Greg Monroe selected #7 by the Detroit Pistons

You must be joking? Those are solid starter minutes and I highly doubt he will start any time (baring injuries of course) during the season. The current 4 and 5 slots are currently offensive dead zones.

Just won't happen. For a rookie, starting as a learning experience and earning the positions are two different approaches. The talent might be there, but I don't expect him to explode upon the scene. That's the trouble with big guys, the process is slow.

Greg Monroe can play Center and probably will for us. He has legit NBA size and probably the tallest guy in our roster. Maybe we don't start him right away but there is no reason he shouldn't see at least 25 mpg. Got to give this kid a chance.

I am guessing he gets maybe 8 minutes per game maximum....just enough that Kuester feels he won't lose his coaching job. Monroe will not be playing the kind of defense that Ben Wallace does.....and I am guessing Kuester will still play Jmax as backup to emphasize the defense he is looking for.

We need to trade this guy in my opinion. Doesn't fit with the toughness and defense that JD is looking for.

Toughness and defense? We're talking about the same guy that in the last year drafted Austin Daye and signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva right?

He said that when the season ended, by that time all this guys were on the roster.

Anyway, I'm committed to watching some G-Town games, today I've seen an away game at Syracuse, from January. He took just 7 shots, made 4, never went to the line, no assists and 6 TO's. Not much to write home about.
I would say that the G-Town offense is the most boring I ever seen. While they do move the ball a lot, you don't see that many screens set and almost no cutting to the basket, totally depended on their 3 point shot. They are the Orlando Magic of collage, where the guards just forget about the big guy in the middle, despite him having his arms up and calling for the ball every time.
Now, on defense he looks ok, he has a great feel for the game and good anticipation, he even had a block with his right hand in this one.
On offense, can't really say too much from this game, his J looks like Stuck's, but he finishes well around the basket.
And lastly the TO's, 4 of them were great passes their PF could not handle, 1 was him stepping out of bounds and 1 was a bad pass on a double team.

I hope the other games are not such a letdown.

There needs to be a big push that the pistons don't start 'Darko-ing' Greg Monroe. Were it not for the injuries to Tayshaun we would have never found out that Jerebko was a second team all-rookie caliber player. In fact, I'll say if it weren't for all the injuries we would have 'Darko-ed' all of our rookies from last year. Without consistent playing time no one will be able to learn anything. The only downside is that the Rip and Tay, and maybe CV will not get the minutes they are used to and they might start dissension in the lockerroom.

This is where the team needs to come out and say to the vets, "This is not your team anymore, if we get to the playoffs, let alone win once we get there, it will be because these young guys develop, deal with it."

If we wind up 'Darko-ing' Greg Monroe it will be a bigger tragedy then that other draft pick. You know, Rodney White.

I was wondering the same thing last night and I think/hope the answer is yes. At least Kuester didn't seem to feel the need to play CG last year when he was one of Joe's big signings.

I am going on the stuff I read that seems to project him as a 4 when I say that. He might be able to play the 5 on the 2nd unit, but it does seem to be a lot to ask of him to start at the 5 as a rookie.

What seems strange to me is that Ben is somehow getting in the way of someone else playing/developing. If he leaves and Monroe isn't a stud 5 then the Pistons might be the worst team in the L.

This roster is a mess. It is really unbelievable. Ideally I guess I'd like to see Ben, Monroe and Tay start up front. JJ will back up the 3 and 4 with Max at the 5. It will be tough for Daye and Summers to get solid time which is good considering the teams stinks.

Normally this is where I would ask what time the 2011 Lottery chat opens up, but I'm pretty happy with the #1 pick this year.

From 2009, not 2010: (Ford draft blog updates):

Feb 6 Update: On pure talent and potential, Monroe is the top prospect in the draft -- his combination of size and skill is rare. However, the key difference between Griffin and Monroe is production versus potential. While Griffin dominates virtually every night, Monroe is still inconsistent -- some nights he looks fantastic, other nights ... not so much. While it's doubtful he can catch Griffin for the No. 1 spot in the draft, it's hard to see him falling out of the top three right now.

Jan. 2 update: Monroe has so many tools for a big man that the Chris Webber comparisons were inevitable. He can shoot, handle the ball, pass and get up and down the floor. While there were questions about his work ethic and drive in high school, his strong play for Georgetown has quieted those concerns. His stellar game against UConn and lottery prospect Hasheem Thabeet Dec. 29 pushed him into the Top 5.

I love your posts, Brap! I'm a lot more pessimistic by nature so I look at the roster with disgust (atleast before the draft) but then you always post something which gives me a glimmer of hope again. Keep up the good work!

Unless we get our hands on a really good center like Jefferson, I'd rather see that we give Monroe more time on the 5 too so he gets his fair share of minutes.

He needs to play center, because he'll have a tough time guarding the athletic PF's in this league. Jefferson is great and all, but he is a 4 that can't play D. A Monroe-Jefferson pairing is not ideal, to say the least.

A young Ben Wallace + Monroe, now that would be something.

Exactly. Jefferson is the key, and JD will have to earn his money. No excuses; no reason not to get him. Haywood is a long second, already 30 years old and not someone who you can build around.

One phrase I would like to hear out of JD: everything is on the table.

Kahn just told the StPaul Press newspaper that they'll move BigAL pending the re-signing of Darko......kind of ironic isn't it......

Ironic! Just a little.

With Monroe in the fold, I no longer want Jefferson. We need to add guys who are major paint defenders and rebounders.

With Monroe, BigAL becomes more appealing. I don't know how much of Greg Monroe you guys have seen, but he isn't a scoring big. He's a very skilled facilitator who likes to fork in the high post. BigAL and Monroe would make a fantastic High/Low post combination. We have trouble scoring, Monroe does not help that. A frontline where you have the services of JJ/Daye/CV/GM/AJ, is young, big, long and versatile.