Portland: To this point, your only reasoning behind Jennings, Johnson, and Melo working together (and to an extent Bynum) is that you believe they can coexist like the Celtics Big Three. Could you explain further what characteristics these players have that can compare with Allen, Pierce, and Garnett? Jennings is only 23-years old and has repeatedly been in the doghouse for poor shot selection and not playing conductive team basketball - what is there to lead me to believe he'll suddenly start making the proper sacrifices at this early stage in his career? Last year Johnson was put in a position where he did not need to be a focal point of offense, yet he only took one less field goal attempt per game - what is there to lead me to believe Johnson will sacrifice any more than he did in Brooklyn? Melo has consistently demanded to be the alpha dog, and even when playing alongside Melo, he still chucked up as many shots as other years - what is there to lead me to believe Melo will make a sacrifice?
Minnesota: Earlier you said that Monta will be a better, more efficient offensive player when he doesn't have to be the primary offensive option, and you point to his earlier seasons where he shot 45-48%. However, I'd like to point out that during those "We Believe" seasons, the Warriors had excellent floor spacing with numerous perimeter threats. Ellis had the space to make cuts and slash into the paint for higher percentage buckets. Thus, for Ellis to really be the more efficient player you want him to be, you would have to put him alongside Chalmers and Korver - at that point, you would be severely compromising the stellar defense your team depends on. How will this team compensate for the fact that its most effective lineups will be very one-sided, either on the offensive or defensive end?