Greg Monroe started the 2016-17 NBA season as a second-unit staple for the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, however, he appears to be an afterthought, and following Milwaukee’s Saturday night loss to the Golden State Warriors, he didn’t sound happy about it.
Per Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
I asked Monroe about barely playing last 2 games (he played 2 minutes Saturday): "You've got to ask him," he said of coach Kidd.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) November 20, 2016
Monroe: "Of course I want to play."
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) November 20, 2016
These answers aren’t particularly emotional, nor are they out of line. Monroe wants to play, and he’s not playing. It’s that simple.
Over the last three games, all losses, Monroe has totaled less than 10 minutes, including one “Did Not Play” against the Miami Heat. There’s no way to spin that as normal. He is the Bucks’ highest paid player; coming off the bench at all, while a seemingly solid fit, was a borderline bizarre use of his services.
Granted, the Bucks’ last three games have come against teams that like to space the floor and, at times, run small and/or with playmaking 5s: the Atlanta Hawks, Heat and Warriors. Monroe was providing some rim protection at the beginning of the season, but he’s no match for Dwight Howard or Hassan Whiteside or the Warriors’ various Death Squads.
Maybe, then, Jason Kidd’s decision was systemic, and Monroe will get more spin in the coming games. Or maybe he’s that committed to making the duo of Miles Plumlee and John Henson work up front. Whatever the issue—and it’s certainly not Monroe’s play from a production standpoint—this latest anecdote won’t do anything to quell rumors of the big man’s availability.
