Central Notes: Monroe, Gibson, Rose, Jennings

The Bucks handed the Warriors their first loss of the season on Saturday night and offseason addition Greg Monroe was a key component to the team’s success. Monroe scored 28 points while adding 11 rebounds, five assists in 35.5 minutes of action. Monroe was expected to take Milwaukee to the next level, but the team has struggled up to this point, especially on the defensive end. The team now sits at 10-15, good for last in the Central Division, but the all-around effort during the win may serve as a momentum builder for the rest of season.

Here’s a look at a few of Milwaukee’s Central Division foes:

  • Taj Gibson is playing well in the starting lineup and he is too valuable for the Bulls to trade him away, Sam Smith of NBA.com opines in his latest mailbag. Smith cautions while it may seem like Chicago has a glut of big men and could easily make a trade, the threat of losing Joakim Noah, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, and Pau Gasol, who will likely opt out of his current deal, makes keeping Gibson on the team imperative.
  • Smith, in the same piece, believes a Derrick Rose trade is highly unlikely. The Bulls currently have no intention of trading Rose and even if they did, getting value back for a player with as much injury history as the point guard has will be difficult, the scribe adds.
  • Brandon Jennings will be a free agent at season’s end, but the point guard is just focusing on playing at a high level as he returns from a torn left Achilles tendon, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. “If I don’t come back the way I was last year, I’m going to be very upset with myself,” Jennings tells Ellis. “I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself first right now. I’m not thinking about re-signing here, not re-signing here. I’m just thinking about getting back on the court and taking care of business.” Jennings was the subject of trade rumors before the injury and once he returns to the court, those kind of talks will likely resurface again. Dana Guaruder of Hoops Rumors examined the chances of a Jennings deal in his Trade Candidate piece and speculated that the Nets and Knicks would be good fits if the Pistons decide to ship out the 26-year-old.
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