Greg Monroe is having a weird summer.
Restricted free agency ruined any chance he had of a quiet vacation. A months-long dance with the Detroit Pistons that culminated in neither a new contract nor sign-and-trade finally ended with him signing a qualifying offer, making it so he can explore unrestricted free agency next summer.
That should have been the end of everything. Except it wasn’t.
The NBA suspended Monroe for two games after learning he pleaded guilty to “impaired driving” in April. And that still isn’t the end.
Additional details have emerged about his rest, and they’ve been brought to us by MLive’s Gus Burns:
Detroit Pistons’ forward Greg Monroe, who is facing a two-game suspension after NBA officials learned he pleaded guilty to impaired driving in April, “urinated on himself during the booking process,” the Huntington Woods police report documenting his arrest says.
Huntington Woods police released video footage of the Feb. 13 stop and arrest, which stemmed from a defective headlight, on Wednesday.
“I’m just trying not to be in the newspaper,” Monroe is heard saying to the officers during his transport to jail.
“I play for the Pistons,” Monroe said.
“You play for the Detroit Pistons,” asks one of the officers in the vehicle. “Unless you told people that are going to tell people, we don’t tell people,” an officer is heard saying.
Monroe failed the sobriety test he was given, missing a letter while reciting the alphabet. The report, per Burns, also says that he was “swaying when asked to count backwards to 78 from 100 and unable to walk a straight line.”
What a way to end the summer. Or rather, what a way to start it.
If this happened in April, it’s bizarre that we’re hearing about it now, approximately five months later. One has to wonder if the Pistons knew before everyone else, and if Monroe’s off-court decision-making—whether it’s a one-off or not—factored into their free-agency approach.
To his credit, the big man did release a statement via the Pistons, apologizing for his actions:
“I take full responsibility for my actions and made a regrettable mistake,” Monroe said in a prepared statement released by the Pistons. “I apologize to my family, the Pistons organization, my teammates and fans. I will learn from this and continue by work to be a positive influence in the community.”
Pretty standard stuff here. You can neither doubt Monroe’s sincerity nor try to measure it. My whole thing? The timing. Why is he apologizing five months later if he’s actually sorry? Perhaps the Pistons found out about his arrest closer to its occurrence and suggested he wait. I’m inclined to roll with that, albeit blindly.
Focus now turns to Monroe’s 2014-15 campaign. He took a risk by signing his qualifying offer and will need to increase his stock somehow before next summer if he wants said gamble to pay off.
The Pistons don’t figure to contend for anything more than a bottom-two or -three playoff spot, and they still house Josh Smith, so Monroe’s ability to shine is up in the air. Floor-spacing remains an issue, even after the additions—and overpays—of Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler. Monroe isn’t a stretch power forward, so the Pistons need to give him space down low. That’s tough to come by when playing beside Smith and Andre Drummond.
Increasing his range wouldn’t hurt. Stretch forwards are hot commodities, and the more extensive Monroe’s shooting touch, the easier it is to implement him into any system; and the easier it is to implement him, the more likely it is he’ll find the payday he’s seeking.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
