Thomas Campbell – USA Today Sports Images
The Charlotte Bobcats have had a productive off-season in that they’ve made a slew of smart moves, outside of selecting Cody Zeller with the fourth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Bringing in one of the biggest-named free-agents in Al Jefferson, re-signing Josh McRoberts, and ridding themselves of the stench of Tyrus Thomas’ contract have all been positive moves for the rebuilding Bobcats.
Charlotte may not be done making moves, though. According to a report from ESPN’s Chris Broussard, free-agent shooting guard Monta Ellis is set to decide on where he will sign in the next 36-48 hours and the Bobcats are one of the options that he is considering.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer somewhat contended that report, saying that it doesn’t seem that the possibility of Ellis coming to Charlotte is a strong one. However, the fact that the Bobcats in the mix is pretty big news for the franchise.
Ellis is one of the most enigmatic players in the NBA. There’s no denying his abilities as a basketball player and a scorer, but he has never really been able to piece together all of those raw tools to make a complete player. For his career, he has averaged 19.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 45.6 percent shooting and 31.8 percent three-point shooting. That goes along with a lot of sub-par and uninterested defending.
As far as how Ellis would fit in with the Bobcats, it’s really hard to judge. One of the things that the Bobcats really need is outside shooting, but Ellis is far from an elite outside shooter. However, he would give Charlotte another option in terms of scorers and he would be a great improvement from most players that they’ve had at the shooting guard position.
In the end, it would probably be for the best if the Bobcats didn’t end up with Ellis. He doesn’t exactly fit the bill of what they need and would likely come at a higher cost than Charlotte would prefer. If he does agree to sign with the Bobcats, though, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
