The Detroit Pistons signed big man Greg Monroe to a one-year qualifying offer this offseason, heading into another season with three talented, but mismatched, big men. Monroe was offered a long-term deal by the Pistons, but opted to turn it down so he could test free agency.
Monroe insists that he hasn't ruled out coming back to Detroit though.
"The Pistons offered me a long-term deal, but after talking it over with the people that are most important -- my agent, some friends and my family, I decided to turn it down," he said.
"It isn't that I want to get out of the city of Detroit or this area -- I have loved it here since I arrived -- it is strictly a business decision based on my future as a basketball player." Monroe also said of turning down the contract, "This doesn't mean I'm leaving."
Monroe averaged 15.2 points and 9.3 rebounds last season, and at 24 years old is one of the few traditional centers left in the NBA. He has the versatility to play power forward as well, and projects as a good fit on the opposite block from 21-year-old center Andre Drummond.
The issue is Josh Smith, a hybrid forward who signed a four-year, $54 million contract that has three years remaining at $13.5 million a season. Smith's numbers suffered in Detroit last season-he dropped to 16.4 points and 6.8 rebounds-as he played out of position at small forward. While he would be an upgrade for many teams at the power forward position, his contract is prohibitive and difficult to trade.
Stan Van Gundy, hired this offseason as the coach and general manager, must find a way to coach the three successfully and figure out the plan going forward with all three. He told media that Monroe isn't disgruntled.
"Right now, I know that Greg is 100 percent committed to helping this team win this season, and I have no concerns that he's going to let the business side of things affect his game. We'll deal with next summer when we get there," Van Gundy said.
The Pistons do not plan on playing Smith at small forward though, meaning one of Smith, Monroe and Drummond will be coming off the bench. Van Gundy acknowledged that roles could ruffle feathers down the road.
"We intend to use Josh mainly at the 4 and Andre is, of course, going to be at the 5, while Greg can play both. I'm not worried about which two will start, because I know the important thing is that you develop a rotation that works for 48 minutes, but I also know that starting is important to players."
Based on the current landscape of the Pistons' contracts, Monroe may be the easier player to move than Smith, even if he's four years younger.
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