Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry Ready for Heavy Minutes Once Again

PHOENIX -- Heavy minutes aren't normally part of the deal for the number one guy on any given team during the preseason. But the Warriors have done things differently for some time now, and even under new head coach Keith Smart, while some things have changed, others will undoubtedly remain the same.

Monta Ellis logged almost 44 minutes of playing time during his team's 92-87 loss to the Suns on Tuesday, and this came on the second night of a back-to-back, after Ellis logged 36 minutes in Golden State's 100-78 victory on Monday over the Blazers.

Is this something that we can expect to continue during the regular season?

"We don't want that, because he just won't survive," Smart said of Ellis' heavy minutes against the Suns. "Some nights you may have to play 45 minutes on a back-to-back. He's going to be ready to play all the time, so I wanted to give him a push, I wanted to play him a lot of minutes tonight.

"We've got a day off before we start playing again, and some nights you're going to have to try and play because you're close in a game to win it. You've got to make sure these guys can play 45 minutes being fatigued, and this is all part of the training camp."

It was also part of how the Warriors chose to manage their talent last season.

Ellis led the league in minutes per game a year ago, averaging 41.4 in 64 appearances. That included a ridiculous 12 games where he played all 48, and one more where he managed to play 53 -- all of regulation and all of overtime -- while scoring 39 points during a loss to the Nuggets in his team's 40th game of the season.

But he's not exactly bothered by being asked to do more than his fair share.

"That's what I train for," Ellis said, when asked about his excessive preseason minutes. "I've been training like that all my life."

Training or not, that's a lot to ask of one of your team's primary options over the course of the season. But Ellis isn't the only one who might be asked to play some serious minutes this year.

Stephen Curry is entering his second year in the league, and he played quite a bit himself during his rookie season. He was second among rookies in minutes played per game on the season, averaging 36.2, which was good for 31st in the league overall. Tyreke Evans was the only rookie who played more, and he finished at 37.2, just one-per-game ahead of Curry.

For a young star-in-the-making like Curry, however, the minutes are more than welcome. And inspiration seems to be easily found in the example that Ellis was able to set -- both in this preseason contest in Phoenix, and with the way he handled the extensive playing time a season ago.

"You've got to be ready for anything," Curry said, when asked about the team's request of Ellis to play extended minutes. "That's what makes him who he is. If he's willing to play 44 minutes in a preseason game and keep fighting, then I'll be ready for the regular season."

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