Monroe stakes a claim

If the Toronto game was rock bottom, perhaps the one consolation is that it forced Kuester to make a change. After a few weeks of ineffectiveness, Kuester benched Jason Maxiell in favor of Greg Monroe. I didn't understand Kuester's decision to start Maxiell in the first place. We've had five years to see what Jason Maxiell can do. In effect, he's a serviceable bench player who can provide energy in short bursts. Over the long haul, though, he's exposed as an undersized front-court player.

Besides, Greg Monroe needs minutes. Moving him alongside Big Ben made sense. It's strange that it took so long for this change. This is not a ringing endorsement of perhaps the lamest of all lame duck coaches - Kuester.

Monroe's first start resulted in a win. It was, sad to say, their first win over a team with a winning record (Atlanta). Monroe limited opposing power forward (and future all-star) Josh Smith to just 4 boards. Smith did notch 26 points, but his point total was aided by some very strange foul calls on Monroe - the growing pains of a rookie in the League. Smith shot a respectable 8-17 (47%), but that's a good sign for the Pistons considering the previous four opposing power forwards shot a combined 39-57 (a staggering 68%). So it wasn't a star-making turn by Monroe, but it proved he's significantly more effective than Maxiell.

When the Pistons drafted Monroe, he was known to be a finesse big man with a high basketball IQ. What they've discovered is that he's significantly more physical than his days in college. He's grown quickly as a defender, and the dude can board. If other teams knew he'd develop into a top-tier rebounder, I doubt he would've lasted until the 7th pick in the draft.

The Pistons' record stands at 8-18. They've lost so many games in gut-wrenching fashion that it's easy to dismiss the season and team as a complete bust. Yet, players like Monroe give the fans at least one reason to watch. A developing young player gives the fan base hope. Like Monroe, Tracy McGrady had a coming out party against the Hawks. While he's the opposite of "developing young player," McGrady showed flashes of his old self in a 4th quarter where he nailed 4 straight 3-pointers. T-Mac, to some extent, is back. He's still yet to prove he can provide this offense every night, but I'm convinced that any good the Pistons do this season will somehow involve Tracy McGrady.

After the game, Dumars said he's working the phones daily trying to find suitors for a trade. While it's not shocking news, it's at least proof that Dumars realizes the team he put together sucks. He needs to thin out the 2 and 3 spots and find some front-court help. With the team's ownership in flux, my guess is that he's hesitant to take on payroll, but I'm sure he's empowered to match payroll. Another option would be to trade a player for picks. The problem with that scenario is that any team interested in either Prince, Hamilton, Gordon, or Stuckey would likely be a playoff team looking for veteran stability. The draft picks in return would be in the 20s.

That's not great value, but it's better than nothing.