Sports

Monroe happy to be with Pistons, vice versa

Published: Sunday, June 27, 2010

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By DAVE PEMBERTON
JRC News Service

AUBURN HILLS — Some players like to use where they were drafted as motivation. Detroit Pistons' first-round pick Greg Monroe has a different view.

"A lot of people say I ended up here," Monroe said Saturday. "I feel like you can't end up somewhere you're supposed to be. I feel like this is the place I belong, and that's why I'm here.

"They wanted me, and this is a great situation (with) the players, Joe Dumars, the coach. I'm very grateful to be here and I'm just ready to get started."

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars made it clear the team was delighted to draft Monroe, as well as second-round pick Terrico White from Mississippi.

"Both of these guys are terrific basketball players," Dumars said. "We think that they're going to help us. We like their skill sets. We like all the things that they do on the basketball court.

"I think what you're also going to find out is (they are) two very humble, down to earth young guys. ... They got their heads on straight. I think they are going to make this organization proud. I think they are going to make their families, their friends, everybody they represent, they are going to make them proud. They are going to make the Pistons proud on and off the court, and that's important to us."

The soft-spoken Monroe should be a good fit for the Pistons, who were hoping to land a big man.

The 6-foot-11 Monroe is aware of the Pistons' struggles up front last season, and said he is willing to help any way he can.

Monroe, who played both power forward and center in college, is comfortable playing either in the NBA.

He played in the Princeton offense at Georgetown, and is confident his game will translate better in the more open NBA game. Continued...

"Of course you're going to see a big difference," Monroe said. "This style of offense is more open. Princeton style is more structured. You still have to make reads and be a basketball player, but there is a lot of patterns you have to follow.

"Here, it's more open, more free. With anyone, you're going to see a different side of them. In any college system there is structure — here it's more open, and players make most of the plays on their own."

One of the knocks on Monroe leading up to the draft was his athleticism. Monroe addressed those concerns on Saturday.

"I'm just a big believer in, this is basketball," Monroe said. "Track and field, that would be a problem. I just have to be athletic enough to make plays.

"They say I'm not as athletic as some of these other people in the draft, but my rebounding numbers are the same, my blocking numbers are around the same. I think it's about who can make plays, not who can jump higher."

Monroe will wear No. 10 for the Pistons, which was formerly worn by bad boy Dennis Rodman. Monroe is hopeful to follow in Rodman's footsteps on the court, but not necessarily off the court.

"I'm just going to try to be as good a rebounder as he was," Monroe said. "And less eccentric."

As excited as Dumars was to draft Monroe, he was also pleased to see White fall to the second round. Dumars expected the Mississippi guard to be gone before the second round started.

"We had this guy going in the mid-20s," Dumars said. "Terrico is a guy that our scouting staff followed. They scouted him extensively, they knew his game. Terrico didn't work out for us, neither did Greg, because they weren't supposed to be on the board when we drafted. The fact that both of these guys are sitting with us right now is the reason we feel really fortunate."

White, considered to be a combo guard, said Saturday he is more comfortable playing the point because of his size. Continued...

"Whatever I play, it doesn't matter," White said. "I'm going to come in and work hard, extremely hard.

"I'm 6-5. I'm not big for a two guard in this league, but my size, I'm pretty much bigger than all the point guards. ... I played quarterback in high school so I'm used to leading teams. Playing point guard is really more comfortable for me."

Monroe and White will get a chance to show what they can do on the Pistons summer league team, which will compete in Las Vegas July 9-18. Monroe and White will join second-year players Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers on the summer league roster.

Undrafted free agent A.J. Slaughter of Western Kentucky will also be on the Pistons summer league roster, which will be released next week.

Dave Pemberton covers the Pistons for The Oakland Press. E-mail him at dave.pemberton@oakpress.com and follow him on Twitter @drpemberton.

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