Monta Ellis told Payton, "No matter what, even if I have to train 23 hours, I'll give it my all, because that's the only way I can raise the value of my next contract. The cost of Jason's published apology could fund three months of basketball for me, and I'm not playing in the NBA for such a meager contract. Also, I need to become a top star player!"
Gary Payton didn't know why he was once again moved by a player like this, wanting to help Monta Ellis. He felt that kid had guts like Kidd.
But he didn't want to come off as "Hey, I'm just a washed up, easy-to-bully old-timer," so while the Glove pretended to be fierce, he also showed patience with Monta Ellis.
Every day, he'd play one-on-one with Monta Ellis, then throw in some trash talk.
"Your hands are fast, but gambled steals are the dumbest thing in the world, even dumber than Shaq leaving Roger."
"Haven't you ever dealt with women? Playing defense without little tricks is like doing the deed without bringing a gun."
