The Milwaukee Bucks are keeping a tight lid on the fate of Greg Monroe. Trade rumors continue to mount for the 26-year-old center-forward though nothing more to that has materialized.
Several teams have been mentioned as possible landing spots. The New York Knicks were mentioned but the team that came close to taking him in were the New Orleans Pelicans according to ESPN.
Homecoming for Greg Monroe
Seeing Monroe return to New Orleans made sense. The 6-foot-11 cager hails from there and given the chance, there is no question that this is a place where he would love to end up.
If so, Monroe finds himself in a similar situation he was in when he was with still with the Detroit Pistons. He worked alongside Andre Drummond but never really broke out of the second-fiddle role. But compared to his performance with the Bucks, Monroe was more effective back then.
With New Orleans, he will end up sliding back to that position behind the team’s franchise player – Anthony Davis. It may be a big sacrifice on his end but given his dilapidating stock, that will have to do for now.
Monroe needs to rebuild himself and a change of scenery could do the trick. Of the teams that he could possibly end with, there is no better place to do that other than ‘home’.
Monroe needs to man up defensively
Monroe has been known for his performance on both ends though he may need to work on his defensive awareness. Assuming he does land in New Orleans, he could either play alongside Davis or spell the star forward.
Either way, he needs to establish himself as a defensive presence and not solely focus on rebounds and points. He needs to work on being a better rim protector, something expected from someone his size.
Right now, Monroe’s fate is afloat. A homecoming is the best option though it does not discount other landing spots for the former first-round pick (7th) back in 2010.
