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New York Knicks News: Greg Monroe To Meet With Team

By Kenneth Teape

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New York Knicks News: Greg Monroe To Meet With Team When Free Agency Begins Wednesday

When the NBA Free Agency period begins next Wednesday, the New York Knicks are expected to be very aggressive. With a ton of cap space available, there will assuredly be a ton of rumors involving the Knicks and possible additions. There will be a ton of meetings with players, and the Knicks will try to sell them on their plans and entice them to sign a contract in New York. One player we know the Knicks will be meeting with is Detroit Pistons power forward Greg Monroe.

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Monroe, who just finished his fifth season in the NBA, will be an unrestricted free agent next week after accepting a one-year qualifying offer last season. Becoming an unrestricted free agent is all Monroe wanted, and he will now be getting his wish. One team that he is expected to talk to is the Knicks.

In addition to the Knicks, the other known teams that Monroe is expected to have meetings with are the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics. The other two or three teams are not known at this time, but teams pursuing LaMarcus Aldridge, such as the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers could turn their attention to the former Georgetown product if they miss on Aldridge. Surprisingly for some, the only team Monroe has played for in his career, the Pistons, is not mentioned on potential visits. According to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that is the case, as the writing has been on the wall for a while.

Some of that writing on the wall came from Monroe’s agent, David Falk. Back in April, Falk gave some strong indications that the Knicks would be one of Monroe’s top choices. They have kept things civil, saying the Pistons still have a chance to retain Monroe’s services, with Monroe even going as far as to say they had the upper hand with free agency closing in. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case in the Pistons’ eyes, as head coach and executive Stan Van Gundy didn’t express much optimism in Monroe returning.

While we now know for sure that Monroe will be visiting the Knicks, this is a rumor that has been building for a while. Also back in April, there were rumors swirling that Monroe to the Knicks was as close as you could get to a done deal. Of course, Monroe denied those reports, as it would be illegal for the Knicks to negotiate with Monroe at any time prior to Wednesday.

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Last season Monroe averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Monroe is improving defensively, and is already one of the better rebounders in the league, as his 10.2 ranked him 10th overall last season. Also, his skill set offensively fits perfectly into the Triangle Offense the Knicks run. Also, of course, the Knicks are armed with the cap space to give Monroe a max contract if they so desire, as Monroe will be looking to maximize his earnings this summer as a free agent.

Next: Is David West a target in free agency?

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