Should The Boston Celtics Target Greg Monroe?

The Reasons Against:

Despite Monroe’s ability to put up points and rebounds, he really fails to address the Celtics’ biggest need in the middle and that is rim protection. Even with his 6’11” frame Monroe has averaged just 0.6 blocks per game over the course of his four-year career and is unlikely to ever really be a force on the defensive end.

He is quite slow-footed and plays below the rim, so he relies heavily on his strength and size to defend the paint. While they have some excellent defenders on the perimeter, the Celtics badly need to find a big man who can anchor the defense from the paint and Monroe is simply not that player.

The Celtics also have a number of young, talented big men on the roster who look poised to break out as early as this season. The likes of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk and new addition Tyler Zeller all have the chance to shine if given extended playing time and have shown in the past they can put up big numbers when given the opportunity.

All three have similarities to Monroe in that they are much more effective as scorers and rebounders rather than being lockdown defenders, so there is a question as to how much more Monroe would add to the team than the existing crop of bigs.

The most likely reason for any team to hesitate in pursuing Monroe has to be the cost. We have seen huge money shelled out for free agents so far in the offseason and productive young big men are almost assured of a near-max contract. Monroe has already turned down a lucrative offer to extend with the Pistons, instead opting for free agency and would almost certainly command in excess of $12 million per season over four years.

Not only would you have to pay Monroe, but you would also need to give up considerable assets in any trade, essentially doubling the cost for a talented, but not a star player.

The Celtics would quite literally be banking on Monroe developing further and becoming a stronger two-way player throughout his contract to be worth the cost of not only his contract, but the assets you would lose in a trade to get him.