Former NBA guard Monta Ellis makes a claim that the Golden State Warriors would achieve similar success if he had replaced Stephen Curry. In the discussion reported by outlets, Ellis points to his own scoring ability while arguing that the team’s output would not have changed as much as some people might expect.
Former NBA player Jeff Teague, who played with Ellis on the Indiana Pacers during the 2016–17 season, publicly reacts to the statement and strongly disagrees. Teague’s response, as characterized by both reports, is skeptical and suggests Ellis’s assertion is unrealistic. The two articles frame the comments as controversial and focus on Teague’s “under the bus” reaction, reflecting different ways of describing the same basic disagreement. Both sources attribute Ellis’s original remark to an interview or comments made on Sunday, and both present Teague as dismissing the idea that Ellis could have matched Curry’s impact in Golden State.
The reports do not indicate that any teams or leagues have responded to the remarks; the controversy centers on former players evaluating hypothetical lineup outcomes and player impact.
