Residents of Greater Milwaukee reported several sightings of a lion roaming the area during the summer of 2015. A police search for the big cat was unproductive.
Now there’s a moose on the loose, and that has been substantiated.
Greg Monroe was given the nickname “Moose” when one of his classmates at Helen Cox High School of Harvey, La., wrote it on a chalkboard, and it was later included on a poster of Monroe that he brought with him to Georgetown University.
Thanks to former Hoyas teammate DaJuan Summers, the moniker followed Monroe into the NBA when the two were reunited as members of the Detroit Pistons.
Monroe enjoyed a productive first five seasons as a pro, averaging 14.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings are the only two players in the NBA who have totaled at least 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in each of the last four seasons.
The Milwaukee Bucks announced on July 10 that they had signed Monroe to a free-agent contract, and the 6-foot-11-inch center/forward has quickly made himself at home in his new habitat.
Monroe collected 18 points, eight rebounds and sank 8-of-9 free throws against his former teammates during the Bucks’ exhibition game with the Pistons on Oct. 10, then came up with 19 points and 13 rebounds in a preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 13.
“I definitely like the position I’ll be in with this team,” Monroe said. “With the personnel it has, I definitely think I’ll fit in really well with these guys. Obviously we’re still learning each other. That always takes time. I think we’ll be fine.
“It’s very obvious that these guys have put a lot of work in over the summer. I’m definitely looking forward to actually working on things we’ll be doing in games and starting to jell together.”
Monroe’s decision to sign with the Bucks rather than such big-market teams as the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers raised more than a few eyebrows around the league.
Two of those belong to former Bucks forward Marques Johnson, who has since joined the Bucks’ television broadcast team for 2015-16.
“The thing that impressed me the most here was the fact that you had a Greg Monroe, who had a chance to go to the Lakers – not a good team from last year, but still the Lakers, a team with a lot of tradition; he had a chance to maybe go to the Knicks -- not a good team, but still the Knicks – and he chooses the Milwaukee Bucks.
“That speaks volumes to me about the direction in which the franchise is headed.”
Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd believes Monroe’s signing with the Bucks sent a message, and he hopes it sets a trend.
“I think it just shows that there are no more big or small markets; it’s about winning,” Kidd said. “If you ask Greg, he wanted to be a part of something that was going in the right direction and about winning. If you look around free agency, it’s not about the city; it’s about the team winning. They want to be a part of that.
“I guess the best example of that is San Antonio. They’ve been doing it for so long and they continue to get free agents when people think they’re not. Hopefully we can get in that same category one day.”
Bucks swingman Khris Middleton and Monroe were teammates with the Pistons during Middleton’s rookie season of 2012-13 before Middleton was traded to the Bucks along with Brandon Knight and Viacheslav Kravtsov for Brandon Jennings on July 31, 2013.
Middleton became recruiter during the Bucks’ pursuit of Monroe.
“I was buzzing him quite a bit – I want to say every couple of hours,” Middleton said. “When I was in Detroit, he was someone who competed every night as hard as he could and wanted to win. He wasn’t happy with losing. That’s the main thing I remember about him.
“He’s very talented, skilled, he can score in the block, he can step away, make moves, make plays for everybody. I think he’s going to fit in great with us.”
Monroe joined his new teammates for informal late-summer workouts at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Training Center and began settling into a comfort zone with them before training camp began.
“I think I’ll integrate pretty quickly,” Monroe said. “I’ll be spending time with the coaches, trying to learn as much as possible about the coverages they do and the lingo. That’s one of the things that changes throughout teams and coaches – the calls and lingo. I’ll just try to get in early and get up to speed with what they do and how they coach.
“I’ll just do what I do. They’re planning on posting me in the post area. Their bigs already work a lot in that area with the offense they run. I think I’ll fit in really well.”
Monroe’s new teammates agree.
“I think he can be huge,” guard Jerryd Bayless said. “As great as Zaza (Pachulia) was for us last year – he was tremendous – Greg is a different type of player. He’s a guy you can throw the ball to on the block and he can go get you a bucket, and he’s a great passer like Zaza was.
“Greg adds a dimension to this team that we didn’t have last year.”
Bucks forward/center John Henson can attest to the fact that Monroe will be difficult to defend.
“It’s tough,” Henson said. “I think a lot of teams double-teamed him last year with the Pistons, and that’s going to make him better.
“I think he’s going to be great for us, especially down low, having that guy we can throw it in to.”