Greg Monroe

[FKF]

Pistons fans,

I hope times aren't too bad for you at the moment. As a long time NYK fan, I've been through many losing seasons and understand how this may feel. The NBA needs a good Detroit team,

I wonder what is your take on Greg Monroe.
The guy to me is a top 10 NBA center. He plays solid, smart, and is overall a complete player. He is a good kid who came out from a worldwide known program such as G-Town and should definitely become elite, perhaps top 5 or top 3 center in the NBA.

However, I was shocked to see he did not receive one single vote for all NBA Third team, while guys like Asik, Vucevic, Pekovic or JJ Hickson received votes.

I wonder why is he still under the radar while he should have been a top 3 pick in the 2010 draft, or even top pick. What did you like and dislike from him this past season? How do you see him fit within this league the next few years and him being a free agent in 2014, how confident are you that he will elevate the Pistons and bring them back as playoff contenders once he gets a better supporting cast, especially in the backcourt?

[Phenomenonsense]

I happen to believe a lot of Mornoe's problems come from how the offense is run. For Monroe, I'd say the biggest gripe Piston's fans will come down to one of two things: lack of athletic ability (which affects his defense by large amount) and his turnovers. Like I said earlier, I believe that latter issue is mostly brought about by how often we give Monroe the ball in the mid-high post, and then have the strong side guard/forward run up the 3pt line and around Monroe from his back. It's literally countless how many times I've seen it over the last two years. It's bad recognition on the coaching staff as to what Monroe's weakness is on offense (watching the strong show of guards) and just poor play planning in general in my opinion.

Defensively, and by that I mean athletically, Monroe is best suited for guarding people like Randolph, M.Gasol, etc. People that are big bodies, but that don't jump over people. Monroe is good in post defense, he really is. He has quick hands and makes people in the post uncomfortable. He cannot guard a LMA to save his life. He does not have the athletic ability to even CHALLENGE a jump shot without giving up a wide open lane. He just isn't athletic enough to actually block a jumpshot, nor is he athletic enough to recover. I'm predicting a lot of cross matchups for Monroe and Drummond together on the defensive end.

Monroe's defensive intensity and effort has gone down since his first year here as well. He used to be very good at hedging screens and recovering, and I've seen more lazy/missed hedges this last year than I would like to have seen.

As for the positives and what he brings to our team as an "elevator" of talent, I think there are a few things he brings. First of all he is a very high character, and I believe he is a budding leader. He is a better passer than Marc Gasol in my humble opinion, even though I do love Marc. He makes anyone who cuts to the rim a defensive liability, though we don't post him up and have people cut through nearly enough. He makes passes that no one on the court expects, even his own players. There have been so many bobbled passes that were perfectly executed, but the player never expected it to come, which unfortunately adds to his turnovers.

I think that he really needs to develop his mid range shot for the future of this team. I think that if he has that, he will be unstoppable in the post and on the drive. He is a great player that does a lot of work on the block even though we STRUGGLE to space the floor. (Most of the years he was here Knight-Stuckey-Prince-Maxiell does NOTHING to bring defenses out of the paint.)I think a good system, a la GPops/Triange, would do Monroe wonders for allowing him to elevate his game and his teammates games to the next level. I think that we need someone that is a 3 'n D player on the wings who is of starter quality. I think that Knight is terrible, but if we put him in the Triangle he can sit out there and Knock down 3's like Fisher.

Why is Monroe snubbed? It's very simple: Detroit players get no respect. Monroe bangs down low so often and gets ZERO fouls called on his shots in some games (even though he needs to bring his %FTs back up.) Monroe was not on the All Rookie First Team. Drummond is not on the All Rookie First Team. Monroe was not even invited to USA camp until this year's pre-camp. We're snubbed. We're used to it. Most Piston's fans aren't even surprised by it anymore.

[rmfc]

^ Fantastic post.

[Collymore]

Monroe might get a foul or two called if he stops his "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh" everytime he's within 3 feet of the rim.

[Phenomenonsense]

Monroe might get a foul or two called if he stops his "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh" everytime he's within 3 feet of the rim.

True that.

[Brapman]

When the team's perimeter shooting is shored up (Knight, MIddleton and Singler ARE going to be outstanding and reliable 3 pt shooters, but they are not close to being as good as they'll become in this area in time - and I expect the Pistons will add other rookies and veterans who space the court), when Drummond improves as an offensive low post threat (as he inevitably will), and when the team starts getting a bit older and more experienced (inevitable, kind of a law of physics, in time, all things get older!), Monroe will really start to shine as a player.

Even if Greg's skills never improved, as the team around him gets better, his passing skills which truly are outstanding, will really start to shine.

But Monroe's skills WILL improve. All hardworking players skills improve over the years. Greg's become a great low post player - he's starting to look more and more like an Al Jefferson low post skill level. His mid-range shot did look better this year, and that will continue to improve. Within a couple more seasons, it will likely be an automatic shot for him, and when that does, he'll be impossible to guard, because he's great at beating big men off the dribble.

He's also a high character guy, and is developing into a true leader. He has all the hallmarks of a true all-star caliber player. As the Pistons improve as a team, he'll be recognized as such. HIs inclusion as a consideration for Team USA is evidence of the growing respect he's getting around the league. And his partnership with Drummond is going to be HUGE.

Talk about trading this guy is about as misplaced as anything I've ever read from Detroit sports fans. I'm shocked that some sportswriters in this town have also suggested that.

[ImHeisenberg]

Greg is a top 10 center, but the league isn't very deep at that position right now.

He's maybe the third best player on a championship team. If he can knock down the mid-range jumper with better accuracy, he can easily average 20 PPG next season.

Also, Detroit are moving him to power forward next year, so he won't be generally considered a center anymore.

It doesn't bother me that he didn't get an all NBA vote. His defense was horrendous, and he had some big shooting slumps throughout the season.

[Brapman]

Greg is a top 10 center, but the league isn't very deep at that position right now.

He's maybe the third best player on a championship team. If he can knock down the mid-range jumper with better accuracy, he can easily average 20 PPG next season.

Also, Detroit are moving him to power forward next year, so he won't be generally considered a center anymore.

It doesn't bother me that he didn't get an all NBA vote. His defense was horrendous, and he had some big shooting slumps throughout the season.

No question - he didn't deserve all-NBA status this past season. But I saw major improvement in his offensive game last season over the season before. I'm liking his trajectory very much.

[ImHeisenberg]

It's debatable. He regressed in his shooting %, but he was finally the focal point of the offense. So, there's a trade-off there. Also, yes, very little reliable perimeter scoring, so the opposing defenses just mobbed him when he caught it in the post and forced him to take a hard shot, or make a difficult pass.

To a certain degree, he was a victim of his bad team and a worse coach. Team's were able to exploit his weaknesses, where his team couldn't cover them, as he was trying his best to cover all of theirs.

[Brapman]

Yeah there were times he stuggled. But the Pistons asked him to do much more than they had in seasons past.

He's learning under fire. But I think he came through the season really well. He'd worked hard on his mid-range game last offseason, but started off the season by hesitating on those shots and shooting a lousy percentage when he did take them. By the end of the season, I saw him doing a lot better with that shot.

Learning to take and hit that shot in the live fire of an NBA game is different than anything you can simulate on your own or in practice. That Greg didn't lose all his confidence and was able to recover and do better by the end of the season, was a victory, IMO.

Same thing with his hub game, I think. That's just something that will get a lot better (and it's already pretty strong) with time, reps and as the very young team around him improves.

That all said, with a new coach and new system, I see the Pistons getting off to a creaky start next season. If we go to the triangle, the learning process could take significantly longer - perhaps lasting for the entire season.

[dVs33]

Monroe was the only player we could actually rely on last season. Knight had big games and so did a few others, but their inconsistency meant defenses could clamp down on monroe and he had to battle that with out much help at all. He started with maxiell for christ sake.

Once drummond gets to a point where he can contribute at a high level for big minutes, we'll see monroe shine big time. Monroes passing abilities next to a guy that can finish like drummond will be a beautiful thing to watch. Also Drummonds presence in the paint will help cover monroes lack of athletic ability.
i have very high hopes for those 2 next season.
Also if knight can be more consistent he'll be able to space the floor for the two bigs.

Basically Monroe is further along his development than the other young guys and he's having to carry them. Once they contribute monroe will flourish.

[rgt584]

to me he is one of the top or top players on the pistons team, with brandon knight being there also...also he has some good competition too...hibbert, both gasols, howard, bynum, horford, jefferson, duncan, noah, lopez and others...he is however underrated by the media tho i agree...espn, abc, tnt usually go for the spurs, thunder, heat and lakers and other teams...i think detroit doesnt do heavy marketing for the team like other nba teams also...i live in san antonio, and for a small market team like the spurs, they have huge marketing campaigns for them...so i think that has a lot to do with it maybe...even when pistons have won championships there was not a lot of fanfare neither...overall tho monroe to me could be one of the best in the future..

[rmfc]

Monroe might get a foul or two called if he stops his "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh" everytime he's within 3 feet of the rim.

[Piston Pete]

"AANNNNDD ONE!!!!"

[Han Solo]

Monroe reminds me of Zach Randolph. I'm part of the minority on here regarding Monroe.

I view him as a center and we have a potential superstar in Drummond who is also a center.

I would like to see him dealt because he would net a nice return and the timing is right.

Detroit needs to build an uptempo team around Drummond. We need shooters and a decent PG.

We would get a ton back in a Monroe trade right now. He's also getting close to a significant raise.

I like Monroe, I'll be fine if he stays. Just think sometimes you have to trade a talented player to build the team you want.

[Phenomenonsense]

Monroe reminds me of Zach Randolph. I'm part of the minority on here regarding Monroe.

I view him as a center and we have a potential superstar in Drummond who is also a center.

I would like to see him dealt because he would net a nice return and the timing is right.

Detroit needs to build an uptempo team around Drummond. We need shooters and a decent PG.

We would get a ton back in a Monroe trade right now. He's also getting close to a significant raise.

I like Monroe, I'll be fine if he stays. Just think sometimes you have to trade a talented player to build the team you want.

While I would never be opposed to trading a player on our team for any deal that we win outright, as we don't have Lebron so there is always a deal that can be a win for us potentially, I don't see any way to get the value back for Monroe that is there considering his contract. I would never say I would LIKE to see him dealt, but I would entertain any offers. If I'm trading Monroe, I'm trading him at the value of the BEST center in the NBA, regardless of Monroe's actual value. If I don't get that kind of value in return, I don't see the benefit of trading him.

Monroe has been a staple in our front office over the past few months. He was in the war room through the second round of the draft, he was part of the reason we picked up Drummond, though I'm sure it would've happened even without his input. When you have a player that active, and that close to the chest, you can't trade him without ramifications throughout the entire team. Everything that we have told Monroe leading to that point comes into question, and I assume the things said behind closed doors were similar to "untradeable" until Drummond entered the picture. How important is the mutual feeling of trust for Drummond? What would the impact be on him if Monroe was traded? How safe does Drummond feel with Joe D's words/promises? And how much obligation/desire does he have to stay in an organization that trades away someone like Monroe?

I know it's a business, but for someone Drummond's age, with his personality, it's far more personal. This is a family to him, and we can't disrupt that if we want to maximize his potential, and keep him on our team in the future. Monroe's eventual max contract, however overpriced that is for Monroe alone, is more than worth it to keep Drummond happy and progressing.

Also Hi Mario.

[FKF]

Thanks Phenomenonsense for these great interesting posts.

[Han Solo]

Monroe reminds me of Zach Randolph. I'm part of the minority on here regarding Monroe.

I view him as a center and we have a potential superstar in Drummond who is also a center.

I would like to see him dealt because he would net a nice return and the timing is right.

Detroit needs to build an uptempo team around Drummond. We need shooters and a decent PG.

We would get a ton back in a Monroe trade right now. He's also getting close to a significant raise.

I like Monroe, I'll be fine if he stays. Just think sometimes you have to trade a talented player to build the team you want.

While I would never be opposed to trading a player on our team for any deal that we win outright, as we don't have Lebron so there is always a deal that can be a win for us potentially, I don't see any way to get the value back for Monroe that is there considering his contract. I would never say I would LIKE to see him dealt, but I would entertain any offers. If I'm trading Monroe, I'm trading him at the value of the BEST center in the NBA, regardless of Monroe's actual value. If I don't get that kind of value in return, I don't see the benefit of trading him.

Monroe has been a staple in our front office over the past few months. He was in the war room through the second round of the draft, he was part of the reason we picked up Drummond, though I'm sure it would've happened even without his input. When you have a player that active, and that close to the chest, you can't trade him without ramifications throughout the entire team. Everything that we have told Monroe leading to that point comes into question, and I assume the things said behind closed doors were similar to "untradeable" until Drummond entered the picture. How important is the mutual feeling of trust for Drummond? What would the impact be on him if Monroe was traded? How safe does Drummond feel with Joe D's words/promises? And how much obligation/desire does he have to stay in an organization that trades away someone like Monroe?

I know it's a business, but for someone Drummond's age, with his personality, it's far more personal. This is a family to him, and we can't disrupt that if we want to maximize his potential, and keep him on our team in the future. Monroe's eventual max contract, however overpriced that is for Monroe alone, is more than worth it to keep Drummond happy and progressing.

Also Hi Mario.

Haha, what up brother. Good to see you over here.

[Hotmayo]

Monroe reminds me of Zach Randolph. I'm part of the minority on here regarding Monroe.

I view him as a center and we have a potential superstar in Drummond who is also a center.

I would like to see him dealt because he would net a nice return and the timing is right.

Detroit needs to build an uptempo team around Drummond. We need shooters and a decent PG.

We would get a ton back in a Monroe trade right now. He's also getting close to a significant raise.

I like Monroe, I'll be fine if he stays. Just think sometimes you have to trade a talented player to build the team you want.

I couldn't agree more with your post. I have been thinking this way since last year before the season started. When James harden was available in a trade I was telling all my friends that joe d has to trade monroe and knight for harden. I wish it happened, but it didn't, and it's hard to swallow. I think there are some players that greg can be traded for, like kawhi, cousins, paul george, and love. I think it would be best to trade him with his value so high for the right pieces, but at the same time, if land a point guard like Burke, then I would not mind greg at all. I just want him to defensive up his game or Drummond will be getting annoyed of getting his back, getting into foul trouble and what not.

[ComboGuardCity]

Moose is not netting Paul George. In fact Paul George probably has top 3 trade value.