"When Jackson asked not to be a captain, I thought it was a good thing, because our young guys need to accept more leadership and it gives Monta Ellis more of a chance to be that guy and grow into that role," coach Don Nelson said.

Ellis, already the face of the franchise, seemingly has finally accepted a role as the team's mouthpiece as well.

Nelson and general manager Larry Riley have consistently asked Ellis to take on a bigger leadership role. On the Warriors' four-game swing through Southern California, the guard took a huge step toward those ends.

Ellis twice during the road trip pulled the team together and preached the importance of "being on the same page" before Nelson entered the locker room for his postgame address.

"He's most definitely making strides as a leader, and I'm very happy to hear him being more vocal and becoming more of the leader that everyone wants him to be," Ronny Turiaf said. "You can really see his growth. He may not know it, but the more vocal he is and the more advice he gives his teammates, the more they're going to want to play for him."

In the past, Ellis has deflected responsibility, saying, "It's not just on the captains. It's on everybody." On Thursday, however, his legislated leadership became genuine.

"Everybody is putting everything on me, so I have to accept it, be a leader and speak up," Ellis said. "That's what coach wants me to do, and that's what I'm going to do. I don't have a problem with carrying that load.

"It's something that I'm getting used to, so it's cool."

Parting shot: Stephen Curry is shooting 31.5 percent from the floor and 22.2 percent from three-point range, a stretch that is hard to explain from one of the country's purest college shooters a year ago. The No. 7 overall pick isn't panicking, and Nelson maintains that Curry's shot will come around.

"His shot always looks like it's coming together," Nelson said. "He's a rookie. He's got a lot to learn. Defenders are different, they're more athletic and they're bigger.

"He'll figure it out."

A small world: The Warriors were already planning on playing small for stretches, but no one saw this coming. Nelson said this week that 6-foot-3, 202-pound Acie Law would get the majority of his minutes at small forward.

"He's a natural there. He's just small," Nelson said. "But I think that's about the only spot I have unless there's an injury or something."

Law is one of five point guards under contract with the Warriors .