Detroit Pistons Need To Make Better Use Of Greg Monroe

A rested Greg Monroe is a much better Greg Monroe. Hopefully Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank has learned his lesson in that regard.

Monroe was horrible earlier this week in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets was a team Monroe had a field day against the first time this season with 27 points and 10 rebounds. But in the rematch, Monroe was 1-of-9 from the floor and was very ineffective.

Granted, Monroe is a pro and should be ready to play every game. But Frank could have used better judgment, knowing this was the fourth Pistons game in five days and while his nickname is ‘Moose,’ Monroe can’t be expected to play like one without the proper rest.

A rested Monroe played much better Friday night in the 107-105 NBA overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He saw almost 43 minutes of action and had 17 points while shooting 7-of-15 and eight rebounds.

But Monroe missed two free throws in the second overtime that proved costly. Joe Johnson hit a buzzer shot in the second overtime to win the game.

“Joe (Johnson) made a big shot obviously, but there were a number of plays where we missed free throws and we missed some rebounds,” Monroe said. “Other than that, we still put ourselves in a position to win the game. You can point at a number of plays and say it was the reason we lost.”

Monroe insists the Pistons aren’t getting down in the dumps.

“I don’t think anyone was frustrated,” he said. “We definitely wanted to win the game but we want to win every game. It was tough, but those small plays were big. It may not be on the stat sheet or something that you would want to replay, but those little plays are the ones that cost us the game tonight.”