Monta Ellis tried. Really, he did. As hard as anyone possibly could.
But even Ellis, perhaps one of the toughest 10 players to guard one-on-one in the NBA, couldn't snap the most dubious All-Star streak in the league. Which means the Warriors just went the decade without an All-Star, putting them on an island in that regard.
As the rest of the league parties on next weekend in Dallas, the Warriors are wallowing once again, struggling to elevate in the West. They're still trying to find an identity just three years removed from a shocking playoff run and are desperately on a star search to give them some much-needed credibility.
For the moment, let's just focus on the star search. It's not that the Warriors went dry on very good players in the decade, and Ellis would've raised few eyebrows had he made the game. But the lack of a true star just symbolizes the plight of the Warriors. For comparison's sake, Oklahoma City has had more All-Stars this decade, and OKC just got a basketball team like, yesterday.
Who else has been better? The Bucks, Clippers and Knicks have all had more All-Stars. And when Derrick Rose became the first All-Star in Chicago since you-know-who, even the Bulls -- dreadful as they've been since their dynasty ended -- moved past the Warriors.
Their last All-Star was Latrell Sprewell in 1997, which is nothing to gloat about, given how Spree's time in Golden State ended so unceremoniously. Before Spree, the Warriors must go back to Chris Mullin to find their All-Star.
That's too bad for the Warriors, and especially for Ellis, whose superb season is developing well under the radar. He's been playing hurt for stretches, and yet is seeing major minutes, often going no more than two minutes in games without rest. He had 46 points on Wednesday in Dallas, just as Chauncey Billups was deservedly being named an All-Star replacement for Chris Paul.
While Ellis is on a scoring binge, he's still turnover-prone (seven against Dallas) and is looking for his shot first. On almost any other team, Ellis would have to be more of a distributor, but on the Warriors, anything goes.
A case could be made for the Warriors making a push to trade Ellis, who'll never have higher value than now. The point guard spot would be in good hands with rookie Stephen Curry and the Warriors could begin rebuilding in earnest. Eventually, the losing will take its toll on Ellis, and there's no love lost between him and the organization from last season's scooter incident.
Or they can keep him around for next season and hope he finally gives the Warriors something they need: a genuine, NBA-certified star.
Jerry Colangelo, the boss of USA Basketball, will announce a new national roster next week, and you can expect two names in particular: Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant. They're almost slam dunks to join and give the Olympic team an infusion of new blood.
Even better, Colangelo expects most (if not all) members of the core group from the Beijing Games to re-affirm their commitments to train this summer in preparation for the World Championships in Turkey.
"It's a very positive situation we're in," Colangelo said.
The tricky part is the free agency period, which begins July 1, and if LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and others will be available to train before they sign. Colangelo expects those A-list free agents will have their business in order well before the team embarks on a pre-World Championships tour of Europe in early August.
Kevin Durant, Thunder: 40 minutes, 16-for-21 shooting, 11 rebounds, 45 points against the Warriors.
Tough call here; Andre Miller went for 52 against the Mavericks and compiled that many points while making only a single 3-point shot. But that was clearly an aberration for Miller, who's not a 52-point guy. What Durant is doing is epic, at least for this season.
He's gone 23 straight games with 25 or more points as he bears down on the scoring title. I can't tell whether Durant is the next Gervin or the next T-Mac ... maybe he's a hybrid. The guy gets points a variety of ways, which only makes him that much tougher to defend. Essentially, if his outside shot isn't working, he can still get 30 points by going to the line or the rim.
The only question is whether Durant can give LeBron a run for MVP. That will depend on what Oklahoma City does, along with Durant, in the final few months. But just by raising the possibility of Durant as MVP -- and he's not even in the prime of his career -- says plenty about his quick start.
Mike Bibby, Hawks: 24 minutes, 1-for-5 shooting, three assists, four fouls, four points against the Clippers.
The Hawks are going more with sixth man Jamal Crawford and less with Bibby, who is looking older and slower. He still starts at point guard but the ball-handling chores mainly belong to Joe Johnson and Crawford, who's getting starter's minutes and is on the floor in the fourth.
Bibby is one of the league's least-productive starting point guards, in terms of playing time and numbers. Only Derek Fisher, Jrue Holliday and Rafer Alston are averaging fewer assists among starters. And Bibby was never a great defender. If he's not hitting his outside shot (he's shooting 40 percent) then he's usually a liability on the floor. He rarely beats his man off the dribble for layups.
The Hawks gave him a three-year contract last summer at reasonable money (roughly $6 million a season) believing he could hold the starting role for at least two of those seasons. But as a possible title contender, they're hesitant to give his minutes to mistake-prone rookie Jeff Teague. Bibby turns 32 in May and they might need to find his replacement this summer.
Whatever happened to these guys, who once had decent roles and/or futures in the league?
Jason Kapono, Sixers: Solid shooter in Miami who led the league in 3-point shooting as recently as 2006-07 and won the 3-Point Contest in 2008. At one point, he was the most accurate 3-point shooter in league history. He landed a decent free agent contract with Toronto, was then traded for Reggie Evans, and now is wasting away on the Sixers' bench.
Marquis Daniels, Celtics: Was a good enough role player with the Mavericks to sign a six-year, $38 million contract, but has lost his way since, in Indiana and now Boston, where he's been out since early December with a thumb injury.
T.J. Ford, Pacers: Coach Jim O'Brien has lost faith in Ford, who's on the trading block. At one point, he was supposed to be the savior at point guard in the wake of Jamaal Tinsley's troubles, but now his future is elsewhere.
Brandon Bass, Magic: Was hailed as one of Orlando's top off-season pick-ups but is mostly sitting. He did get 17 points the other night against the Knicks in a rare sighting, but the Magic are using Ryan Anderson instead.
DeShawn Stevenson, Wizards: He's just been replaced in the starting lineup, and anyway, his minutes and importance to the Wizards were down. When all's said and done, he might be best remembered for being called out by Jay-Z in a rap song.
Ronny Turiaf, Warriors: He took the money and ran from the Lakers, and his timing was terrible, because the Lakers won the title the very next year. Meanwhile, Turiaf is still getting the same playing time in Golden State as he had with the Lakers. And losing a lot more games.
Kyle Korver, Jazz: Strictly a 3-point shooter who was useful in Philly and Utah, Korver has seen his minutes decrease as Utah is giving a look to Ronnie Brewer, Wesley Matthews and C.J. Miles at the swing positions.
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