How good would a Jared Sullinger/Greg Monroe duo be

[Vermont Green]

I have not seen Detroit play much this year but it seemed to me that Monroe did better when he was the primary center.  All things equal, I would trade Green for him but I don't want to pay Monroe a max contract.  He will be a restricted free agent and who knows what crazy offer he might get.

That would be the risk in this trade.  We could lose Monroe after only part of one year or we could be forced to overpay him.  He will probably want more than Sanders money ($11M) which is OK depending on how much more.  I am less concerned about how he would play with Sullinger.  I think that could be worked out.

[BballTim]

Not as good as the Monroe and Drummond duo.

Obvious. Captain.

Underlying point (if not obvious):  Monroe and Drummond aren't exactly lighting the world on fire as a duo... so it should temper your enthusiasm for the Monroe and Sully duo.  It clearly wouldn't be as good as what the Pistons have going for them right now as-is.

  Sullinger isn't a lesser version of Drummond, he's a different type of player. Better scorer but not the same rebounder. Another way of looking at it is to compare Monroe to Bass and consider the improvement to our lineup.

The problem in Detroit is not the Monroe/Drummond duo, it's the fact that trying to make a SF out of Josh Smith is asking for trouble.

  I agree.

[BballTim]

Not as good as the Monroe and Drummond duo.

Obvious. Captain.

Underlying point (if not obvious):  Monroe and Drummond aren't exactly lighting the world on fire as a duo... so it should temper your enthusiasm for the Monroe and Sully duo.  It clearly wouldn't be as good as what the Pistons have going for them right now as-is.

  Sullinger isn't a lesser version of Drummond, he's a different type of player. Better scorer but not the same rebounder. Another way of looking at it is to compare Monroe to Bass and consider the improvement to our lineup.

The current duo they have is a lot stronger than a Monroe/Sully duo

Drummond anchors their defense and is definitely a better rebounder.

  The Pistons defense is better with Drummond on the bench (at least it was through mid-Dec) and from Monroe's 82games lineups the defense doesn't seem much worse with Smith/Monroe than it does with Drummond in the middle. I think that Drummond will improve in the future but his current level of play is somewhat overrated. I think Sully/Monroe would be good on offense and pretty good on defense, and both players are pretty good rebounders.

  Honestly I think we could do pretty well if you paired any of Drummond/Monroe/Smith with Sully.

[jambr380]

I have not seen Detroit play much this year but it seemed to me that Monroe did better when he was the primary center.  All things equal, I would trade Green for him but I don't want to pay Monroe a max contract.  He will be a restricted free agent and who knows what crazy offer he might get.

That would be the risk in this trade.  We could lose Monroe after only part of one year or we could be forced to overpay him.  He will probably want more than Sanders money ($11M) which is OK depending on how much more.  I am less concerned about how he would play with Sullinger.  I think that could be worked out.

This is kind of like the fears of everybody thinking Josh Smith would get a max contract, but he really only signed for essentially what he was already making (~13 mill).

I get that Monroe is younger and his max # isn't like Lebron's max #, but I see him more in the 11-13 mill range. He is very good and he is a center, but he has also been extremely consistent these past three years (removing his rookie year) - around 15/9.5 with some other stats sprinkled in. These are solid numbers, but they also aren't superstar numbers either.

I would be satisfied with a Green for Monroe swap, but not because I think Monroe is way better than Green - they are probably pretty similar talent-wise. I just think the fits for each team make sense.

Go out and grab a guy like Shumpert for Bradley (not totally even) and we would have a more balanced line-up or find a way to make a deal for a guy like Harrison Barnes.

[rondoallaturca]

I get that Monroe is younger and his max # isn't like Lebron's max #, but I see him more in the 11-13 mill range. He is very good and he is a center, but he has also been extremely consistent these past three years (removing his rookie year) - around 15/9.5 with some other stats sprinkled in. These are solid numbers, but they also aren't superstar numbers either.

This is the main reason I think Monroe is overrated, and certainly would not pay him $11-13M. The fact that Monroe has not improved a single bit so far in his career is really concerning. His overall numbers might remain consistent, but game to game his focus is extremely fluctuating, and he can just as easily drop a monstrous stat line as a complete dud. Given his poor work ethic and production so far in his career, there is no way I would want to bring him in as my center of the future.

Having Sullinger around further compounds my lack of interest in Monroe. Their skill sets are sort of redundant, and while a previous poster did point out that Monroe is better than Sullinger (a point I won't disagree with), the difference in salary does not reflect the difference in talent. Furthermore, Sullinger has actually demonstrated significant development in his game as well as his leadership skills, something one could not attest to for Monroe.

[manl_lui]

I have not seen Detroit play much this year but it seemed to me that Monroe did better when he was the primary center.  All things equal, I would trade Green for him but I don't want to pay Monroe a max contract.  He will be a restricted free agent and who knows what crazy offer he might get.

That would be the risk in this trade.  We could lose Monroe after only part of one year or we could be forced to overpay him.  He will probably want more than Sanders money ($11M) which is OK depending on how much more.  I am less concerned about how he would play with Sullinger.  I think that could be worked out.

This is kind of like the fears of everybody thinking Josh Smith would get a max contract, but he really only signed for essentially what he was already making (~13 mill).

I get that Monroe is younger and his max # isn't like Lebron's max #, but I see him more in the 11-13 mill range. He is very good and he is a center, but he has also been extremely consistent these past three years (removing his rookie year) - around 15/9.5 with some other stats sprinkled in. These are solid numbers, but they also aren't superstar numbers either.

I would be satisfied with a Green for Monroe swap, but not because I think Monroe is way better than Green - they are probably pretty similar talent-wise. I just think the fits for each team make sense.

Go out and grab a guy like Shumpert for Bradley (not totally even) and we would have a more balanced line-up or find a way to make a deal for a guy like Harrison Barnes.

I would like that

Shumpert is basically a bigger Bradley, who is also a better offensive player imo. Aside from offense, he's actually a pretty good sized SG. Monroe can help us at the center position which solves some of our rebounding woes. Sad to see Green go if this does happen, but I think this saves us money and make us better slightly but not by much.

Spending power is key. If we do end up sucking for the rest of the year and get a top 10 pick, we can draft a SF

[crimson_stallion]

I'd be thrilled with that trade.  I think Monroe is by far the best Center that is available right now.  He's still young, he's close to a 7 footer, and IMHO he's been playing like a borderline All-Star for about 3 seasons now.

I don't think it's a stretch to see him becoming a top 4 or 5 center in the league in the near future.


I do believe he's better than Sully right now, and I believe he has higher upside as well.  I think Sully's upside is that of a borderline All-Star (think All Harrington or Carlos Boozer at their peak) whereas I think Monroe will be a multi-time All-Star (think Chris Bosh), especially in the East.

If we could get Monroe I'd do it in a heart beat, and if it didn't work I'd keep him and trade Sully out for a more athletic, defensive minded PF who better compliments Monroe.  To be honest I think Josh Smith + Monroe would make a great PF/C combo, but I think the presense of Drummond ruins that, as it forces both of those guys out of position.

[Celtics4ever]

Illegal defense rules, hand checks, 3 point lines importance, etc.

Which might make it easier I think to score out of the post.  They can't hand check now, nor grab jerseys.  If we had a valid three point threat to play off these guys you could go inside out a lot and score.  I think this would help us but we'd need the personnel.   Can Bradley be that outside threat?  A less physical game today and even the no charge circle could help post play.

The main reason post play has declined is not that it doesn't work.  It's AAU ball, no one has time to learn post moves because they are playing all the time.

http://www.businessinsider.com/kobe-bryant-slams-aau-2013-10

http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1r6q9f/charles_barkley_brings_up_a_good_point_is_the/

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/58828/steve-kerr-on-the-age-limit-and-aau

Sully is throw back and he does just fine so does Big Al, it still works and could work.   I think it would be easier today as the post players are not as skilled.

[kozlodoev]

Illegal defense rules, hand checks, 3 point lines importance, etc.

Which might make it easier I think to score out of the post.  They can't hand check now, nor grab jerseys.

I thought the hand-checking rules apply above the extended FT-line.

[vjcsmoke]

So let's say we get Asik for Bass and Monroe for Jeff Green.  Plus we have Sullinger, Hump, and KO in the mix.  That's a solid set of 4/5s right there.  Most likely we let Hump walk or trade him for some asset if we can move up for a higher draft pick...