Saltzman Says...Who do you want for Monta Ellis?

Let's play the ever popular, WHAT IF GAME??

We all think tomorrow will be better than today.  It's the life of a sports fan.  Every trade proposal is viewed solely from your team's perspective.  Of course it can be pointless, but fan is short for fanatic, so why not do things that make little sense once in a while.

Monta Ellis is a 6'3" shooting guard who would be best served as the deadliest 6th man in basketball history with his combination of speed and scoring ability.

Which of these 5 trades makes the most sense for BOTH teams and is the most likely to ACTUALLY happen.

Remember, with Jerry West and Bob Myers running the Warriors now, we might actually do this:

1. Trade Scenario #1
Trade Monta Ellis to Philadelphia for Andre Iguodala
Reason for Philly - With Evan Turner, the 76ers have their shooting guard of the future, but tagging him with Ellis means that they finally have a closer at the end of games.  They couldn't score in the 4th quarter in the post season this past year, and Ellis can be the guy that gets them over the hump.

2. Trade Scenario #2
Trade Monta Ellis to Chicago for Luol Deng
Reason for Chicago - The Bulls have a very good defensive system and great team defense.  Despite Deng's value on defense, the team can make up for his loss on that end, to get what they've been missing since Ben Gordon signed with Detroit.  Gordon could light up the scoreboard, and that is what Ellis can bring to a Bulls team on the cusp of a Finals appearance this year.

3. Trade Scenario #3
Trade Monta Ellis to Memphis for Rudy Gay
Reason for Memphis: The Grizzlies proved two things in the playoffs.  If they re-sign Marc Gasol, they have a team they can build around Zach Randolph and Gasol.  If they re-sign Gasol, they might need to clear some money.  Moving Gay and possibly O.J. Mayo in separate deals could clear enough space to sign Gasol and bring in a replacement for Mayo in Ellis.  Ellis is what they want from Mayo, which is a dominant offensive presence.

4. Trade Scenario #4
Trade Monta Ellis to Portland for Brandon Roy
Reason for Trailblazers:  Brandon Roy's knees are to the point where he may never play again.  With Greg Oden and Roy, the team has 2 pairs of knees that are keeping the Blazers from succeeding in the post-season.  Ellis is a sure thing at this point for 20 PPG, and adding Ellis would allow the Blazers to build around LaMarcus Aldridge instead of Roy.

Saltzman Says...With Bob Myers as our new Asst. GM, Roy is an intriguing option considering he is his former agent.  If anyone knows Roy's health status, it's Myers.  If we can bring in one of the best players in the NBA, who is a 6'6 guard we can team with Curry, it might be worth the health risk.  Worst case scenario is we can clear the money to bring in a big name free agent big to build our team around.

Saltzman Says...Warriors can learn from playoffs

Here's hoping every Warrior player and front office member is watching every second of the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder's series in round two of the Western Conference semi-finals.  The Western Conference has always been loaded with talented players and teams, specifically big men, and this series shows how close and yet how far the Warriors really are.

As important as it is to have a Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook or a Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol to run your team through, it is as critical to have a Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison or Thabo Sefolosha, as well as a Tony Allen, Shane Battier and Darrell Arthur.  Those six role players have been monumental defensively.  They have helped their teams not only to get to the second round, but also in scaring the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks who are battling for the right to play them.  Also not to be forgotten are roles of players like Eric Maynor and Greivis Vasquez who have been outstanding running the point for the 2nd unit.  Perkins, Collison, Sefolosha and Maynor have helped the Thunder become one of the best all-around teams in basketball.  Allen, Battier, Arthur and Vazquez have done the same for the Grizzlies.

The 2011-12 Warriors will only be as good as the team they build.  Hopefully with Bob Myers hired as the assistant GM to Larry Riley, the Warriors will be more active in bringing in the right pieces to be a playoff basketball team every year.

Will the hiring of Bob Myers be the change that leads to smarter personnel decisions?