Robin Miller
08-28-2008, 01:31 PM
Warriors coping with loss of Ellis
By Marcus Thompson II
Staff writer
08/27/2008 10:15:43 PM PDT
According to a release put out by the Warriors on Wednesday, Ellis sustained
a Grade 3 high ankle sprain, a torn deltoid ligament and disruption of the
ankle syndesmosis (ligaments above the ankle joint). The release said the
surgery was successfully performed Wednesday by Dr. Angus McBride of the
Andrew Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala.
Ellis' ankle will need to be immobilized for six weeks, followed by six
weeks of rehabilitation. At that point, he will be evaluated to see if he
can return to full-contact practice and a date for his return can be
approximated.
Ellis returned to Mississippi after the surgery. He won't come to the Bay
Area until the pain subsides, Mullin said.
Phone calls to Ellis weren't returned.
"(Monta's) cool," Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson said via text message.
"He's upset he won't be there to start camp, but he is strong and I know he
will be all right. I'm not worried."
Ellis' injury is a significant setback to his development as a point guard.
He will miss all of training camp, the exhibition season and at least the
first month of the season. Even when he comes back, it figures he will need
time to get into game shape.
"I don't think it helps, let's not kid ourselves," Mullin said. "It's not a
good thing. But, again, I think Monta's showed over the course of his short
career his toughness and his resiliency and the ability a lot of times to
take some tough situations and make the best of them. This training camp was
going to be an important part for his development, no question."
Marcus Williams, whom the Warriors acquired in a trade from New Jersey in
July, is now the starting point guard. Mullin will visit free-agent point
guard Shaun Livingston in Chicago today - a trip Mullin said was planned a
while ago - but he emphasized that "there will be no panic emergency moves
immediately."
The Warriors lose substantial scoring power with Ellis sidelined. Rookie
forward Anthony Randolph, who can handle the ball, and swingman Kelenna
Azubuike might be called on to help fill the void.
"We talk a lot about our young players and how to develop them/get
production out of them," Mullin said. "With a guy like Monta that's going to
be out, some of those (difficulties in developing young players) go away.
Those guys are going to get some minutes."
Note: The Warriors announced their exhibition schedule Wednesday. It
includes two games against the Milwaukee Bucks in China, in Guangzhou on
Oct. 15 and in Beijing on Oct. 18. The Warriors open the exhibition season
at New Orleans on Oct. 5 and then play at Portland on Oct. 8. Their two
exhibition home games are against Oklahoma City on Oct. 11 and Lietuvos
Rytas (Lithuania) on Oct. 21. Training camp opens Sept. 27.
Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com.
By Marcus Thompson II
Staff writer
08/27/2008 10:15:43 PM PDT
According to a release put out by the Warriors on Wednesday, Ellis sustained
a Grade 3 high ankle sprain, a torn deltoid ligament and disruption of the
ankle syndesmosis (ligaments above the ankle joint). The release said the
surgery was successfully performed Wednesday by Dr. Angus McBride of the
Andrew Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala.
Ellis' ankle will need to be immobilized for six weeks, followed by six
weeks of rehabilitation. At that point, he will be evaluated to see if he
can return to full-contact practice and a date for his return can be
approximated.
Ellis returned to Mississippi after the surgery. He won't come to the Bay
Area until the pain subsides, Mullin said.
Phone calls to Ellis weren't returned.
"(Monta's) cool," Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson said via text message.
"He's upset he won't be there to start camp, but he is strong and I know he
will be all right. I'm not worried."
Ellis' injury is a significant setback to his development as a point guard.
He will miss all of training camp, the exhibition season and at least the
first month of the season. Even when he comes back, it figures he will need
time to get into game shape.
"I don't think it helps, let's not kid ourselves," Mullin said. "It's not a
good thing. But, again, I think Monta's showed over the course of his short
career his toughness and his resiliency and the ability a lot of times to
take some tough situations and make the best of them. This training camp was
going to be an important part for his development, no question."
Marcus Williams, whom the Warriors acquired in a trade from New Jersey in
July, is now the starting point guard. Mullin will visit free-agent point
guard Shaun Livingston in Chicago today - a trip Mullin said was planned a
while ago - but he emphasized that "there will be no panic emergency moves
immediately."
The Warriors lose substantial scoring power with Ellis sidelined. Rookie
forward Anthony Randolph, who can handle the ball, and swingman Kelenna
Azubuike might be called on to help fill the void.
"We talk a lot about our young players and how to develop them/get
production out of them," Mullin said. "With a guy like Monta that's going to
be out, some of those (difficulties in developing young players) go away.
Those guys are going to get some minutes."
Note: The Warriors announced their exhibition schedule Wednesday. It
includes two games against the Milwaukee Bucks in China, in Guangzhou on
Oct. 15 and in Beijing on Oct. 18. The Warriors open the exhibition season
at New Orleans on Oct. 5 and then play at Portland on Oct. 8. Their two
exhibition home games are against Oklahoma City on Oct. 11 and Lietuvos
Rytas (Lithuania) on Oct. 21. Training camp opens Sept. 27.
Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2@bayareanewsgroup.com.