Monroe/Portland mutual interest

[Rastapopoulos]

Lopez was good but his lack of mobility killed the Blazers in any pick-n-roll situation....and that play is run just a few times a game.

Question: have you seen Monroe move? I'll give you a hint: he's not exactly nimble.

 

[ThugginPaulyGAllen]

If Monroe's so fucking amazing, why are the Pistons letting him walk? For NOTHING? Like, not even TRYING to get him to stay?

If Monroe's so fucking amazing, why are the Pistons letting him walk? For NOTHING? Like, not even TRYING to get him to stay?

Monroe's best position is center.

THey have one by the name of Andre Drummond, ring a bell?

 

[ThugginPaulyGAllen]

Question: have you seen Monroe move? I'll give you a hint: he's not exactly nimble.

Yet, he is still a top notch PnR defender, but his movement sucks?

Uh, ok.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I don't know about you, but I actually liked having a halfway decent defense. I get depressed by a constant stream of layups by the other team. But we've lost Batum, and it looks likely we'll lose RoLo and Wes. So we have shitty perimeter D and no shotblockers. This could get ugly.

 

[Scalma]

Leonard is a hybrid. On defense you can put him on a center but offensively he's not someone you put in the post. At least not right now. He can play with Monroe.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Dude. Lopez was absolute shit against Memphis. Which is why Leonard played so much in the series. You're talking about Monroe being super slow, but rolo isn't exactly usain bolt. He is slow too

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Question: have you seen Monroe move? I'll give you a hint: he's not exactly nimble.

Have you seen him play? Ever?

 

[Scalma]

And Monroe might not be that agile but he can run. Great passer too

 

[Rhal]

So you only want to find a PF that's as good as Aldridge for a replacement? Good luck!

Yes because thats what I said. Im shocked you want to have a hot take then actually add something indepth to the conversation
My problem with Monroe, and its pretty easy to see from my last post, is his atrocious D. If were paying 15m to a player that player better not be a - on the D end unless he is so damn good on the offensive end that he essentially makes up for it.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

When did mixup come back to the board (with spelling and grammatical skills)?

 

[ThugginPaulyGAllen]

Really. Mr. Molasses is good at pick and roll defense? I'll believe it when I see it.

"He’ll never be a rim protector, but opposing ball handlers are shooting just 38.5 percent on pick-and-rolls in which Monroe’s man is the screener — a strong number, per Synergy."

"Combining the pick and roll ball handler and pick and roll roll man evens the scales slightly. On a total of 266 possessions Monroe has allowed 0.733 points per possession. Asik, defending 287 such possessions, allows a higher success rate at 0.864. The big area where Monroe makes the difference is turnovers; Monroe has forced 53 turnovers in 266 possessions (19.9%) while Asik has forced just 34 (11.8%)."

There ya go, champ

 

[Rastapopoulos]

THey have one by the name of Andre Drummond, ring a bell?

If Monroe was so awesome they could have Drummond (who is about the same size and athleticism as Anthony Davis) play PF. But then they would have a center in Monroe who can't block shots. That is: if Monroe was as good as you're saying, they'd make it work. The fact is, they don't think he's worth the money. He's a dinosaur.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Link a video of RoLo stealing the ball from a guard at the 3 point line and going in for a dunk, please. I think there might be one but I haven't seen it.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

"He’ll never be a rim protector, but opposing ball handlers are shooting just 38.5 percent on pick-and-rolls in which Monroe’s man is the screener — a strong number, per Synergy."

"Combining the pick and roll ball handler and pick and roll roll man evens the scales slightly. On a total of 266 possessions Monroe has allowed 0.733 points per possession. Asik, defending 287 such possessions, allows a higher success rate at 0.864. The big area where Monroe makes the difference is turnovers; Monroe has forced 53 turnovers in 266 possessions (19.9%) while Asik has forced just 34 (11.8%)."

There ya go, champ

Sometimes, you just gotta let it go. It's clear that no mountain of evidence and reason will sway this incorrect assessment of Monroe.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

"He’ll never be a rim protector, but opposing ball handlers are shooting just 38.5 percent on pick-and-rolls in which Monroe’s man is the screener — a strong number, per Synergy."

"Combining the pick and roll ball handler and pick and roll roll man evens the scales slightly. On a total of 266 possessions Monroe has allowed 0.733 points per possession. Asik, defending 287 such possessions, allows a higher success rate at 0.864. The big area where Monroe makes the difference is turnovers; Monroe has forced 53 turnovers in 266 possessions (19.9%) while Asik has forced just 34 (11.8%)."

There ya go, champ

Video or it didn't happen.
Besides, champ, this comparison does not show that Monroe > Asik unless they're using the exact same schemes or employing the same strategy. To say "Monroe has allowed..." makes it sound like they're playing 2 on 2, which is, of course, false. This season Zaza Pachulia has looked amazing in the defensive stats, but so has everyone on the Bucks because of the unique style of defense they've been using. I highly doubt that if you took them out of that system they'd put up comparable stats.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Sometimes, you just gotta let it go. It's clear that no mountain of evidence and reason will sway this incorrect assessment of Monroe.

All of the articles about Monroe's defense say things like "he's really not that bad!" In other words, the bar has been set so low that mediocrity looks great in comparison.

 

[oldmangrouch]

I don't like that monroe wants a short deal

Either being cautious because of his bad experience in Detroit - or very confident that with a fresh start he can increase his value.

 

[ThugginPaulyGAllen]

Video or it didn't happen.
Besides, champ, this comparison does not show that Monroe > Asik unless they're using the exact same schemes or employing the same strategy. To say "Monroe has allowed..." makes it sound like they're playing 2 on 2, which is, of course, false. This season Zaza Pachulia has looked amazing in the defensive stats, but so has everyone on the Bucks because of the unique style of defense they've been using. I highly doubt that if you took them out of that system they'd put up comparable stats.

I guess Asik just lets people score on him on the PnR on purpose, my bad.

Good defensive scheme - "Hey guys, let the ball handler score on you."

I'ma take BG's advice and just let this go. You're clearly still nuclear from the other day, have you completely turned your back on Olshey yet?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Is this part of the "mountain of evidence"?

Consider Monroe's game beyond production. On offense he is tethered to the paint and the post, the only spaces on the floor from which he can score. He's reasonably effective in those immediate areas but not overwhelmingly so; Monroe isn't primed to be an offensive hub, as his so-so efficiency would only wilt with higher usage. Without the ball, though, Monroe is reliant on cuts and screens to make himself useful, as he poses no threat whatsoever when straying from his comfort zone. Opponents are wise to this fact, encouraged by Monroe's four seasons of inaccurate mid-range shooting. In his best shooting season (2011-12) to date, per basketball-reference.com, Monroe made just 31 percent of his jumpers. Last year he made just 27 percent. Such lowly percentages are made all the more sobering by the fact that Monroe's attempts are so often uncontested -- marking his non-improvement on such shots as a reason for long-term concern.
Defensively, Monroe is big enough to get in the way of opposing scorers but blocks shots at the same rate as Mike Dunleavy. A rim protector he is not; Monroe has neither the feel for coverage nor the vertical lift to really challenge opponents at the basket, making it all the more important that he be flanked by a player who can. At the same time, Monroe's minutes at power forward have illustrated his troubles in recovering out to perimeter threats. The further an opponent strays from the paint the more pressure it puts on Monroe's lumbering recovery. He does his part to chase out to the three-point line when necessary, though rarely does so quickly enough or with enough balance to help steady his team's defense. Monroe is stuck between, in a sense: Not quick enough to hang with most opponents stationed outside and not imposing enough to help anchor a top defense inside

 

[e_blazer]

If the finals teaches us anything, that doesn't involve a big plodding low post scorer.

Both finals teams had big, plodding low post centers and wouldn't have made the finals without them. Kerr, rightly thought the Warriors had an advantage over the Cavs by playing small ball. Blatt, wrongly, thought the Cavs could beat them at that game. It was just match ups that dictated the big guys sitting at the end of the series.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I guess Asik just lets people score on him on the PnR on purpose, my bad.

Come on: if a player is a good defender, you let him guard people on his own. If he isn't, you send help. So good defenders can sometimes look worse just because they're not getting help. Also, some schemes are more susceptible to being pick'n'rolled, some sag back. It is a well-acknowledged fact that defensive stats are very poor indicators of individuals' defensive abilities.

I'ma take BG's advice and just let this go. You're clearly still nuclear from the other day, have you completely turned your back on Olshey yet?

Oh no, he's clearly proven himself to be an excellent talent evaluator recently, what with Thomas Robinson, Chris Kaman and Arron Afflalo panning out so well.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Both finals teams had big, plodding low post centers and wouldn't have made the finals without them. Kerr, rightly thought the Warriors had an advantage over the Cavs by playing small ball. Blatt, wrongly, thought the Cavs could beat them at that game. It was just match ups that dictated the big guys sitting at the end of the series.

Okay, big plodding low-post centers who don't block shots are dinosaurs.

 

[Draco]

If Monroe's so fucking amazing, why are the Pistons letting him walk? For NOTHING? Like, not even TRYING to get him to stay?

They are trying to keep him; they've already said they will pay him the max. He wants to try to go to a team thats won more.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I feel weird reading about Monroe's lack of speed and agility when we've gone through two seasons of RoLo. I love me some RoLo, but I fail to see how Monroe isn't an all-around upgrade.

I think RoLo's playoff performances these past two seasons sealed his fate.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

How is Monroe much different from Al Jefferson?

 

[Draco]

Okay, big plodding low-post centers who don't block shots are dinosaurs.

He's not a plodding center.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

They are trying to keep him; they've already said they will pay him the max. He wants to try to go to a team thats won more.

Funny. Maybe if he'd helped more the Pistons WOULD have won more.

 

[Draco]

How is Monroe much different from Al Jefferson?

Thats a pretty good comparison. Al Jefferson would be a great rotational player for most NBA teams.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Some of you dudes just need something to complain about. You bitch about us needing to get younger, guard a pick and roll and needing a low post offensive force. Then when we are rumoredto be meeting someone who does just that, more complaints happen about something else. It's like nobody can ever win

 

[oldmangrouch]

Serious question:

Can anybody name an available center they would actually be *excited* about getting? By consensus, Gasol is the best of the bunch and even he has holes in his game.