against the Suns in 2008, a game the Dubs had to win in order to make the playoffs – a decision that was criticized by many.

With rumors of friction between Davis and coach Nelson,  Davis opted out of his deal with Golden State on June 30, 2008, a day that truly marked the end of an era for the Dubs. He signed with the division rival Clippers, on a five-year, $65 million dollar deal. It was reported that Davis signed with LA to play with center Elton Brand, but Brand signed with the 76ers right after Davis agreed to sign with the Clippers. Baron denied that Brand played any role in his decision to play with LA.

In his first year with the Clips, the team went 19-63, and Davis was only able to play in 63 games due to injuries. Finally, in his third season in LA, it seemed like things were starting to click for the Clippers. A finally healthy Davis played alongside young guns Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and rookie Blake Griffin. The team decided to move in a new direction after that promising season, however, after reported run-ins between the coaching staff and Davis, and with former owner Donald Sterling.

Davis signed with the Cavs and played one pretty uneventful season in Cleveland. Cleveland only had the second worst record in the league that year, so I guess the year wasn’t a total waste for Davis.

After two years with Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks, in which he unfortunately tore both his right ACL and MCL in the Knicks’ sole postseason win in 2012, Davis was out of the league. He is still training for a comeback, and a couple of teams have shown interest in the point guard, per reports, but no reports have been credible, and Davis is still searching for a team.

Monta Ellis has had a very different career since the 2007 playoff run. Monta was just 21 in 2007, and had his whole career ahead of him. He remained with the Warriors until midway through the 2011-12 season, where he was traded to the Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut. The day that trade went down was quite an emotional day for Dub Nation, and the trade prompted a sold-out Oracle Arena to boo owner Joe Lacob on the night of Chris Mullin‘s jersey retirement, possibly one of the lowest points in the history of the franchise.

Monta continued to be himself with the Bucks, pouring in points night after night, but without much else to complement his game. He remained with the Bucks until 2013, when he signed with contender Dallas.

In Dallas, Monta was a full-time starter. He was a perfect player  for Dallas, and fit alongside Dirk Nowitzki perfectly. He and Dirk were a perfect fit – Dirk’s midrange game opened up driving opportunities for Monta. The Mavericks took a risk when they traded for Rajon Rondo – a player that effectively clogged up the Mavs’ spacing on offense and reduced Monta’s effectiveness.

This summer, Monta signed a 4 year, $44 million dollar deal with the Indiana Pacers.

Both Monta and Baron Davis will always have a place in Warriors history, and true fans will never forget their names, their crazy shots that would somehow go in, their energy, or how they brought Oracle Arena alive and gave everyone in the Bay Area joy for one magical season.

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