The Pistons will be very happy to replace Monroe with Draymond Green. That should tell you something.
And if LMA goes elsewhere - without a S&T - we can offer him just as much as the Knicks, right? And since Frazier is better than anyone on the Knicks roster surely Monroe would rather play here!
Wiggins is the SG Kevin Love. Love might be in Cleveland now, but Wiggins will fill his spot of great stats on a meaningless team with ease.
Monroe should think that way but I doubt he does. Even though they stink the Knicks hold a lot of glamour. Plus the endorsement money is off the charts compared to here. Lee made a lot there and that dried up when he went to GS.
I've never been a huge Monroe fan. He's sort of a bigger, slightly better version of J.J. Hickson. Like Hickson, I wouldn't mind a guy like Monroe coming off the bench to back up the starting center and PF positions, but if we lose Aldridge and replace him with Monroe in the starting line up, we're fucked. A couple red flags about Monroe: I'm always leery of guys who put up good numbers on crappy teams. Call it the Kevin Love factor. Love put up comically big numbers on some comically bad MIN teams. Monroe has been in the league 5 years and has never played on a team that's won more than 32 games. His numbers have been solid, usually in the 16 pt/9 reb range as a starter on a bad team. Like Love, whose numbers were much higher in MIN, put Monroe on a good team with other scoring options and his numbers will likely drop. Again, this is why I say were fucked if we think we can replace Aldridge's 23/11 with Monroe's 16/9 (or less). The second red flag is that while Monroe isn't quite the net negative type player that J.J. Hickson is, according to 82 games, Monroe has had a net negative production in 2 of his 5 seasons in the league. He always puts up good "Own Production" numbers, but usually gives up almost as much as, or more than, he gets. The good news is, this season was his best net production to date with an Own Production of of 22.8 and an Opp Production of 18.5 for a Net Production of +4.2 (their rounding error, not mine). Still, with an Opp Production of 18.5, he's not exactly a defensive stopper. Compare this to Aldridge's Own Production of 24.1 and a Opp Production of 13.7 for a Net Production of +10.4, you can see why I say if we replace Aldridge with Monroe in our starting lineup we're fucked big time. So yeah, I'd love Monroe to back up the 4 and 5 positions, but as a replacement for Aldridge, no thanks. BNM
I say we go hard after Monroe, yes to play Center.... ANd then if Lamarcus Leaves also go after Roy Hibbert, and move Monroe to PF. Maybe do a S&T with Batum to Detroit.
Like, say, LMA during the 10/11 - 12/13 seasons? Or Zbo before him? I hear what you're saying - it's something to take into consideration. But Monroe on the Blazers would be better than Monroe on the Pistons simply by virtue of being on a better team with better teammates. We don't WANT LMA's replacement to replace his scoring - that's not what you want out of a PF. But if his replacement can give us 60-70% of his scoring, while providing good rebounding, setting good screens, and keeping the ball moving on offense, (and hopefully playing good defense), then the rest of the team should be able to make up the remaining 30-40% of LMA's points.
One Great thing about Monroe 92% of his field goal attempts come from inside 10 feet. We sorely lack a real scoring threat in the paint. His career Defensive rating is better than Robins as well, though he's not the rim protector I don't think. If we could throw Lillard, Lamarcus and Monroe at people every night, that would be tough to contend with... Especially if Wes recovers.
I think Monroe sets damn good picks. As I said, his offensive game is stout! The knock has always been his defense.
Because Green is a better perimeter player and defender. If they didn't have Drummond, and build around Monroe, I would suspect they would try and find a stretch 4
And Monroe told DET he didn't want to play for them, which is why he took the one year QO so he could leave this summer. DET wanting or not wanting him doesn't come into play because Monroe doesn't want DET.
Aldridge and Randolph have also put up big numbers on good teams - multiple times. Monroe hasn't. My point was, Monroe has never played on a team that's won more than 32 games, so whether, or not, he can put up similar numbers on a good team is an unknown. Perhaps I should have said I'm always leery of players who have put up good numbers EXCLUSIVELY on bad teams. Aldridge and Randolph both played for teams that won 50+ games early in their careers and many more times since. The big numbers only on bad teams theorem does not apply to them. You don't know that. Was Kevin Love better in CLE than he was in MIN? Was Chris Bosch better in MIA than in TOR? In both places, their teams won more games (thanks to those better teammates), but their individual numbers went WAY down. Besides, if you remove Aldridge, would Monroe's teammates in POR be that much better than his teammates in DET? Yeah, but not by all that much. Monroe wouldn't be joining LeBron/Wade or LeBron/Irving, he'd be joining Lillard/Batum or Lillard/post ruptured achilles Matthews. Really??? So, you lose your leading scorer, the 7th highest scorer in the entire league, and aren't concerned about replacing his scoring? If not his replacement, who is going to replace Aldridge's 23 ppg? Batum? Post injury Matthews? Lopez? Aldridge averages more rebounds and is a MUCH better defender than Monroe. So you lose 30 - 40% of Aldridge's scoring and expect Lillard, Batum, post injury Matthews and Rolo to make that up, the rebounding is, at best, a wash and the defense gets much worse. This is your plan to "improve" the team? It would certainly improve our odds of getting a lottery pick in 2016 (and beyond). Again, I wouldn't mind Monroe backing up the 4 and 5 spots, but if he's starting in place of Aldridge, 2016 lottery, here we come!!! BNM
Bosh was clearly a better player in MIA than TOR. Scoring less doesn't make you a worse player if you're playing your role better - he was a better PF in MIA than he was in TOR. Perhaps the same isn't true for Love. No one player is going to replace all of LMA's scoring - as I said, if his replacement gives us 60-70% of it the rest of the team can make up the remaining 30-40%. It's not like he scored efficiently - distribute those shots in a more robust offense and we won't miss his scoring at all. Being the 7th highest scoring player in the league doesn't mean much when he took the 3rd most shots in the league.
You seem to conveniently overlook the impact Aldridge's game has on his teammates' scoring. Aldridge consistently draws double teams, which creates open looks for his teammates. Aldridge also draws his defender out of the paint, creating lanes for his teammates (Lillard and McCollum especially) to drive and score. Monroe may be a more efficient scorer than Aldridge, because he takes most of his shots in the paint, but with Monroe and Lopez both packing the paint on offense, how will it impact Lillard's and McCollum's ability to drive the lane and score? Monroe also won't draw the double teams Aldridge does. Scoff all you want at the 7th leading scorer in the league, but other teams have to respect Aldridge's 23.4 ppg and that creates more easy opportunities for his teammates that will vanish if you replace him with Greg Monroe and his 15.9 ppg. And then there is defense... I highly recommend you go to 82games.com and compare Opp Production, Opp Scoring, etc. between Monroe and Aldridge over the last several seasons. One thing you'll notice is that Monroe not only scores a lot less than Aldridge, Monroe's opponent's also score a lot more. So, he scores significantly fewer points, and gives up significantly more points and somehow this would magically make the team better???? Gee, maybe there is a reason Monroe has never played on a team that's won more than 32 games. Monroe has been a starter on four 50-loss teams. Aldridge has been a starter on four 50-win teams. No thanks. I'd prefer to stay with the guy who actually helps his team win games. BNM
Well I'd like Monroe to either play with Leonard who will stretch the defense, or someone like Hibbert who can cover for defensive deficiencies. But I've always maintained that defense is a team game, and DET hasn't had that since Larry Brown left town. With a good coach and the right teammates perhaps Monroe isn't so bad at defense? Nobody thought Meyers would ever be good, and thanks to Kaman he was able to hold his own against Gasol. Also, LMA's defensive ranking is high due to the fact that he never leaves his man to offer help defense - so while it might help his ranking it doesn't help the team when he's giving his teammate's assignments open lay-ups. With regards to Lillard/McCollum and spacing - I would contend that a good screen would do them better than the threat of a mediocre jump shot. A pick/roll game with Monroe setting the screen and ROLLING to the hoop, with Leonard at the 3-point line, is a heck of a lot better than a pick/pop with LMA shooting a low-percentage jumper that leaves the PG stifled in a double-team. That would be 3 options on one play (Monroe, PG, Leonard) vs 1 (LMA jumper).
Based on track record and past/recent success, you honestly think this team would get better by replacing LaMarcus Aldridge with Greg Monroe? Honestly? Really? I see a lot of conditional statements in your post (we don't have Roy Hibbert, and what makes you think Greg Monroe would play better defense in POR than he did in DET?, etc.), but based on actual, real world results, LaMarcus is easily twice the player Greg Monroe is. Aldridge scores more and gives up fewer points. Aldridge's team wins 50+ games, Monroe's team loses 50+ games. Neither you, nor Greg Monroe, has given sufficient evidence to convince me bringing in Greg Monroe to replace LaMarcus Aldridge would somehow make POR a better team. I don't see any individual stats, I don't see any team stats (especially wins and losses) to support any of your claims. It's just all postulating and wishing and that don't win ball games. Get back to me when Greg Monroe is the leading scorer and rebounder on a team that wins 50+ games, because that's what your proposing we should give up to get him. BNM
I thought most fans here wanted to get better defensively and Monroe is pretty far away from that..no way I trade for him
