Good article today by Zack Lowe explaining why no one really fits with Monroe: http://grantland.com/features/the-nbas-bigs-problem/
One of the strangest Zach Lowe articles ever? It's like he's trying to make a point, but then goes through a myriad of players highlighting how the point he's trying to make/justify is really hit or miss anyway. The point seems to be PFs that can space the floor AND play great at the rim defense are a commodity in short supply.... yeah, probably. A PF that can do that is likely to be a top 5 PF in the league.... since by virtue of also being, you know, tall, that player will inherently play enough inside to get points as well, offensive boards, etc. Meaning Lowe is describing a quasi 20/10 guy who is a great rim defender.... yeah... and... who are those players? I mean this is why Morey put all his eggs in the Bosh basket. Because even though a max overpays him, as he ages, he's almost as close to that premium PF as you'll find today. But since that premium PF doesn't really even exist, here's the list of all the other PFs and where their strengths and weaknesses are... yes, I get that. To me, there's just a lot of different PFs out there with different strengths and weaknesses. LMA isn't a great defender, and can't stretch the floor a ton (notwithstanding his crazy two game stretch against us where his range all of a sudden was out to 3... before that he barely ever took threes)... but he's a plus rebounder, a plus mid-range guy, has a bevy of post moves, etc. Blake Griffin as the example. That Blake Griffin performed worse vs. Serge Ibaka and Perkins than he did against David Lee isn't rocket science, or due to Griffin not being able to shoot a three. It's just those are really good defenders, relative to Lee and co. The playoffs are a different animal and it just going to take Griffin a bit to figure that out. Same with Harden. Same with a lot of players. All that said, it does point to Monroe being a good fit, situation-ally. And when you factor in how many teams have better or comparable PFs already, it doesn't leave a lot of options. Then factor in the fact the Pistons have made him situation-ally worse given the players they've surrounded him with, even fewer options for him. There's only so many teams left that make sense for him. Add the fact that he's restricted, it even further narrows his pool. This is part the Morey fallacy as it relates to Chandler Parsons. While in some respects he also is kind of a jack of all trade, master of none, it is at a position that isn't nearly as deep, and it is in a way that would make Chandler a boon to any team.
I think the same way he does on PFs. I honestly don't know who you'd pair with Monroe down low, and I wouldn't be happy if the Rockets got him. But I'm very confident Morey wouldn't consider putting Monroe with Harden and Dwight so I'm not worried.
Pair Monroe with Spencer Hawes. Or send him to San Antonio and let Popavich run an offense without having a stretch 4.
Him and Hawes would make for a poor interior defense. And though I'm sure Pop could make him better, I still don't think he'd then be worth the max he is supposedly asking for.
Another great piece by Lowe. And a lot of things in there I have sensed for a while about Monroe. He's just not good enough at anything to warrant paying him big money over time. He's jumper is mediocre at best. He has some post moves but gets bogged down in the block against bigger, longer defenders. He doesn't have hops, etc. etc. etc. And then this paragraph by Zach: epitomizes what I see in the league and why I kept saying on this board that SPACING the FLOOR with SHOOTERS becomes even more important come playoff time when you are facing elite defenses with length and athleticism for a 7-game stretch. Lastly.....this points to Donatas having more of a breakout season this year and showing his worth over Terrence. The fact of the matter is Donuts is bigger, stronger, and longer....and much more highly skilled on the perimter and in the blocks. This article points to the increased value of guys like Donuts.....and......under the radar guys like Enes Kanter. While Kanter is not a rim protector....his game fits alongside a rim protector like Dwight. Kanter and Donuts are under-the-radar bigs that fit a lot of what Lowe is talking about here.
So, what you're saying is, it goes without saying -- this is going to be a very important year for Donatas Motiejunas.
Every year is important. But if we don't trade for another PF then I suspect DMo will be our starting PF on opening night.
Terrence is going to be gone. He can't shoot. And he's too small to defend other bigs. It's the wrong combination of skills with Howard and Harden.
Monroe is a perfect fit in a high low motion type offense. Obviously the Rockets don't do anything like that, but if there are any Rick Adelman disciples left out there, they'd be all over him. It's just that is so completely out of fashion. Whatever flaws with his " J", he can put the ball on the floor. There are plenty of guards who can't shoot a lick, but thrive by putting the ball on the floor (Rondo). Monroe seems like a classic market inefficiency. When everybody is over hyping NASDAQ start up technology companies, that is the time too look for value in old school blue chips. The fad stocks will already be way overpriced. There were plenty of people in the 90's saying that old economy stocks were archaic in "today's economy". Mario Ellie is a good example of the type of player nobody wants, until he's used correctly and everybody realizes he is exactly what they need. Shane Battier, too. People who are always chasing what everybody else does never get ahead.
