Monroe works his way back from calf strain
CLEVELAND – Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe isn’t used to being off the court and away from his team. Over his seven seasons in the NBA before this one, Monroe had only missed extended time once, sitting out 11 games during the 2014-’15 season due to a right knee injury.
Outside of that, the 6-foot-11 center has been durable and dependable, including in his first two seasons in Milwaukee when he played in all but five games, with those absences not always coming because of an injury.
So when his left calf started bothering him during the preseason, the 27year-old battled through it. He had shaken off bumps and bruises before
“It was a little nagging injury basically the whole season,” Monroe said. “Just tried to push through. I was able to play, though I wasn’t at 100%.”
Monroe played through Milwaukee’s first five games despite soreness in his calf. He could still do everything he normally would but admits the same level of power wasn’t there when he went to jump or push off his left leg.
His numbers across the board were down. The day after Milwaukee’s loss to the Boston Celtics on Oct. 26, Monroe felt more pain and tightness in his calf and the Bucks’ medical team determined he should get an MRI, which revealed a strain that would require about two weeks to heal.
Thus, Monroe found himself out for an extended period for just the second time in his career. Following a win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Bucks have struggled to three consecutive losses in Monroe’s absence. A trip to Quicken Loans Arena to face the Cleveland Cavaliers is next on the schedule at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“It’s always hard,” Monroe said of missing games. “You always want to be there for your teammates. I never want to miss a game. … I have to go through what I have to go through to get back and help them. I trust them. I know they’ll figure it out; there’s going to be stretches like this throughout the season.”
While the Bucks have spent most of the past week and half on the road, Monroe has remained in Milwaukee rehabbing He’s tried to mix the proper amount of rest with activity, starting with spot shooting and working his way back to running and doing regular basketball activities. On Sunday, he spent 45 minutes after the rest of the team was done practicing working on his post game and shooting with assistant coach Greg Foster and former all-star and current team broadcaster Vin Baker.
Outside of his practice time, though, Monroe has had to get used to something new — sitting at home and watching his teammates play on television.
“I’m not really that used to not being with the team,” Monroe said with a laugh. “I just sit down and watch it, honestly. … I just try to keep in touch with the game as much as possible.”
With Monroe out, the Bucks have been limited to John Henson and Thon Maker at the center position. Neither provides the bulk or interior scoring presence that Monroe does and his scoring output — he averaged 11.8 points per game last season — has left an unfilled void on Milwaukee’s bench.
His size and physicality have also been missed as the Bucks have faced three big, strong centers — Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams, Charlotte’s Dwight Howard and Detroit’s Andre Drummond — during their losing skid.
“We miss, for one, his toughness, his ability to score the ball, pass the ball and then help us rebound the ball,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “We definitely miss him.”
Monroe has stayed in contact with his teammates, trying to provide insights based on what he’s seen on television. When the team returned from Detroit for practice on Saturday, Monroe enjoyed the opportunity to be back in the locker room to get the pulse of the team and have conversations face-toface.