2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions: Detroit Pistons Will Regret Letting Greg Monroe Walk! Stan Van Gundy May Have Made His First Fatal Mistake!
The 2014 NBA Free Agency Rumors & Predictions are almost done and there will soon be lists of winners and losers. The Detroit Pistons started with a lot of positivity but ended up with the worst case scenario for Greg Monroe which will bring challenges to Stan Van Gundy's doorstep.
The Pistons lost out in the draft lottery as they have a draft debt to Charlotte (for taking Ben Gordon off their hands). It was top 8 protected and the Pistons wanted to use it now. They were at the 8th spot when Cleveland made history by jumping into the forefront again-kicking the Pistons out of the first round in a loaded draft.
That pick eventually ended up to be Noah Vonleh, an athletic power forward whom the Pistons could use now, considering what happened with Greg Monroe.
SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys raises the question: did Stan Van Gundy make his first major blunder? Is he the one to blame? Granted, he was inheriting an awkward situation with a dysfunctional lineup, but what did he do wrong from a leverage standpoint?
"Van Gundy was faced with three choices: 1. Re-sign Monroe to a multi-year deal 2. Sign-and-trade Monroe 3. Let Monroe walk for nothing.
Monroe's decision to take his qualifying offer is essentially option No. 3 but in slow, excruciating motion. And it could represent the first major mistake of Van Gundy's tenure in Detroit. All before a single game has been played or practice has been held.
Whether it was foisted upon him or it was his plan all along, Van Gundy stands to lose Monroe for absolutely nothing following the season. He reportedly turned down multiple sign-and-trade opportunities for Monroe. He decided to turn down the chance to receive assets either because he was confident Monroe would eventually re-sign on Van Gundy's terms or because Van Gundy had a plan for free agency and valued those freed up dollars more than players and/or picks."
SVG may have avoided the often criticized option of trading for three quarters for the dollar, but because of his gamble, he might end up with nothing.
He will have Monroe on a discount for a year and if SVG is better coach than he is a President for Basketball Operations (and this is a safer bet) the Pistons might actually make the playoff and from there, who knows?
But Van Gundy and the Pistons fans know that it's a tall order-taller than the center-forward they stand to lose.