Really nice to read the positivity in this thread. Well...from halftime on, anyway.
The change in team culture will take some time but sparks are flying. A fire cannot be far behind. There is just too much talent waiting to be ignited.
Speaking of that, Monk needs to go back to 6th man status. He is an igniter himself, an initiator, a game changer, a shot in the arm (ok, enough). As a starter, those traits don't fit as well as they do when the team need an energy and performance boost at some point in the game. Monk's statistics as a starter and the scoring hole the team finds itself early in some games might be alleviated with Ellis or Carter being utilized to stifle the opponent's offense. And it is not as if Ellis and Carter (projected) are liabilities on offense.
Hopefully, Coach Christie sees this and is not forced to play Malik for reasons unrelated to on-court performance.