Pacers start revamp by agreeing to terms with Monta Ellis

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The Indiana Pacers declined hitting the reset button on the organization last summer after Paul Georges gruesome leg injury and Lance Stephensons free agent departure. Stubbornly, team President Larry Bird chugged along with a depleted, injury-ravaged roster that missed out on the postseason and declared afterward that finally it was time to take a different approach to be competitive in a new wave NBA.

The Pacers revamp has already involved David Wests stunning decision to decline a $12 million option to flee for a contender and Roy Hibbert could soon be on the move in a trade. But Bird made another significant, cosmetic change to his roster when he snagged free agent shooting guard Monta Ellis with a four-year, $44 million deal.

Elliss arrival is congruent with the Pacers desire to be an up-tempo, high-scoring team after Indiana spending most of the past three seasons under Coach Frank Vogel as a plodding, deliberate, half-court crew. In a 10-year career through Golden State, Milwaukee and Dallas, Ellis has thrived on running teams and attacks the basket better than most. Ellis has the highest scoring average of any active player to never make an all-star team (19.5 points) and has been on teams that averaged at least 100 points seven times.

The Mavericks were eager to part ways with Ellis as his penchant for tunnel-vision gunning and often surly attitude rubbed wrong many in the organization. But Bird actually loves the scoring outbursts and edge that Ellis will provide for a team that ranked 24th in offense last season and that lost some of its nastiness when Stephenson left. George returned for six games last season and is working diligently to return to his old all-star form. Ellis will take some of the scoring burden off George, having already done the same in Dallas, where he ended Dirk Nowitzkis 15-year run as the teams leading scorer.

Ellis, 29, turned down a larger offer from the Sacramento Kings worth $48 million over four years, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The Kings cleared considerable cap space on Wednesday by making a bold perhaps dangerous salary-dump deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that shipped out Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Nik Stauskas, a future first-round pick and two future pick swaps. The moves were made to possibly reunite Ellis with Rajon Rondo, his back-court mate in Dallas, or Wesley Matthews. The difference in salary couldnt persuade Ellis to take a ride with what currently holds the honor as the leagues most dysfunctional franchise.

An undersized shooting guard at 6-foot-3, Ellis can also make plays for his teammates as a facilitator. Ellis shouldnt have too much trouble playing with a non-traditional point guard in George Hill since he has made a career of sharing the backcourt with ball-dominant guards from Baron Davis to Stephen Curry to Brandon Jennings to Rondo. He opted out of the $8.7 million left on his contract to enter free agency. The Pacers gave Ellis the raise he wanted while meeting his personal and professional needs: The team has a chance to get back into the playoff picture; Indianapolis is about a seven-hour drive from the offseason home Ellis maintains in Memphis; and his wife, Jaukina, plans to attend law school in Indiana.

Our objective entering the free agency period was to place Monta in a position where he can flourish on the court with a playoff team and winning culture, while providing a welcoming community off the court for his young family, Elliss agent, Jeff Fried, said in a statement. Indiana accomplished both of these goals in a meaningful manner.

The Pacers became the first team since Cleveland in 2010-11 to miss the playoffs the season after finishing the conferences best record. They found an identity as a big, physical team that worked inside with Hibbert and West and outside with the dynamic George. That style translated into success as Indiana made back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference finals, where they were unable to defeat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.

The timing of Georges injury couldnt have been worse since it coincided with James leaving the Heat and creating a more wide open path to the Finals. Bird is attempting to start over without tanking but West who will soon turn 35 didnt bother to watch how it all unfolds. West told WTHR.com, We tried it in Indiana a couple of years; I was really, really disappointed when Paul got hurt, but I just felt like the window was slammed shut.

Bird is hopeful that a streaky scorer in Ellis and a healthy George can crack the window open again and run right through it.

Michael Lee is the national basketball writer for The Washington Post.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/07/02/pacers-start-revamp-by-agreeing-to-terms-with-monta-ellis/