Trading Ellis was key to Thompson’s growth
Edited transcript of a conversation with Warriors executive board member and Hall of Famer Jerry West:
Q: What did you take out of your first-round matchup with the Pelicans? A: Well, first of all, the Pelicans are a very good team. They have a very good backcourt, but the strength of our team is our backcourt, which is vital to win. This was a good experience because even though you go through a long season, there is nothing like the playoffs. You have to be more clever, you have to be able to go to other options to find a third scorer, and I think that’s what this series proved. I said before the playoffs the key was who was going to be that third scorer. That will be the key going into our second-round matchup. Memphis is a very good team, and if Mike Conley is healthy, they will challenge our backcourt, but they are very good up front. Q: Your Lakers were able to space the floor with great shooting with Gail Goodrich and others. How much does it help the Warriors having (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) to space the floor the way they are able to? A: There’s no question they attract an awful lot of attention. New Orleans tried (its) best to take the ball out of their hands many times. I think you’ll see a greater emphasis on that in this playoff series because this (Memphis) is a great defensive team. They are very physical and they are a great rebounding team. They will try their best to get the pace in their favor, so it’s important for us to get that third scorer to give us that advantage.
Q: The seminal moment for this Warriors team was the (Andrew) Bogut for Monta (Ellis) trade. Not only did you guys get bigger, but you got better defensively, it allowed Steph to be the leader and player he is, it allowed Klay to be the starting “2” guard. I really thought that move really set you guys in motion to where you are now.
A: You are 100 percent correct. Steph needed a new running mate. Trades like that aren’t made unless you have a guy on the other side who is capable of being a terrific player and I think all of us felt Klay had an incredible ability to shoot shots. I think his defensive play has gotten a lot better; we can switch ev- erything with him in there because of his size. But I just think it’s a better fit for Steph. But I remember when this trade was announced and (owner) Joe (Lacob) was being introduced or something at our game and our fans booed him. I called him the next day and I said to him, “Joe, I honestly believe this moment is going to separate us from other teams. You made a very difficult choice to trade a player who is extremely popular, but they don’t know how good Klay will become and how good Andrew is.” It was an incredible moment for us and everything has gone really well for us.