van-gundy-draft-pistons.jpg
Stan Van Gundy acknowledged some nervousness about Greg Monroe's free agency.
(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
AUBURN HILLS -- Stan Van Gundy gave his most direct assessment to date on Greg Monroe's free agency today, and for the first time admitted he finds some of the uncertainty a bit unnerving.
That doesn't change anything, the Detroit Pistons' president of basketball operations and head coach stressed, because the plan is in place no matter what Monroe decides or whose palms sweat in getting there.
"There's not really anything going on there right now," Van Gundy said. "There's not really a whole lot more that can go on. We'll just see where the situation takes us.
"Look, I'm not sweating it right now, because there's nothing that we can do at this point."
Still, Van Gundy also acknowledged that having his biggest piece of business sit unfinished, after two weeks of free agency, makes him "a little nervous."
"The nervousness is just the unknown," he said. "It's not knowing, beyond this year, especially, where you're going. But again, we have plenty of time, if something happened, to adjust for next year and everything else."
Asked if he has a timeline for finishing Monroe's business, Van Gundy somewhat ominously noted that the timeline is built into the process, citing the October deadline for Monroe to sign a qualifying offer.
If Monroe chooses that route, he would play for less than $5.5 million next season but become an unrestricted free agent in summer of 2015.
The Pistons have discussed a long-term contract with Monroe worth in the range of $12 million annually but the sides haven't agreed. Monroe also hasn't signed an offer sheet with another team, which the Pistons would have three days to match, or they would lose him without compensation.
The stakes are high for both sides.
The Pistons want Monroe back but their stance suggests they may be gambling he doesn't receive a maximum-contract offer, won't sign a qualifying offer to play for less than half his market value, and ultimately agrees to terms with them. If so, and if they're wrong, they could lose Monroe without compensation next summer, and have a potentially unhappy player next season.
Monroe could leverage a better offer on the open market, or get the Pistons to improve theirs with the threat of signing the qualifying offer. But if Monroe signs an offer sheet, the Pistons can match, which he may not want. And if the team is willing to endure a long summer of uncertainty, Monroe will have to decide if he really dislikes it here enough to take the qualifying offer's pay hit.
As free agency pushes ahead, diminished opportunities around the league could be one factor that pushes Monroe toward signing the Pistons' qualifying offer.
"Part of it is Greg and his agent, and their strategy -- if they're pursuing offers, or anything else," Van Gundy said. "It'll play out. I wouldn't say I'm not a little nervous about it. I am. But it's out of my control, at least at this point.
"Again, we've gone over everything, we know how we'll react in every situation. It's not going to throw us for a loop, no matter what happens."
-- Download the Detroit Pistons on MLive app for iPhone and Android
-- Like MLive's Detroit Pistons Facebook page