Greg Monroe points to Pistons' instability as reason for signing 1-year qualifying offer

Greg Monroe surprised many this summer by signing his one-year, $5.5 million qualifying offer with the Detroit Pistons rather than working out a long-term extension.

By doing so, Monroe takes on some financial risk and a lower 2014-15 salary, but will now be an unrestricted free agent next summer. It's a move that's not leveraged often due to the risks associated with it, and it's led to a great deal of speculation that Monroe may not have a long-term future in the Motor City.

As training camp opened up this week, Monroe discussed his contract status and tried to put an end to any rumors - "lies" as he called them - that it was a problem with a teammate or the new regime under Stan Van Gundy that led to his decision. Instead, it's the fact that he'll be playing for his fourth head coach in as many years, speaking to the franchise's instability of late:

It's no disrespect to the people working here but it was just tough for me to agree to another four years with new people. Honestly, if you were to ask the average person would they do that in the arena they're in, they'd say no.
...
I can't speak for everybody but in my case, when talking about leaving Detroit, it was the team specifically. I have no problem with the city, or the fans or the people. I don't have a problem with anyone here. I've been received with open arms. People have always shown me love. Fans, they've stuck with us through tough times.

It's tough to argue with the logic on the surface, though the dollar amounts in play still make the risk questionable.

It should also make for an interesting season in Detroit, as Van Gundy tries to find a way to get the most out of Monroe, Andre Drummond, and Josh Smith without playing them too much together and perhaps convince Monroe the situation is a long-term fit.