Game 11: Celtics @ Pistons, 7:30

[princeofpalace]

Monroe has been steadily improving, on the season, he is now averaging

17 points/10 boards/3 assists/1.5 steals/1 block in 34mpg on 49%FG (still low)

I guess he does just start the season off slowly, he has really looked keyed in the past few games. He definitely has been a bright point and hopefully his efficiency continues to creep back up

As for Maxiel, I think its clear that he's playing for a contract. I certainly wouldnt want Joe to hand him another 4/20 deal, and hope that Joe trades him for a first to get value back. I think Maxiel likely has a lot of value and I dont want Joe D to fall under the trap of resigning him, unless ne can get him back for cheap.

[AnnArborpiston]

I'd also like to see us trade Max for a first rounder and a one year big rental.

Drummond will be ready by the trade deadline to play starters minutes.

Singler should have had 18-20 points last night. Missed a couple of jumpers that will fall once he slows down just a fraction. He looked really rushed on a couple of his pull-ups.

He really is the diamond in the rough for us. This is no JJ 2.0, this is our chance to rectify trading Aflalo and Buddinger before they had a chance to blossom.

Let's hope this rebuild has no quick fix approach, but works with what we have, and slowly develops our own guys so we don't use any of our untested youth as trade fodder.

Knight/Vet PG
Singler/English
Prince/Middleton
Monroe/Max
Drummond/Kravstov

Draft BPA as we still need players at every position.

[Goldtop]

Monroe has been steadily improving, on the season, he is now averaging

17 points/10 boards/3 assists/1.5 steals/1 block in 34mpg on 49%FG (still low)

I guess he does just start the season off slowly, he has really looked keyed in the past few games. He definitely has been a bright point and hopefully his efficiency continues to creep back up

As for Maxiel, I think its clear that he's playing for a contract. I certainly wouldnt want Joe to hand him another 4/20 deal, and hope that Joe trades him for a first to get value back. I think Maxiel likely has a lot of value and I dont want Joe D to fall under the trap of resigning him, unless ne can get him back for cheap.

I just saw this stat on Twitter:

Greg Monroe has an active streak of 102 games of grabbing five-plus rebounds. That's tops in the NBA

btw His FG% is a little low because of those bad games to start the year, where he tried to be Dirk and shoot fade away jumpers all game. Now that he's back to taking mostly high percentage shots inside his % will start going back up above 50.

[Piston Pete]

I hope we don't extend Maxiell.

1) There's no reason to. Monroe should be moving to PF and Jerebko is already locked up as his primary backup. If we need more depth here, we can find guys in the 2nd round to produce similarly to Maxiell for a fraction of the price.

2) He's not young enough to grow with this core.

3) Best-case scenario would be us trading him to a contender this season for a scrub expiring and a pick.

[princeofpalace]

^
I would rather not keep Jerebko. I loved him his rookie year but he's been a dissapointment since then and isn't doing anything that you want your PF to do, such as play defense and rebound or score inside. I wouldn't Max on a cheap 3/10-12 deal but I definately dont want him at 4/20 and I think Joe has a tendancy to overpay so thats why Id rather move him now than risk Joe overpaying him. Maxiel is cearly the better bigman between him and current Jonas Jerebko.

[Piston Pete]

If we can extend Maxiell at a deal less per year than JJ -- AND we can deal JJ away, then I suppose. Otherwise, no need to keep both. It would be a smaller version of signing BG with Rip already here.....

[Cowology]

We go through this every year or every other year with Maxiell, he plays better as a starter but isn't good enough to actually start. Every time we go through this I shout "TRADE HIM NOW" while some fool GM thinks he can help them. Unfortunately that fool GM always turns out to be Dumars and as soon as Maxiell goes back to the bench where he belongs he goes back to sucking.

At this point I'd ride it out though. If somebody actually wants to give up value for him around the deadline that is great, but if not I'm happy letting him simply expire. Just don't bring him back. At any price. Draft a 2nd rounder like others have said.

[Goldtop]

^yeah, you can get energy bigs like Maxiell now in the 2nd round on cheap deals. No need to pay for Maxiell a multi-mil deal.

[Rekindled]

When the shots fall it changes everything...

Yeah I watched the game for a 2nd time and BOS definitely missed a lot of open shots that they're probably used to making. Now, in the end, who cares? A win is a win and everybody has what Frank likes to call "character test" games that feel like automatic losses at times.

The only reason I bring that up is because we saw the Pistons play good defense but it wasn't exactly an above average challenge to their defensive abilities. One of the more common observations I've seen from the team so far this year is their tendency to perhaps hang their heads if they don't get a defensive stop, which affects their offense and really their overall ability to play a good game. They're just a young team and it definitely shows in that aspect.