Monroe/Portland mutual interest

[riverman]

And the Spurs also have guys that play good defense and can keep their guys in front of them

It's no surprise their defense is good with Duncan, Kawai, Green, etc on their defense. Each individually are good defenders. Kawai was 1st team all nba on defense and Duncan was 2nd team. Hmm, go figure.

Popovic keeps it running...the players buy in and if you watch Patty Mills in Portland and Boris Diaw in Charlotte...you see the improvement. It's a system and like dancing...you gotta know your partners moves.

 

[OneLifeToLive]

Actually he failed at it. He's not a diplomat and can't bridge the roster front office gap. He's a defensive coordinator..won a ring in Boston doing that for Rivers and didn't get a ring in Chicago. He's a specialist without communication skills beyond coaching.

I don't believe he has failed. I think he is in top three to five head coaches in the league. I don't think you can fail and be in that category.

I'd replace Terry right now with him.

 

[Scalma]

Isn't thibs obsessed with basketball? Literally. Can't see him taking a year off

 

[magnifier661]

Actually he failed at it. He's not a diplomat and can't bridge the roster front office gap. He's a defensive coordinator..won a ring in Boston doing that for Rivers and didn't get a ring in Chicago. He's a specialist without communication skills beyond coaching.

That maybe true, but the dude will get a starting job somewhere

 

[riverman]

I don't believe he has failed. I think he is in top three to five head coaches in the league. I don't think you can fail and be in that category.

I'd replace Terry right now with him.

We simply disagree, it's my take on it

 

[riverman]

That maybe true, but the dude will get a starting job somewhere

They said that about Nate too..also a defensive coordinator for team USA

 

[OneLifeToLive]

They said that about Nate too..

He's a 1000, times sharper than Nate. Maybe 1001

 

[magnifier661]

They said that about Nate too..

Nate never made it past the first round. Nate couldn't make it to the playoffs with scrubs either like thibs did the year after Rose went down

 

[riverman]

He's a 1000, times sharper than Nate. Maybe 1001

Indiana was a great defensive team after Nate took over that job. I think you're exaggerating a bit and I love Thibbs skills..I think he may be the greatest defensive coordinator of my generation.

 

[magnifier661]

Indiana was a great defensive team after Nate took over that job. I think you're exaggerating a bit and I love Thibbs skills..I think he may be the greatest defensive coordinator of my generation.

Bro, Indiana was already a great defensive team before Nate came to town.

 

[riverman]

Nate never made it past the first round. Nate couldn't make it to the playoffs with scrubs either like thibs did the year after Rose went down

You miss my point...Nate wasn't head coach material..he was Olympic defensive coordinator and a damned good defensive coordinator in Indiana..still is. Some guys have exceptional skills ...Steve Kerr didn't feel being a GM was his best skill..now he's a coach which pays a lot less

 

[OneLifeToLive]

Indiana was a great defensive team after Nate took over that job. I think you're exaggerating a bit and I love Thibbs skills..I think he may be the greatest defensive coordinator of my generation.

I think one is an assistant and one is a head coach. Someone will pick him up and have a great deal of success in the future.

 

[riverman]

If you're in a string quartet...you just might be a better viola player than a lead violinist

 

[riverman]

Back to the thread...imagine what Stotts and Thibbs would do for Monroe's game...25 is still young for a big man

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Nate never made it past the first round. Nate couldn't make it to the playoffs with scrubs either like thibs did the year after Rose went down

Incorrect, IIRC. He never made it past the first round with Portland. I believe he did with Seattle, no?

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Back to the thread...imagine what Stotts and Thibbs would do for Monroe's game...25 is still young for a big man

Considering how much Nards grew this year...

 

[riverman]

Nate never made it past the first round. Nate couldn't make it to the playoffs with scrubs either like thibs did the year after Rose went down

Nate won a handful of gold medals as a defensive coach

 

[Schilly]

Monroe's career drtg 106...Lopez 108. Gasol 103, so he's slightly better than Lopez so he's not good enough. Too many people just spewing rhetoric without a clue.

 

[RoyToy]

DRtg is a poor statistic to use for measuring individual defense

It really shouldn't even be considered. People still use it though..................

 

[RoyToy]

Popovic keeps it running...the players buy in and if you watch Patty Mills in Portland and Boris Diaw in Charlotte...you see the improvement. It's a system and like dancing...you gotta know your partners moves.

Patty still isn't that great of a defender. Diaw has always been a good player.

Pop is the best coach in the game, but he still has a lot of talented defensive players to work with. Duncan's one of the better big man defenders of all-time and Leonard has the athleticism to guard pretty much any perimeter player in the game. Most of the credit goes to them for just being great defenders. They're still coached to play great team defense, but their individual talent alone speaks for itself.

What also seems to be forgotten is Splitter player phenomenal 1 on 1 defense on Aldridge in the playoffs.

 

[Draco]

...Steve Kerr didn't feel being a GM was his best skill..now he's a coach which pays a lot less

Incorrect. The average NBA head coaches salary is higher than the average GM's salary. In Kerr's case he is making much more as the Golden State coach than he did as GM in Phoenix.

 

[rig]

Does signing Monroe convince LMA to stay? That is what I would love to know, as that is priority #1 for me.

I'm not convinced it does. LMA wants a big bodied defensive guy to take the load of guarding people like Gasol and DH off himself - do we want Monroe to be that guy? Does LMA see Monroe as that guy? Not convinced.

Monroe's scoring potential would be great, but if he doesn't result in LMA staying I don't see the point.

 

[stampedehero]

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

True. LA is the best out there. Really,of who is available, what PF could match his abilities??

 

[Rastapopoulos]

DeAndre Drummond? Is that the spawn of Jordan and Drummond?

Now THAT'S a player I could get excited about! Although his free-throw shooting would be appalling.

 

[rasheedfan2005]

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

Cause getting #1 pick every year is hard with decent players foiling the tank

 

[Rastapopoulos]

The problem is Neil isn't running a fantasy team where he can just pick whatever the NBA's best centers are out there. Of course we'd love to have DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond. We'd love to have Anthony Davis as well. Those guys just aren't available. Your comparing Monroe to a handful of the best centers in the game and showing he falls short. Well no shit. The centers we could actually sign would be more like Brandon Wright or Kosta Koufous. Do you want to pay $10 million a year for one of them? Sure they are fine backups but they don't have the upside to their game that Monroe has.

A bit of straw man and red herring going on here.
1. DeAndre Jordan is available, and has a past relationship with Olshey. We have had many discussions about possibly acquiring him. So is the other player I actually mentioned, Tyson Chandler. If you're saying that neither of those is available to us, because we're a sorry-ass franchise that nobody wants to come to, then I can't help you.
3. You're acting as if Olshey is confronted with a store where all the players cost the same and he has to choose between Brand Wright and Monroe. If that were the case, then yes, probably you'd go with Monroe. But of course, that's not the case. What he actually has is cap space and a choice of where to invest it. Monroe is an expensive piece who doesn't fit with what we have. Wright (say) would be a lot cheaper and has skills that we will sorely need. So if it's Monroe or Wright PLUS a small forward (because we have ZERO of those and currently TWO seven footers) then doesn't that make sense?
4. I'm sorry but "upside" is not a word I associate with Monroe. He's a skilled, unathletic low post scorer. He is what he is. He's not some athletic freak figuring out how to play.

Actually, I think the people with the hots for Monroe are the ones thinking like fantasy team owners: they're looking at his nice points and rebounds numbers and thinking that he can just slot right in and duplicate that here. Maybe he can, but we'd likely duplicate Detroit's performance in the standings.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

Now THAT'S a player I could get excited about! Although his free-throw shooting would be appalling.

I figured you'd like him - you created him.

 

[Schilly]

Defense is an issue for sure, looks like he gets burned outside of the paint, mostly against pfs. But his strengths are hard to not feel good about. Reminds me of a taller, faster zbo who gets out and runs and passes. Still a very young guy just turned 25, room to develop defensively. I think his added offense skills compared to Lopez more than make up from the downgrade on D.

 

[TBpup]

Went through extensive video of Monroe over the weekend and came away with the following:

• He is a load on the block. A bigger, stronger version of Z-Bo. No vertical but gets the ball in the basket....a lot.
• VERY left handed. You would think teams would figure that out but he seems to get his shot off anyhow.
• Very active. Always around the ball, quick hands, soft tough near the rim.
• Very good, quick passer. The ball doesn't 'stick' when there is a cutter anywhere around him.
• Very little range. He'll hit an occasional m-d-range shot but that is not where you want him.
• Quick leaper....for what little jumping he does. Not very athletic. Runs the floor well but certainly not a leaper.

He seems to score a lot without plays being run for him. Good passer helps teammates get quality looks. Not a guy you throw the ball into on the block on a consistent basis and expect him to carry you. Hard nosed attitude that they call 'The Moose.'

 

[Mediocre Man]

Defense is an issue for sure, looks like he gets burned outside of the paint, mostly against pfs. But his strengths are hard to not feel good about. Reminds me of a taller, faster zbo who gets out and runs and passes. Still a very young guy just turned 25, room to develop defensively. I think his added offense skills compared to Lopez more than make up from the downgrade on D.

Yes, he is not a PF. He will also struggle defensively when teams go small.