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Monta Ellis was a great player. I remember hoping that my Chicago Bulls were going to sign him when there was a lot of chatter about him being moved to a new team. He was a great shooter. By signing this player, that does not put the Mavs in a position to have their "reputation" at risk. The Mavs have had plenty of players with their own issues and there is technically nothing wrong with someone having had a drug problem.
I'm not questioning his skills or how great a player he was. He's guilty of violating the league's anti-drug rules and was suspended. Will they sign that type of player? What if NBA fans found out his history and attacked the team? That's what I was going after when I said "reputation"