I've been watching a lot of college basketball lately, trying to focus on programs with both established success in molding future NBA players and also that implement a slower-paced offense that might match up well with the Blazers. Georgetown's Greg Monroe is very intriguing to me. The dude has the size to go on and physically battle against the Pros - 6' 11" and 250 lb. He's averaging 34 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, almost 2 blocks. His PER has taken a dip since his Freshman year and that's probably attributed to his less-than-stellar shooting, but he's seems to be coming on as of late. Against Harvard, he had 16 points, 16 boards, and 4 steals, and 5 blocks (yes, it was Harvard) Against St. Johns he had 15 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. Against DePaul he had 10 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. At Marquette, he had 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. And in the impressive come-from-behind win against UConn, he had 15 points, 10 boards, 3 steals, and a block. He moves very well for his size, can find the open guy in a half-court set from the post, makes very smart decisions, and very versatile. I think he might have turned a corner this past week and will really emerge as someone that could help Portland next season. That he plays in the Big East, and that the Big East is emerging as one of the top conferences again, says a lot, I think, about how much better he is/will be than his peers of the same age. If any of you have watched him play, I'd love to get your opinion.
I haven't but I will watch for him. I have my eye on Demarcus Cousins of Kentucky. The guy can flat out board, that is for sure.
Yeah, I saw him at the NBA Hoop Summit last year. Dude is huge. He didn't play too well if I remember right, but it was just one game, and the game was so guard-oriented it was hard to see him show off his skills. I've caught a few Kentucky games and he's the real deal. His PER this season is over 40! That's unbelievable, even if it's just for 20 minutes a game. If he slipped into our range, or if we could move up a couple spots to draft him, I'd be very, very excited. I predict though that he'll be just out of reach, especially after the spot light of March Madness hits him. Top 10? Monroe, Top 20?
I really don't care where they get another banger with size from as long as they get another guy. I only require 2 things: Being a sizeable defender to control the paint and hitting the boards. Since Joel went out we have only lost one game where we won the rebounding battle. On the other side of the coin, we have lost all but one game where we have lost the rebounding battle. This is no coincidence. Portland is a very efficient team offensively. If you are efficient, and win the rebounding battle, you will win a majority of your games. That is how the Briand Grant Blazers won back in the day.
And the last running team that won a championship was? How about the last running team to even make it to the finals? I would settle for being in the middle of the pack for fast break points, but I don't want the whole teams offense to be built on running.
For someone that sucks, he sure is putting up very solid numbers in the very competitive Big East. While Freeman was the catalyst behind the victory over the Huskies, it was Monroe and his 15 points (his last being a layup with nine seconds left) and 10 rebounds (his last with 1 second left to defend the goal) that sealed the deal for GT. I think he's someone to watch. For a 19-year old playing among more experienced front lines in the Big East, he's more than holding his own. Either way, he's a sophomore and I doubt Portland will target someone so young. I had forgotten about that.
The thing that really attracts me to his game is his heady play. He's very adept at finding the open man, has some very good post moves, decent handle for a big man, and can hit a jumper. He's got some tools to be very good IMO. And, that he's developing in the Hoya's system is another plus.
You just described Scola. He's also a player who doesn't wow you with his explosiveness or quickness.
Yeah. But, Monroe is a couple inches taller and has the physical tools to be a better defender. I like Scola's game BTW.
monroe is in my top 3 for this draft. i'd take him, wall, or turner over anyone else. but he definitely should be a lottery pick, so portland may not have a shot at him. and i'm not sure exactly how he fits with portland. him and aldridge are both definitely best used at the pf position.
