Greg Monroe

[Capt. Factorial]

Not to be picky or anything, but you forgot to mention that Monroe is not a very good offensive rebounder.

Actually, I did. That was the third paragraph.

Also on the freethrow disparity between Hawes and Monroe. Monroe did play in 3 more games than Hawes, which could explain a little of it.

What I was talking about was free throw rate, not totals - 100*FTA/FGA. By dividing by the number of FGA, you take out the dependence on minutes/games played. In fact, the disparity is, if anything, more striking when you look at FT rate, because at the same time that Hawes was getting fewer free throws than Monroe, he was attempting more shots.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Monroe has always had really quick hands on D, so he'll get steals.

 

[beb0p]

Monroe has never really impressed me. I don't have the numbers breakdown and I based my observation purely on watching the games, but I look his stats, I go, "Wow, double-double big man with good FG% and passing skill!" And then I watch him play and it was underwhelming. He hangs around the perimeter way too much and he is not good enough a shooter or has a good enough handle for guy who plays that far from the basket. And on top of that, he has no right hand to speak of - he goes left every single time! He has exactly one post move. If you see one of his games you've already seen everything that he can do.

He is neither a great offensive weapon nor a great defensive force. Now, I'm not saying Monroe is a bust, I think he's going to develop into a solid role player. A 10-10 guy, a clue guy and a good presence in the locker room. If I have the #10 pick, I'd seriously consider him, but with the #5, it's not even close.

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[bajaden]

Actually, I did. That was the third paragraph.



What I was talking about was free throw rate, not totals - 100*FTA/FGA. By dividing by the number of FGA, you take out the dependence on minutes/games played. In fact, the disparity is, if anything, more striking when you look at FT rate, because at the same time that Hawes was getting fewer free throws than Monroe, he was attempting more shots.

Damm! No wonder I flunked speed reading class.. My bad! Anyway, I understood that part. And in no way was I defending Hawes ability to get to the line. Just trying to level the playing field, which you had already done..

 

[bajaden]

Monroe has never really impressed me. I don't have the numbers breakdown and I based my observation purely on watching the games, but I look his stats, I go, "Wow, double-double big man with good FG% and passing skill!" And then I watch him play and it was underwhelming. He hangs around the perimeter way too much and he is not good enough a shooter or has a good enough handle for guy who plays that far from the basket. And on top of that, he has no right hand to speak of - he goes left every single time! He has exactly one post move. If you see one of his games you've already seen everything that he can do.

He is neither a great offensive weapon nor a great defensive force. Now, I'm not saying Monroe is a bust, I think he's going to develop into a solid role player. A 10-10 guy, a clue guy and a good presence in the locker room. If I have the #10 pick, I'd seriously consider him, but with the #5, it's not even close.

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Not questioning anything you said, but at least he doesn't hang out at the three point line. He seldom took three point shots, and thats a plus for me. His high post game is very similar to Webbers. Its just that Webb was a much better athlete.

 

[JB_kings]

Just from the bit of comments I've read and hear from FO people and Kings beat writers. The Kings are looking at defense and athleticism as target attributes in a draft pick. They don't want too many under the rim players. Tyreke was even referred to as an under the rim guy. It might be mostly lip service to counter the criticism GP gets. But unless a guy blows them away with a badly needed skill set, they are looking to get more athletic.

 

[HighFlyingMonkey]

Believe it or not, I'm not concerned with Monroe's rebounding or defensive ability. He was a solid enough defensive rebounder and his offensive rebounding woes can be attributed to the fact that he played in the high post so often. Additionally, he has adequate height, length, smarts and lateral quickness to be an effective defensive player. Maybe not a DPOY, but solid enough.

What I'm worried about is his post game. It seems like when he played, he showed solid IQ and footwork, but finishing at the rim seems like it won't translate to the next level. Let me explain. In college, Monroe easily had 3-4" of height and probably a good deal of weight on whoever was guarding him. He was able to back down his defender pretty easily to whatever position he wanted, which was usually on his right shoulder for a layup. Now, push him away from that position, which is likely what will happen at the pros, and he will have to rely on hook shots and fadeaways to score, which is something that Monroe wasn't very consistent at. If you watch his games, one on one he gets to his favored spots with ease. Will that continue at the NBA level?

Why this is such a big concern is because he's not a consistent enough shooter to be a factor in the high post. You have to be able to punish defenses for sagging off on you, which is inevitable to happen with Monroe's inconsistent jumper. Yes, he's quick and has a nice handle, enabling to beat his man semi regularly, but even so finishing at the rim becomes an issue again. So his true potential to be a star comes with his refining his ability to finish at the rim with true back to the basket finishing moves like a hook shot.

Thats not to say that Monroe won't develop this ability, but it is a concern for his immediate impact. I think Monroe has the talent to be a star, but it won't come without a massive transitional improvement in his offensive arsenal. When it comes to Cousins or Monroe I don't think its particularly close, I'd much rather have Cousins. However picking between Monroe and say Wes Johnson or Aminu Al-Farouq becomes much more interesting.

 

[beb0p]

Not questioning anything you said, but at least he doesn't hang out at the three point line. He seldom took three point shots, and thats a plus for me. His high post game is very similar to Webbers. Its just that Webb was a much better athlete.

If by taking three point shots, you're referring to Hawes' game vs. Monroe, yes I agree Monroe is much ess likely to settle for the trey. All the better because Monroe's jumper is shaky at best.

I wouldn't pick either Hawes or Monroe as our ideal center but if I have to choose one, I think Hawes is going to be slightly better than Monroe. Hawes is a litte bigger, a better post player, and a better shooter. I think defensively both Monroe and Hawes are similar in that neither are great rebounder/shot blocker and both will struggle against the really big strong guys or the quick athletic guys.

And yes, Monroe is sorta, kinda like Webber's game; actually more like the Webber after his knee injury. Which doesn't make me jump up and say, "Draft Monroe!"

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[Prince_XY]

And yes, Monroe is sorta, kinda like Webber's game; actually more like the Webber after his knee injury. Which doesn't make me jump up and say, "Draft Monroe!"

Now we're comparing Monroe's game to that of the great Webber after his knee injury. I am really beginning to like this kid and hopefully I won't get frustrated afterall if we draft this softie. Maybe Monroe can be taught or hypnotized so he can forget or recover from his knee injury because he is only 19 years old.

 

[TTown Kings]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/05/25/is-greg-monroe-soft/

 

[Kingster]

You my friend should brace yourself for the possibility we will be getting Monroe. IMO and I agree with you that last year's draft seems like centered on toughness BUT last year might just be the exception rather than the rule. As I know Petrie loves his big to be FINESSED, SOFT, and relatively DECENT PASSER which somehow fits Monroe. And Petrie has not shown he had changed his fetish for several years now.

Well, I guess you can look at last year as an aberration. But then you have to explain it. Was it just by chance that Petrie & Co. opted for much tougher players? Did it just arrive out of the blue with no possible rationale, or did getting your brains beat in by tougher teams have an effect? I opt for the latter explanation, and I doubt that that trauma has left Petrie and therefore I doubt he's apt to go off the wagon anytime soon. Also, by all the accounts of Westphal that I've read or heard, he likes tough players. One of his missions last year was to toughen up Hawes, as an example. Westphal is working closely with Petrie on the draft, and I doubt he wants another soft player that he has toughen up.

 

[roasthawg]

For me I'll take Aldrich personally. Monroe is a slightly better scorer and a much better passer than Aldrich but what Aldrich gives up on offense he more than makes up for on defense with his rebounding and shot blocking.