Greg Monroe Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Bucks, Pistons, Pacers

May 30th, 2014 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times that the team would retain GM John Hammond, assistant GM David Morway and coach Larry Drew for next season, but fellow co-owner Wesley Edens wouldn’t confirm that, according to Woelfel. Edens is the team’s representative on the Board of Governors, which would appear to give him final say. Bucks officials and executives around the league told Woelfel that former owner Herb Kohl became “livid” with Hammond last season, and that Kohl, had he not sold the team, would have fired the GM, Woelfel hears. There’s more on the Bucks amid the latest from the Central Division:

Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen bid $650MM for the Bucks earlier this year, with plans to move them to Seattle, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Kohl rejected the bid in favor of Edens and Lasry, who’ve pledged to keep the team in Milwaukee, but the indirect role Ballmer played in pushing for new arenas in Milwaukee, Minnesota and Sacramento is part of why the NBA finds him appealing for the Clippers, Windhorst hears.
Pistons boss Stan Van Gundy calls Andre Drummond and soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe an “ideal pairing,” but he also points to their shortcomings on defense and the team’s struggles with those two in the lineup together with Josh Smith. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has that and more from his conversation with Van Gundy.
The Pistons hired Brendan Malone and Bob Beyer as assistant coaches and cut ties with assistants Rasheed Wallace, Henry Bibby and Bernard Smith, the team formally announced. Beyer leaves the Hornets to take the job in Detroit. John Loyer, who served as the team’s interim head coach last season, remains as an assistant, but there’s a decent chance the team will reassign him, tweets Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
The NBA’s revenue sharing system paid the Pacers $15MM last season, multiple sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe, who also hears that the Grizzlies received that amount, too.

Lottery Fodder: Jazz, Kings, Hornets, Magic

May 20th, 2014 at 10:51pm CST by Alex Lee

With the order set for June’s NBA Draft, it’s only natural that we see an influx of mock drafts in the coming days. But Tuesday’s lottery tells us only the assets that most teams will start their draft process with, as plenty can happen between now and draft night on June 26th. After all, eight teams possess multiple first round picks with the Suns leading the way with three. The Sixers, meanwhile, have two picks in round one and five in round two, giving them plenty of ammo to pursue moves.

There’s a lot of draft fodder to come over the next five weeks, but let’s take a look at what is being said by the league’s decision-makers fresh off of Tuesday night’s lottery results:

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey, who owns picks five, 23 and 35, said that Utah may try to package those assets in a deal to move up, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that it’s hard not to look at Tuesday night as a letdown, adding that the Utah front office extolled the depth of this year’s draft class.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee spoke to Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro, whose team landed the eighth selection in the draft. D’Alessandro indicated that the Kings would be open to dealing the pick if a “game-changing” talent doesn’t fall to them. They could also trade up, Jones says, or looks to acquire a second round pick in what is a deep draft. (Twitter links)
Citing the franchise’s history of executing draft-related trades, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer predicts the Hornets will attempt to turn picks nine, 24 and 45, along with $17MM in cap space, into something bigger. Now that they have a centerpiece in Al Jefferson and assets to deal, Bonnell speculates the team could kick the tires on Kevin Love or restricted free agents Greg Monroe and Gordon Hayward.
The Magic will pick in the dreaded fourth position come June, presumably unable to land Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid unless something drastic changes by draft night. While there was plenty of disappointment in Orlando, Magic GM Rob Hennigan remained upbeat, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. “Certainly we would have liked to have seen the highest number possible for us. I think all the teams would. But we like where we’re sitting. We feel like we can get a good player, and we feel like we’ve got our work cut out for us here the next couple of weeks to figure out exactly who that is.”

Stan Van Gundy On Monroe, Drummond, Smith

May 15th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

There are conflicting reports about what Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy intends to do with soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe. Van Gundy has already spoken with the big man, and the new Pistons boss revealed in his introductory press conference today that he’s also had a chat with his agent, notes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News (Twitter link).

“I had a lengthy talk with David Falk,” Van Gundy said. “I want them to know I value him highly.”

The first-time executive won’t have an opportunity to ease in the job with a summer of key decisions ahead, and we’ll share more of what he revealed about his plans:

Van Gundy is also high on Andre Drummond, as MLive’s David Mayo observes (Twitter link). “There’s nothing about Andre Drummond that doesn’t appeal to me.”
The former Heat and Magic coach said that he’ll keep the future in mind but he wants to win as much as possible right away, Mayo tweets.
Van Gundy believes Monroe, Drummond and Josh Smith fit together in some situations, but he also acknowledged a need for perimeter spacing, as Mayo observes (Twitter link). “You can take that any way you want,” Van Gundy said.
Reports have indicated that Van Gundy is considering Otis Smith to assist him in the front office, and Van Gundy confirmed in a radio appearance with Mike Bianchi on 740 The Game in Orlando that he’d indeed consider hiring his former Boss with the Magic.

Pistons Unlikely To Re-Sign Greg Monroe?

May 14th, 2014 at 12:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:44pm: Van Gundy’s admiration of Monroe doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t sense the need to trade to trade him, Deveney contends (Twitter link).

12:03pm: Monroe may still wind up on another team, as a max offer from a rival suitor would make his future with Detroit a “dicey” proposition, Ellis tweets. Still, the Pistons don’t want him to simply walk away in free agency, Ellis also says, and that’s more in line with Deveney’s report, which indicates that Van Gundy will seek a sign-and-trade for Monroe.

11:54am: Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press contradicts Deveney’s story, having heard from a source who says Van Gundy is a major fan of Monroe’s and called him last night when he reached a deal to join the team (Twitter link).

10:35am: There’s “near certainty” among executives around the NBA that the Pistons’ hiring of Stan Van Gundy as coach and president of basketball operations signals that the team won’t bring back restricted free agent Greg Monroe, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The Bobcats and Lakers are the teams that league executives believe are most likely to sign Monroe to maximum-salary offer sheets, and they think the Pelicans, in Monroe’s native Louisiana, will be one of the big man’s preferred destinations, according to Deveney.

Van Gundy will prioritize finding a sign-and-trade deal that will allow the Pistons to recoup assets in return for Monroe, Deveney writes. Van Gundy was ahead of the curve when he coached the Magic and used stretch forward Rashard Lewis as the big man next to Dwight Howard, as Deveney points out, and it seems as though he’ll seek to do so again in Detroit with Andre Drummond. The Pistons offense bogged down this season with Drummond, Monroe and Josh Smith, none of whom are outside shooters, all clogging the lane.

The prospects for Monroe’s return to Detroit appeared questionable, at best, under former president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who failed to come to an extension agreement with the David Falk client this past autumn. Falk generally opposes such extensions unless they’re for the max. The one-time super-agent connected Roy Hibbert with the Blazers, who were willing to make a max bid for him in 2012, prompting the Pacers to ink him at the same terms before Portland had a chance to snatch him away, as Deveney notes.

The Sporting News scribe also points to Falk’s ties to Charlotte owner Michael Jordan, whom he represented during his playing days. The soon-to-be Hornets have about $41.1MM in commitments, not counting their first-round pick or Josh McRoberts‘ player option, worth more than $2.77MM. Charlotte could also wind up with another first-round pick if the Pistons slip in next week’s lottery, but they’ll probably wind up with enough flexibility for Monroe’s max, worth approximately 25% of next season’s salary cap, as I explained earlier this week. Monroe would likely qualify for a first-year salary of up to $14-15MM.

The Lakers payroll for next season allows for plenty of flexibility, so fitting in a max offer for Monroe would pose no trouble. They’ll probably target more eye-catching names, like Carmelo Anthony, before proceeding to Monroe, Deveney writes, but Monroe is among their most attractive alternatives. He’s fifth in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.

The Pelicans seem like a less likely option, even given Monroe’s local ties, since they already have Anthony Davis and more than $54MM in commitments for next season, providing less than $10MM in cap flexibility. Pelicans GM Dell Demps has acknowledged that the summer ahead won’t give his team the chance to make a free agent push.

Pistons owner Tom Gores was reportedly torn on what to do about Monroe before the deal with Van Gundy came together, but it seems his hiring has crystallized the team’s plans regarding the 6’11” former seventh overall pick who’ll turn 24 in June. Now, Van Gundy faces a stiff challenge of his front office skills, as yet untested, as he seeks fair compensation in return for the rising star.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Pistons, Knicks, Nets

May 13th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Cavs GM David Griffin was especially vehement when he told reporters today that Kyrie Irving wasn’t behind the team’s decision to fire Mike Brown, pounding the table in front of him as he spoke, observes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. People close to Irving weren’t pleased with Brown, but Irving himself expressed a mix of positive and negative feelings on the former coach, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal details. Here’s more on the Cavs and the rest of the Eastern Conference:

Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo and Bucks assistant GM David Morway were rumored to be in the mix for the Cavs front office job before the team removed GM David Griffin‘s interim tag, according to Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
Pistons owner Tom Gores was torn on what to do about Greg Monroe and Josh Smith in addition to how to fill his coaching and front office vacancies before Stan Van Gundy entered the picture, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets. In any case, Gores has been looking to hire a “name,” according to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News (Twitter link).
The Knicks are seeking to trade cash for a pick late in this year’s draft, as Marc Berman of the New York Post reports amid a story on the team’s pursuit of Steve Kerr. New York is without a pick in either the first or the second round.
The Nets hold the draft rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, but they don’t expect to sign him anytime soon, and Bogdanovic is nearing a new deal with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker that will cover two or three seasons, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. The pact will likely include a lower NBA buyout price than the $2MM called for in his existing contract with the team, Varlas adds.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel thinks the Magic should consider trading up to pick Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker or Joel Embiid if Orlando misses out on one of the top three picks in the lottery. The Magic are in line for the No. 3 pick but could fall as low as No. 6.

And-Ones: Free Agency, NBAPA, Lottery

May 11th, 2014 at 8:28am CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s free agent signing period begins in July, and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders breaks down where he thinks the big name free-agents like Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, Greg Monroe, and Kyle Lowry will end up and how much he thinks they will sign for.

Stein On Hawks Offseason

May 4th, 2014 at 10:27am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Pacers last night by a score of 92-80, eliminating them from the playoffs. Marc Stein of ESPN.com weighed in on some of the issues the team will deal with this offseason. Here are the highlights:

Stein opines that GM Danny Ferry will let other teams around the league know that they have lots of assets and are willing to use them in the trade market if the opportunity presents itself.
The Hawks want to acquire another major piece for their roster. The team knows that they need at least one more star player even if Al Horford makes a full recovery from the shoulder separations he’s endured these past two seasons.
That piece might be Pistons restricted free agent Greg Monroe, opines Stein. The article notes the close ties between Monroe’s agent, David Falk and Ferry, who Falk used to represent.
One of the Hawks priorities this offseason will be the continuing development of Dennis Schröder, who never emerged as the backup to Jeff Teague that they hoped he would become. In 49 games, Schröder averaged 3.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 13.1 minutes per contest.

Pistons Notes: Monroe, GM Search, Gores

April 20th, 2014 at 9:05am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons need to hire a new GM after Joe Dumars stepped down from the position. Whoever takes the job has one big decision looming in regards to what do do with Greg Monroe, writes Dave Pemberton of The Oakland Press. Monroe is a restricted free agent, only 23 years old, and coming off a season where he averaged 15.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Pemberton opines that Monroe’s agent David Falk will seek at least $15MM a season for his client. The article also uses Roy Hibbert‘s situation from two years ago as a reference for what tactics Falk might employ to up Monroe’s final price tag.

Central Notes: Bucks, Monroe, Billups, Pistons

April 17th, 2014 at 8:47pm CST by Alex Lee

Earlier tonight we broke down the bevy of news coming out of Cleveland. Here is what is going on in the rest of the Central Division on Thursday night:

Once the dust settles from the Bucks ownership change, many league insiders expect the new regime to make changes in the front office and on the coaching staff in Milwaukee, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. As Kyler notes, general manager John Hammond and assistant GM David Morway are both under contract for two more seasons. Head coach Larry Drew inked a four-year, $10MM pact last summer.
Soon-to-be restricted free agent Greg Monroe spent what might be his last season with the Pistons keeping his head down and concentrating on his own production, writes Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggests the Pistons would probably exercise their $2.5MM team option on Chauncey Billups for next season if the 37-year-old elects not to retire, but it seems questionable that the team would commit to that kind of money to him.
Several Pistons players conceded that chemistry issues plagued the team all season, with Brandon Jennings admitting that he never would have agreed to come to Detroit last summer had he known how things would turn out, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Based on player comments, Mayo infers that veteran Josh Smith, the team’s highest paid player, is one of the reasons for the team’s fractured locker room. In a separate piece, Ellis concurs.

And-Ones: Young, Cavs, Pistons, Turner

April 13th, 2014 at 8:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kentucky freshman James Young hasn’t made a decision on if he’s entering the NBA Draft yet, reports The Kentucky Advocate Messenger. Young’s godfather, Sean Mahone said, “I am not even certain what the deadline is for deciding. That shows how we are not fixated on the draft. That is just an innocent admission of where we are and what we have been thinking about. It’s just been chaos the last few weeks during this incredible run with a lot of late night worries and anxiety and then some great, great moments. That was our focus, not next year.”