Monta Ellis is not the answer at point guard for Blazers

I like Monta Ellis' intensity. I like his jump shot. I like his ball handling. I like that he piles up statistics, pushes tempo and appears to make those around him better.

But I don't like him in a Trail Blazers uniform.

Not now. Not in a seller's market. Not while a potential lockout is coming, or with an asking price that possibly includes Nicolas Batum and Andre Miller.

The Blazers need a point guard. And Ellis became the flavor-of-the-summer Thursday when he was rumored to be headed to Philadelphia, Orlando, Atlanta or Portland.

Mostly, it feels like Ellis' agent is busy pushing misinformation. But on a June afternoon, in a place like Portland, this qualifies as a reason to talk about the Blazers' No. 1 area of concern.

"Who will play point guard?" becomes the question around here.

I recently talked with a league general manager who told me that the Blazers' roster is interesting in trade talks because it includes Miller's expiring deal, Marcus Camby's expiring contract, and players such as Rudy Fernandez and Batum who don't make much but can still produce.