Monroe/Portland mutual interest

[Schilly]

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

Small ball center... Plumlee or Vonleh.

 

[Draco]

Small ball center... Plumlee or Vonleh.

Plumlee. Vonley is third string and we should expect nohimg next season from him. If he gives us anything it'll be a nice bonus but think of him more as Jermaine Oneal third season here.

 

[oldmangrouch]

If inexpensive defense was the goal, we could re-sign Freeland.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

If inexpensive defense was the goal, we could re-sign Freeland.

I am on board with this but I think he might go back overseas for the money. He could get 4 or so MIL a year there and probably only 2 MIL a year here. His D sure is underrated though. Rather have him than Kaman next year (but probably both are gone).

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Convince me that this is wrong (quoting from http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/30/greg-monroe-pistons-nba-free-agency):

"Given those limitations, how would one go about building a roster to best take advantage of what Monroe's talents? His post work would go most smoothly alongside a stretchy big capable of spreading the floor. His defensive issues, though, need be addressed by a more conventional rim-protecting counterpart. In the frontcourt alone that means Monroe's team would be aiming for a defensive pillar with shooting range -- an intersection of remarkable rarity. Barring an unexpected union with Anthony Davis, Monroe might be faced with a career of somewhat clumsy fits. He's already seen the lot of them in Detroit, where in four seasons the Pistons only managed three positive lineups with Monroe among the 17 that played 100 minutes or more, per NBA.com. Some of that is the mark of a consistently bad, mismanaged team. Another part, though, speaks to the difficulty of finding and acquiring the right kinds of pieces needed to build around a sub-superstar so particular.

Monroe would pull a hefty salary without functioning as a primary creator, without offering his team much benefit at all when he doesn't have the ball in his hands and while acting as an imposition to collective defense. NBA teams might very understandably pass on making a lucrative offer to such a player out of concern that the talent acquired wouldn't justify the procedural knots that follow. Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons, in a way, hit their max-contract (or near-max, in Parsons' case) paydays on the opposite appeal. Both have utterly agreeable games that make sense in almost any system. Each have their respective weaknesses, but their liabilities -- those problems their teams have to build and scheme around -- are few. They can handle the ball, move effectively without it, rebound sufficiently for their position, spot up to clear the paint, make plays for others and defend their positions adequately. They'll earn almost $15 million this season and even more in the years to come on the grounds of their plug-and-play talents.

Monroe, by contrast, requires a supporting cast of painstaking specificity. There can be little question that his traditional playing style -- as a polished, interior pivot man -- works against him in this sense. The evolution of the game toward speed, space and mobility involves a process of selection, though which teams naturally value those players who befit a modern style of play. Post work is not prominently featured within it, largely due to rule changes and the tactical shifts that resulted. It isn't prudent to pound the ball into Monroe to work from the block possession after possession, even if his ability to convert such possessions is what sets him apart. Therein lies the problem with being a throwback player in a game that has evolved rather pointedly: At some point anachronism comes with a price."

(Given the comment about Anthony Davis, it's worth noting that the recent article that said Portland was meeting with him made it clear that Monroe would really like to be New Orleans. I think he's from there anyway, but perhaps he agrees with the above assessment.)

 

[Rastapopoulos]

If inexpensive defense was the goal, we could re-sign Freeland.

We should indeed! Since he made that huge leap in usefulness after his rookie year, his only problems have been staying healthy. He still wouldn't meet our need for a shot-blocker, though.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

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

 

[riverman]

We should indeed! Since he made that huge leap in usefulness after his rookie year, his only problems have been staying healthy. He still wouldn't meet our need for a shot-blocker, though.

I love Freeland's game but he's a guy who would benefit from being a rotation guy on a weaker team. I think he's sick of the bench

 

[Rastapopoulos]

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.

Offense hasn't been our problem. We actually would struggle to have much of an upgrade on O.

Notice also that Memphis is a huge anomaly in getting success out of a player like Z-Bo. There's a reason they got him for peanuts. I think of Z-Bo and Gasol as kind of a package deal - good together, but Z-Bo hasn't shown he can work without Marc.

All right, now I'm tired of talking about Monroe. I hope we don't end up with him, but if we do, I hope I'm wrong and you alls are right. But I remember a lot of this same optimism about T-Rob, who was younger and much more highly rated coming out of college, but also not wanted by his former team(s).

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I love Freeland's game but he's a guy who would benefit from being a rotation guy on a weaker team. I think he's sick of the bench

I don't get that impression. If he's sick of the bench, then he's sick of the NBA, and America in general, and I certainly don't get that impression.

 

[riverman]

I don't get that impression. If he's sick of the bench, then he's sick of the NBA, and America in general, and I certainly don't get that impression.

I do..and nationalism isn't part of the logic from my view. He's been here long enough to solidify the backup spot for the Knicks or Celtics or any number of retooling teams and he's going to be buried in the rotation in Portland.

 

[BBert]

Freeland isn't a starter on any NBA team, but he is very quietly a damn good backup. His problem has been staying healthy, and hence keeping his rotation minutes.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I do..and nationalism isn't part of the logic from my view. He's been here long enough to solidify the backup spot for the Knicks or Celtics or any number of retooling teams and he's going to be buried in the rotation in Portland.

I wasn't making a nationalism point, I was just saying: in the NBA he's a bench player. I guess you agree, you were just saying "he wants some time on the court" and you're right that we seem to be stockpiling bigs, even if they're not that inspiring (Plumlee, Vonleh).

 

[riverman]

I wasn't making a nationalism point, I was just saying: in the NBA he's a bench player. I guess you agree, you were just saying "he wants some time on the court" and you're right that we seem to be stockpiling bigs, even if they're not that inspiring (Plumlee, Vonleh).

I think you're selling Plumlee short here, and Vonleh is our rookie version of Meyers Leonard basically at 19 years of age. Joel can get a lot more exposure especially in the east. The Knicks would love him. Boston would too.

 

[Schilly]

Joel can make as much money and be a starter in Europe.

 

[riverman]

Joel can make as much money and be a starter in Europe.

He's been there, done that. He knows that showtime is the NBA and he's got a lot of options here.

 

[Scalma]

He's been there, done that. He knows that showtime is the NBA and he's got a lot of options here.

do you know him personally or something? A lot of europeans get homesick. Probably why most of them end up going back.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

I love Freeland's game but he's a guy who would benefit from being a rotation guy on a weaker team. I think he's sick of the bench

I think you mean he would benefit from staying healthy. If he did that, he'd stick in the rotation.

 

[riverman]

do you know him personally or something? A lot of europeans get homesick. Probably why most of them end up going back.

I've heard him talk about being in the NBA and how it was always his goal...know him personally? I've heard him interviewed just like everyone else. I can name as many euro players who stayed to have long careers in the NBA and a few who preferred the Euro league.