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Beyond the Association => Maine Celtics / G-League => Topic started by: bfrombleacher on January 25, 2013, 05:08:31 AM

Title: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on January 25, 2013, 05:08:31 AM
Rather than have a bunch of game thread style threads, I'm going to post all my Fab Melo updates in one thread.

Sure, D-League production doesn't always translate as some of you love to remind me (thanks...). But at the very least not struggling in the D-League is a good sign and surely excelling can't be bad either. Just look at Jajuan Johnson, who isn't even starting with his .397 FG% for 10 PPG and was already traded once (seems to have come around in the last game though).

Hopefully his stint in the D-League ends with a great career with the Celtics.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on January 25, 2013, 05:09:06 AM
Red Claws vs. Springfield Armor

First, having looked through the season averages for Fab, I noticed his minutes are pretty low at 28.4 MPG but those are pretty productive minutes. On top of that, his averages include games before he really started stepping it up to another level. Keep that in mind when comparing his averages with other D-Leaguers.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20130124/MNESPG/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp2021200163

[be warned: spoilers ensue]

Speaking of limited minutes, plagued with foul trouble, Fab Melo logged 25 minutes, most in the second half (around the 1 hour 29 minute mark on the youtube video)in this game.

But those minutes were, again, very productive. After sitting out most of the first half, 13 points and 9 rebounds was Fab Melo along with 2 blocks.

Melo brought a lot of energy in the 2nd half, looking for the basketball (for the oop and in the post alike) and hounding after the offensive glass on top of his usual solid production.

Melo's match up tonight is one Willie Reed, a 6'9-6'10 big who is apparently a raw athlete (per nbadraft.net). However, Reed is said to be good defensively and, with the poor help defense (in my opinion) by the rest of the Red Claws, a threat off the ball. My impression of the game is Fab Melo won the match up on both ends of the floor again.

He seems to be utilizing his limited offensive arsenal of 2 moves - jump shots and the right hand hook - with even more confidence and effectiveness than last game. He looked for post up opportunities actively.

Once again Fab Melo benefited from playing with recently acquired pass-first 5'9 point guard Andre Barrett, finishing 2 alley-oops. Overall another efficient, controlled, solid offensive game.

Defensively, again, mistakes are minimal and a huge impact was made. His teammates' mistakes are also covered. He not only has 2 blocks in 25 minutes but made a lot of off-stat-sheet impact, block attempts and non-block attempts alike (such as this (http://youtu.be/ylY3-NjtE1Y?t=1h41m)).

With 9 rebounds in 25 minutes, this is a very good rebounding performance by Melo. I think most of the defensive rebounds I feel Melo should have gotten he did get and, in addition, he was also very active on the offensive glass (http://youtu.be/ylY3-NjtE1Y?t=1h26m49s) (with almost half his rebounds coming from there) (some online draft scouting reports say he was a good offensive rebounder in college despite being overall a poor rebounder).

Melo also logged 2 assists. It appears they are running things through Fab Melo even more now with some plays having Fab Melo making passes from inside the arc rather than being just a finisher. Melo is a solid passer, especially for his size, and I thought the change definitely helped the Red Claws (by making Melo even less of an offensive liability) and gave Melo even more opportunity to make an impact on the offensive end. Melo also showed the ability to make plays out of the post. (http://youtu.be/ylY3-NjtE1Y?t=1h47m17s)

As for the game, the Red Claws unfortunately fell to the Armor thanks to an onslaught by Shengelia, Nets 2nd round pick this year, who finished with 39 points and almost 20 rebounds, including this dunk on Fab Melo (but with Melo immediately getting back at the Armor with an alley-oop dunk on the other end right after) (http://youtu.be/ylY3-NjtE1Y?t=1h35m55s).
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Gomesfan on January 25, 2013, 07:35:22 AM
Needs to work on 5 personal fouls in 25 minutes.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Celtics4ever on January 25, 2013, 08:32:04 AM
25 min. he must have stamina issues too, would be fine though if he is called up as he won't be playing major minutes.

Keep in mind that JJJ is a better D league rebounder than Melo.

Melo is a project, he has potential, he isn't a piece of garbage.  He is just raw.   We were so desperate when we were playing Collins this year that if he was ready they would have brought him up.   He is a project who must improve his hands, his defense, stamina and strength.   This is in addition to maybe a go to move in the post. 
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on January 25, 2013, 09:04:20 AM
25 min. he must have stamina issues too, would be fine though if he is called up as he won't be playing major minutes.

Keep in mind that JJJ is a better D league rebounder than Melo.

Melo is a project, he has potential, he isn't a piece of garbage. He is just raw.    We were so desperate when we were playing Collins this year that if he was ready they would have brought him up.   He is a project who must improve his hands, his defense, stamina and strength.   This is in addition to maybe a go to move in the post.

TP

The way some talk about him around here, you'd think he is.

Took the thought right out of my mind. I think I had that thought subconsciously and was circling around it.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: hwangjini_1 on January 25, 2013, 09:17:56 AM
25 min. he must have stamina issues too, would be fine though if he is called up as he won't be playing major minutes.

Keep in mind that JJJ is a better D league rebounder than Melo.

Melo is a project, he has potential, he isn't a piece of garbage.  He is just raw.   We were so desperate when we were playing Collins this year that if he was ready they would have brought him up.   He is a project who must improve his hands, his defense, stamina and strength.   This is in addition to maybe a go to move in the post.

First, thanks for the thread on melo. Tp for you. I like watching rookies for the celtics, a sort of glimpse into the future....we hope.

Next, yes melo is very very raw. His has physical gifts, but he doesn't seem to really grasp basics of the game well. If he is teachable, this is a solvable problem.

For example, watch his positioning on defense. He is a bit better at boxing out now, but much of his time is spent watching the ball handler so he can position himself for a block, not rebounds.

Melo doesn't have good positioning at all for rebounds. In contract, watch sully play. He plays for rebounds and knows where to position himself.

At times, melo seems to almost be playing a zone defense under the basket. He simply stands in the paint. This may be because of the zone at Syracuse, I don't know.

In any case, melo is improving his offense a LOT and his boxing out, I think he will be a decent nba center...how good? I can't tell. But hopefully in the top 1/4 of all centers....I hope. :) :
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: mkogav on January 25, 2013, 11:37:02 AM
Can we break down "raw" a little? I read a lot about how "raw" Fab is , but not in which ways he is raw.

I don't believe Fab is raw like how DeSagana Diop was when he was a rookie, big, athletic, no offensive ability nor feel for the game. Fab seem more "raw" experience wise. The other tools seem to be there.

From what I have seen and read from DLeague scouting reports, Fab has great lateral movement and a high basketball IQ. This translates into following his defensive assignments AND being able to make great defensive help plays. For example, making the correct play on a pick and role. Then having the lateral quickness to cut off a baseline drive. This is rare for any rookie 7 footer outside of Olajuwon.

On the downside, he thinks too much and does not yet act naturally. This is mostly b/c he has not played organized basketball from an early age. This leaves him a step slow to react. This leads to a lot of fouls. In the DLeague, he makes up for this b/c of his IQ, athleticism, and quickness. He will need to improve on this to be effective in the NBA b/c most everyone is just as quick.

He is raw on offense for the same reasons as his defense. He over thinks plays and just has not played enough ball to have truly developed a consistent offense.

This manifest itself in amazing passes to a cutting teammate and then a terrible passes to the other team. Or a sweet hook-shots on one possession and a super brick 15 footer on the next. He just needs more time and mentoring.

What's encouraging is the fact that he shoots 70% from the line. This shows that he has a good touch and may be able to develop a consistent jump shot someday.

He's a project for sure, but he has the size, IQ, and athleticism to develop into a pretty good NBA Center. Melo may end up a player like Roy Hibbert, a good jump shot, 70% ft, 8-9 rbs, and 2 blks. Something like that.

It will take a few years though.

Mk
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Fred Roberts on January 25, 2013, 12:16:37 PM
We've got some pretty good talent on the Red Claws.

Shelvin Mack was a bad dude at Butler. He's got good size. I bet he makes a mark in the NBA at some point.

Summers also had a good run at Georgetown. Can we not resign Kris Joseph to the squad?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Nowee on January 25, 2013, 12:45:19 PM
We've got some pretty good talent on the Red Claws.

Shelvin Mack was a bad dude at Butler. He's got good size. I bet he makes a mark in the NBA at some point.

Summers also had a good run at Georgetown. Can we not resign Kris Joseph to the squad?
No, he signed in France
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: mr. dee on January 28, 2013, 08:25:40 AM
I checked the boxscore of today's game against Springfield and I saw a DNP on Fab. What happened?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on January 28, 2013, 08:40:29 AM
I checked the boxscore of today's game against Springfield and I saw a DNP on Fab. What happened?

Well, it does say "DND, injured" so I'm going to take their word for it.

May explain his previous game where he was uncharacteristically very invisible. Just the 3 (or 2) blocks. I'll admit I did not watch the previous game after seeing the very empty line from Fab Melo so I cannot tell you if he had any signs of grimace.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Chief on January 28, 2013, 06:10:35 PM
I wanted to say thanks for all the Melo updates. One of my favorite things in the forums.

TP :)
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Celtics18 on January 28, 2013, 06:17:21 PM
I love it too.  One of my favorite parts of this season has been checking out those Red Claws games videos that they show on the D-League website. 

I'm fairly impressed with most of what I've seen so far from Fab.  I like his defensive presence, foot work and timing on blocked shots.  Not so impressed with his hands, his floor speed, and his motor.

By the way, anyone know the nature of the injury that kept him out of the last game?  I mean, please tell me we didn't lose our point guard of the future and our center of the future in the same week.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Celtics4ever on January 28, 2013, 06:28:55 PM
Quote
Can we break down "raw" a little? I read a lot about how "raw" Fab is , but not in which ways he is raw.

THE GOOD
He does have great defensive instincts on help defense and timing to block shots.   He shows a willingness to run the court and is fairly mobile and is a true seven footer.

THE BAD
He badly needs to get stronger.   This will come with NBA workouts so it's a matter of time.

He is only playing 24 minutes a game, so he needs work on endurance and staying out of foul trouble.

He lacks a true go to post move.  In college he was basically a swatmatic  on D and occasional dunk.   He needs to work on his baby hook and jumper.   I have seen some progress already in this area.

His hands are suspect.   He is not even in the top 30 in rebounding.   I have seen boxing out some more which should help but his hands needs work.

THE UGLY
He has had some great games and not so great games and is a rookie who has not played a lot of ball.   Keep in mind he was not a dominant C in college save on the defensive end.   I think he is coming along nicely.  I think we might have something in a year or two though provided he keeps working the way he has thus far.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Nowee on January 28, 2013, 06:30:15 PM
Strained quadriceps muscles.

A quote from a game recap of the last game:
'Maine was also at less than full strength, missing two of its top post players – 7-foot Celtics draft pick Fab Melo and 6-8 forward DaJuan Summers (both with strained quadriceps muscles).'
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on January 28, 2013, 06:31:04 PM

By the way, anyone know the nature of the injury that kept him out of the last game?

http://www.pressherald.com/sports/Red-Claws-end-losing-streak-beat-Armor-120-112.html
Quote
Maine was also without starters. NBA center Fab Melo and leading scorer and rebounder DaJuan Summer were both in civilian clothes with strained quadricep muscles.

Edit: whoops, someone already posted it before I did.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: erisred on January 28, 2013, 06:41:17 PM
Strained quadriceps muscles.

A quote from a game recap of the last game:
'Maine was also at less than full strength, missing two of its top post players – 7-foot Celtics draft pick Fab Melo and 6-8 forward DaJuan Summers (both with strained quadriceps muscles).'
That could put him out 1 to 4 weeks. No running, limited lifting. I think, Summers tried coming back too soon from an earlier quad strain and re-injured himself.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on February 19, 2013, 09:34:12 AM
Again Fab? -.-
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on February 24, 2013, 03:16:55 PM
He's gonna go back once we pick up a big, right? I want him to keep developing
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on March 04, 2013, 12:36:23 AM
And...he's back. Glad to see he made it through the trade deadline.

The last time I saw the Red Claws, they were an elite D-League team. I stopped watching when Fab Melo stopped playing and got back after he did. Now they're barely staying afloat .500. Read into that what you will.

Andre Barrett is gone, which saddens me. Wish him luck.

Fab Melo has played two games with the Claws since his re-assignment, both against ERI (apparently a very talented D-League team).

I have gone back and re-watched the March 1st game and will catch up to tonight's game when I have the time.



March 1st, ERI @ MNE

Melo had a big game notching 15 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, a steal and 2 assists.

Our project big came out of the gates scorching, notching a double double (in points and rebounds) halfway through the second.

The second half was less spectacular as far as stat sheet stuffing goes but he continues to play immense defense.

Fab Melo's assignment today was one Henry Sims, a 2013 D-League All-Star. There was some buzz around the forum on this guy being a potential candidate to round out our roster. Sims has gotten the call up from the Hornets after this game. (I personally quite like the little I've researched on him. Seems like a Greg Smith to me.)

As per usual, most of the damage Henry Sims did was when Fab Melo was benched.

The game is a "both teams played bad, the one that made a run won" game.

Despite Melo's strong all round effort in the first half, Maine ended with a sizable deficit in the break. The second half was all Chris Wright as NBA-hopeful led the huge Red Claw run and capped off the night with the game sealing tip.

What Melo did:

At the start, Melo looked far more assertive and confident, night and day from a month ago.

He seemed to be a lot more certain of the schemes in the half court setting as he RAN to his spots rather than bumbling around.

As per usual, his defensive presence is immense. See previous posts for elaboration.

He is crashing those boards. He does not look Sully-like when he does it in that his positioning may be a bit off at times but he is using his towering length and athleticism a lot more than before. Having talked about his positioning, I saw that he's trying a lot harder now to be in the right place, which certainly pays off thanks to his large frame.

Melo's assertiveness also showed in his passing. The 2 assists should really be 4 or 5 if not for botched layups and fumbles. He connected on passes from the high post, one give and go on top of creating from the post. I was definitely impressed by this aspect of his game.

Finally, in the scoring front, he connected on several hook shots and a couple of face up jumpers. Again, he looks confident doing it.

Towards the end of the game, there was a sequence where Melo almost lost the game after a series of mistakes. I see this as an issue of conditioning.

Observations and Conclusions:

The one month stint with the team has definitely helped.

Melo seems to have his head in the game a lot more now and looks a lot more like a professional athlete than he was before. He worked hard before but, now, it seems like he's not afraid to tread on some toes doing his job. Good.

Apart from maximizing his time in the D-League, Ainge and co. may want to look at giving him more call up opportunities, especially as the season winds down and garbage minutes pile up as playoff seedings are set. Pushing Melo a little to adjust the NBA pace with garbage time and/or practicing with the team seems to really have paid off.

I hope Melo realizes that he needs to continue DOMINATING and not be complacent.

------

Having said that, Melo going all in tonight really exposed his need for conditioning.

The second half had him reverting to his former, less aggressive self a little.

The final stint of turnovers Melo had, to me, really confirmed that he was tired (rather than him being a truly bad decision maker).

Sitting Chris Wright also contributed to the mini-meltdown, in my opinion, as the rest of the team struggled (Jeremiah Rivers was especially bad as he put up nothing on the scoreboard in 20 minutes). A tired Melo cannot carry the offensive load.

Here are a few Melo highlights from the game:

Fab ABUSES the mismatch, one of my favorite plays from him this game. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=45m47s)
Huge rebound...even though it didn't end up with points, this shows how much the practices have helped. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=35m40s)
Great pass by Fab Melo after a PHYSICAL pick. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=48m51s)
Runs straight to the post and finds Wright for the easy jam (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=14m24s). On the ensuing possession, he almost connects on another one. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=14m56s)
First bucket is a very confident bank shot. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=16m44s)
 Melo attacks the offensive boards again, something I love seeing. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=17m40s)
Again, the confidence he has now really shows as he connects on another pass. (http://youtu.be/v_BXokyQeKM?t=38m50s)
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: sofutomygaha on March 08, 2013, 03:37:35 PM
I think that the best part of the Fab Melo experience thus far is that, for good or bad, he is always impacting the game. The only place that he disappears a little bit is on the glass. Otherwise, defensive shutdowns happen when he slides well, and defensive breakdowns happen when he messes up. Guys get open when he sets good screens and he gets points when he manages to get good position on offense. He gets double teams. On the flip side, the Red Claws look like they are turning it over a ton trying to get him the ball in the post.

He still just looks slow to me. He should be in shape by now, right? Is this just lack of anticipation, or is he really slow?

He also guarded Henry Sims the way he guarded Kyle O'Quinn- from his heels. He seems a little bit too easy to face up.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on March 08, 2013, 07:07:19 PM
Extra basketball before the Hawks game...if you are so inclined.

Disappointing showing last game from Fab. I'll admit I gave up after the first quarter.

Hoping for good things in this one.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CoachBo on March 08, 2013, 07:47:34 PM
Absolutely loved the Sullinger pick.

And I still shake my head sadly at this one.

Oh, well. I guess one out of two isn't bad from Ainge, in light of the Purduo.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: lightspeed5 on March 08, 2013, 08:07:31 PM
Absolutely loved the Sullinger pick.

And I still shake my head sadly at this one.

Oh, well. I guess one out of two isn't bad from Ainge, in light of the Purduo.
etwaun isnt doing horribly
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Celtics4ever on March 08, 2013, 08:31:12 PM
Quote
He still just looks slow to me. He should be in shape by now, right? Is this just lack of anticipation, or is he really slow?

He was not what I would call an elite college player.   So why do people expect him to be a great pro?   He is a project, he could either pan out or flame out folks.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on March 17, 2013, 08:50:49 PM
What's he up to?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: jdz101 on March 17, 2013, 09:28:26 PM
What's he up to?

Getting a lot of blocks due to size and athleticism. Not really excelling in any other area. Leads the d-league in blocks per game over varnado.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: hwangjini_1 on March 17, 2013, 09:41:18 PM
watched parts of recent games on youtube for red claws. melo seems to be playing better than early on, but has a ways to go.

a nice right handed hook shot, gets it off very very quickly, impossible to stop.

his defense is more now than parking under the basket. he moves better, seems to adjust better...but as i said, has a ways to go.

his rebounding still is disappointing for his size and quickness.

right now, he looks more talented than perk did in his first year. it took perk 3 years to become a credible center in the nba.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on March 21, 2013, 09:06:10 PM
I just want two things from Fab:

-block shots and scare players from the middle
-make 60+% of his shots from within 3 feet

Anything else is a bonus, but I'd like 5 rebounds at least. I don't care if he gets 1 point a game.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: sofutomygaha on March 26, 2013, 05:06:44 PM

So... Maine watchers... what's wrong with Fab? His stats are beyond terrible this week, capped by an 18 minute, 6 foul, 4 rebound performance on Saturday.

For those of you going to Red Claws games, are you starting to give up on Fab? Is he hurt?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: EnJoY on March 29, 2013, 09:26:18 AM

So... Maine watchers... what's wrong with Fab? His stats are beyond terrible this week, capped by an 18 minute, 6 foul, 4 rebound performance on Saturday.

For those of you going to Red Claws games, are you starting to give up on Fab? Is he hurt?

Yea, the stats don't look good, but I haven't watched the games.  Prior to his last call up with the C's his numbers were quite good on all fronts.  Lately, just abysmal.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Evantime34 on March 29, 2013, 10:50:12 AM
When he was up with the Celtics he looked like someone who had never played organized basketball. Mostly because he rarely new where to stand, I have low hope for players that can't seem to grasp the general basketball concepts. Hopefully I'm wrong though.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: sofutomygaha on March 29, 2013, 11:19:56 AM
He played only 20 minutes (why?) last night and seemingly did nothing. Three rebounds, four points. It's nice to see a couple of blocks, but he was the only net-minus of the Maine starters, which says to me that he was definitely not having a defensive impact.

Does anyone on this board still have hope for Fab Melo? I admittedly hated him when we drafted him, but I thought that he would at least be of SOME use. To be honest, unless he's playing hurt right now, I don't think he has a future.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: kozlodoev on March 29, 2013, 01:23:03 PM
He played only 20 minutes (why?) last night and seemingly did nothing. Three rebounds, four points. It's nice to see a couple of blocks, but he was the only net-minus of the Maine starters, which says to me that he was definitely not having a defensive impact.

Does anyone on this board still have hope for Fab Melo? I admittedly hated him when we drafted him, but I thought that he would at least be of SOME use. To be honest, unless he's playing hurt right now, I don't think he has a future.
In retrospect, passing on Ezeli doesn't look very smart right now.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: EnJoY on March 29, 2013, 01:37:42 PM
In retrospect, passing on Ezeli doesn't look very smart right now.

It didn't look very smart at the time either.  Melo was rated higher in terms of draft rank, but many people on these boards clamored for Ezeli over a potential pick of Melo.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: hwangjini_1 on March 29, 2013, 01:42:22 PM
while i was disappointed ainge picked melo on draft night, after seeing his early games in maine i was hopeful.

as for why he is having trouble now is an unknown for me. his has pretty good physical abilities and those dont go away suddenly unless there is an injury.

hopefully he picks up his game soon.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Evantime34 on March 29, 2013, 01:45:42 PM
In retrospect, passing on Ezeli doesn't look very smart right now.

It didn't look very smart at the time either.  Melo was rated higher in terms of draft rank, but many people on these boards clamored for Ezeli over a potential pick of Melo.
Did you want them to draft Ezeli at Melo's spot? I wanted PJ3 and didn't even consider Ezeli.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Chris on March 29, 2013, 01:47:29 PM
I haven't seen any of the games, so I can't speak with any authority on this, but just to throw out a theory.

A lot of times this happens with raw players.  When they first step on the floor, they put up good numbers, but really do it outside the system, and may not even be a net positive for the team.

But then as they get integrated in the system, start learning the right things to do, those numbers start dropping as the coaches start holding them accountable for rotations, and floor spacing, and things like that, and they also have to think a lot more, rather than just react, which slows them down.

This transition can really hurt their stats, even if they are actually making progress. 
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Josh88 on March 29, 2013, 02:05:54 PM
I'd be surprised if he's ever a contributor for the Celtics. I wasn't a fan when we drafted him either though. I don't think Danny would have taken him if the Celtics didn't feel like they got a steal with Sullinger dropping so low and could afford to take a gamble.

He's a typical project big man, and honestly how often do they actually end up working out? The upside is huge for players like him because centers who can play will always be a commodity in the NBA, but the fact is these guys rarely go on to have productive NBA careers.

I can live with it though because it looks like we got one of the steals of the draft in Sully, assuming this surgery did in fact cure his back problems. I just thank god the Rockets took Royce White before Danny could blow a pick on him.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: moiso on March 29, 2013, 02:17:59 PM
In retrospect, passing on Ezeli doesn't look very smart right now.

It didn't look very smart at the time either.  Melo was rated higher in terms of draft rank, but many people on these boards clamored for Ezeli over a potential pick of Melo.
Did you want them to draft Ezeli at Melo's spot? I wanted PJ3 and didn't even consider Ezeli.
I would have liked Moultrie.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: JHTruth on March 29, 2013, 02:30:20 PM
Meh he's performing at expectations. He is a late first round pick. The chances of those picks working put are not good. Besides we didn't miss out on anything. PJ3 is terrible, There was no one farther down that would be making a difference on our team at the moment.

He's a project big man on a team with playoff hopes. He has a lot of work to do that's for sure..
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: T-LoDaniels on March 29, 2013, 02:33:43 PM
I haven't seen any of the games, so I can't speak with any authority on this, but just to throw out a theory.

A lot of times this happens with raw players.  When they first step on the floor, they put up good numbers, but really do it outside the system, and may not even be a net positive for the team.

But then as they get integrated in the system, start learning the right things to do, those numbers start dropping as the coaches start holding them accountable for rotations, and floor spacing, and things like that, and they also have to think a lot more, rather than just react, which slows them down.

This transition can really hurt their stats, even if they are actually making progress.

The Nenad Krstic effect?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Who on March 29, 2013, 02:49:33 PM
Does anyone on this board still have hope for Fab Melo? I admittedly hated him when we drafted him, but I thought that he would at least be of SOME use. To be honest, unless he's playing hurt right now, I don't think he has a future.

I still think that he is pretty interesting. He was a multi-year project when they drafted him so I am not too bothered by how far away he still is at this point.

I do hate that he is in the D-League though. I have no confidence in that league's ability to develop players. Especially a big man like Fab Melo. He needs to be in the NBA playing against NBA quality athletes. Big man in the D-League are simply too small and/or unathletic to provide Fab Melo with a proper training ground for how to play NBA level defense against NBA level athletes. Waste of time = the D-League.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: TA9 on March 29, 2013, 02:53:52 PM
I wanted Moultrie with the Melo pick. I remember praying to god we didnt draft Fab Melo, unfortunately we did...
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: dark_lord on March 29, 2013, 02:55:47 PM


Does anyone on this board still have hope for Fab Melo? I admittedly hated him when we drafted him, but I thought that he would at least be of SOME use. To be honest, unless he's playing hurt right now, I don't think he has a future.

i think he is a stiff.  i hope i am wrong for the team's sake tho
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on March 29, 2013, 02:56:49 PM
To be honest, Fab Melo was the one player in all of NCAA basketball that I knew we shouldn't draft. I remember first hearing about him when he got disqualified from the tourney  ::)

But I still think he has a chance. Though it would not surprise me if he averaged more blocks than points or rebounds .
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Chris on March 29, 2013, 02:59:22 PM
I haven't seen any of the games, so I can't speak with any authority on this, but just to throw out a theory.

A lot of times this happens with raw players.  When they first step on the floor, they put up good numbers, but really do it outside the system, and may not even be a net positive for the team.

But then as they get integrated in the system, start learning the right things to do, those numbers start dropping as the coaches start holding them accountable for rotations, and floor spacing, and things like that, and they also have to think a lot more, rather than just react, which slows them down.

This transition can really hurt their stats, even if they are actually making progress.

The Nenad Krstic effect?

I was thinking more like the Leon Powe effect.

As a rookie, they put him in for garbage time minutes, and he was able to put up some numbers, but he also played zero defense, and was never part of the flow offensively, just waited to clean up on the boards.

And then he got worse at the beginning of his second year, when he struggled to get on the floor.  But, by later in the year, he stopped thinking his way through things, and was just reacting, and became a very useful player.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bucknersrevenge on March 29, 2013, 03:35:50 PM
I wanted Moultrie with the Melo pick. I remember praying to god we didnt draft Fab Melo, unfortunately we did...

Yeah, everything you just said.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: sofutomygaha on March 29, 2013, 03:43:50 PM
I wanted Moultrie with the Melo pick. I remember praying to god we didnt draft Fab Melo, unfortunately we did...

Yeah, everything you just said.

I got way into the draft last year. I was so excited that PJ3 and Moultrie had both dropped, I could hardly decide which one I wanted more. The only drawback, I thought at the time, was that we were being more or less forced to take one of those guys instead of taking a gamble on Quincy Miller =P
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: ScoobyDoo on March 29, 2013, 03:58:29 PM
Yeah, I was one who wanted Exeli over Melo. I jsut liked Ezeli's physicality - he seemed like a much more athletic Kendrick Perkins and I thought he would have been a very good fit along side KG.

I really hated the fab Melo pick at the time.

Surprisingly, I'm now not as down on Melo as I was at draft time.

You can't put up the good games he's put up in the D-league without having "decent talent". He is very long, very quick laterally for a big man and he has good timing on blocks.

The way he moves reminds me of Roy Hibbert - He's a little unorthodox. But in time, I think Melo "could" be a high impact defensive center - which would be huge.

Like someone else said I just really wish, regardless of how much he struggles in the league, that we'd thrown him head first into the fire all season with 5-10 minutes  a night - 5 if he's really stinking up the joint, 10+ if he was happening to hold his own to a degree.

Just let him get punched in the head every day in practice and every night for 82 games. Guys will either come through that or not - but it creates the fastest curve.

Especially this year - I mean how much worse could he be than Jason Collins?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: EnJoY on March 29, 2013, 04:18:44 PM
Yeah, I was one who wanted Exeli over Melo. I jsut liked Ezeli's physicality - he seemed like a much more athletic Kendrick Perkins and I thought he would have been a very good fit along side KG.

I really hated the fab Melo pick at the time.

Surprisingly, I'm now not as down on Melo as I was at draft time.

You can't put up the good games he's put up in the D-league without having "decent talent". He is very long, very quick laterally for a big man and he has good timing on blocks.

The way he moves reminds me of Roy Hibbert - He's a little unorthodox. But in time, I think Melo "could" be a high impact defensive center - which would be huge.

Like someone else said I just really wish, regardless of how much he struggles in the league, that we'd thrown him head first into the fire all season with 5-10 minutes  a night - 5 if he's really stinking up the joint, 10+ if he was happening to hold his own to a degree.

Just let him get punched in the head every day in practice and every night for 82 games. Guys will either come through that or not - but it creates the fastest curve.

Especially this year - I mean how much worse could he be than Jason Collins?

I agree with all of this.

However, I would add that he should be in there with Garnett for 5 mins at the end of a quarter here and there whenever possible.  Garnett barking at him, helping him on defense, making his mistakes less visible is exactly what this kid needs.

The celtics are squandering Garnett as a mentor for the big men this season, IMO.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: clover on March 29, 2013, 04:31:20 PM
I wanted Moultrie with the Melo pick. I remember praying to god we didnt draft Fab Melo, unfortunately we did...

Yeah, everything you just said.

I got way into the draft last year. I was so excited that PJ3 and Moultrie had both dropped, I could hardly decide which one I wanted more. The only drawback, I thought at the time, was that we were being more or less forced to take one of those guys instead of taking a gamble on Quincy Miller =P

Me four.  I remember hoping Moultrie or Leonard or Harkless or Fournier would drop to them--and that White wouldn't. Didn't like Melo.  He got my hopes up this winter, now not so much. (And now I'm really glad White didn't, of course.)
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: gar on March 29, 2013, 05:44:54 PM
Agree:

People are forgetting how Sullinger entered into the equation. One pick for immediate impact / one for upside prospect. Both Jones and Sullinger had injury concerns. So one healthy prospect and one immediate impact player w/ health risk. Sullinger > PJ3; however Moultrie is and was a better long term prospect; but he is our long term prospect.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: gar on March 29, 2013, 05:49:12 PM
I take that back

Moultrie:
9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.3 minutes per game for Sky force.

Remains to be seen (Melo vs. Moultrie)
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: ScoobyDoo on March 29, 2013, 07:06:33 PM
Yeah EnJoy, alos agree regarding putting Melo with Garnett for 5 minutes.

When we were healthier, my thinking was to put him in with the following lineup:

Melo
KG
Pierce
Bradley
Rondo

Basically run him for 5 minutes with the starters and as yous aid with KG in his ear. That group should be able to cover my grandmother's defensive mishaps to a certain degree...

If we weren't going to sign any better bigs than Collins, I would have just taken my lumps with Melo and hope the pain resulted in a learning curve of pressure that would have resulted in him being able to give us 10 solid minutes a night by now.

The sooner he gets used to banging with the legit big men in the league the better in my book - IMHO

But I do understand the school of thought that says let him learn in the D-league, not the big league - I just disagree with it, especially for big men because it's a guard dominant league, like the summer league.     
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on April 05, 2013, 07:14:01 PM
Red Claws are playing an important game right now as far as playoff aspirations go.

Win both and they're in. Win one and their fate will lie in someone else's hands.

Fab looking good from the start it seems. Very nice to see him showing after the no shows in the past few weeks. I'm thinking the D-League playoffs would bring a similar intensity to some NBA games.

4 pts, 1 alley oop interception, 2 rebounds (one offensive), almost an asssist...just nice presence in only a little under minutes. Hope this keeps up.

GO FAB

Update

So... Maine watchers... what's wrong with Fab? His stats are beyond terrible this week, capped by an 18 minute, 6 foul, 4 rebound performance on Saturday.

For those of you going to Red Claws games, are you starting to give up on Fab? Is he hurt?

Haven't been on this thread for ages. Seems, from the bits and pieces I've been watching, they have changed their schemes to be less Fab-centric. This is, of course, what he should expect in the big leagues and is probably beneficial.

Edit: also, Fab's teammates are pretty mediocre in my opinion, even for D-League standards. Fab's game is largely complimentary which hurts when the rest of the team are just shot jackers.

Update

Holy smokes Fab is lighting it up. 8 points, 3 boards - make that 4. 1 steal. And 4/4 from the field scoring a variety of ways.

Update

Fab sits after an early dominance. Red Claws leading early and leading big. May not see Fab much today.

Update

End of the quarter and Melo botches the Erie's final possession.

Here's what Fab does that's impressive but doesn't show up on the stat sheet: he just stayed with a speeding guard (albeit a d-league guard) and stopped the penetration.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: SHAQATTACK on April 05, 2013, 07:46:41 PM
Fab an't been right since he hits his head and knock himself senseless.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: gar on April 07, 2013, 12:38:17 PM
Melo looked comfortable out there (maybe too comfortable). He definitely impacts the game defensively when he is in there. He can run the floor and showed some quickness, but went for a hook shot when he had an easy layin.

Not too encouraging. Bad coaching to leave him out at the end and let Erie back into it.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Nowee on April 07, 2013, 12:54:56 PM
Melo looked comfortable out there (maybe too comfortable). He definitely impacts the game defensively when he is in there. He can run the floor and showed some quickness, but went for a hook shot when he had an easy layin.

Not too encouraging. Bad coaching to leave him out at the end and let Erie back into it.
Did we see the same game? Or was i drunk?
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on April 11, 2013, 08:27:58 PM
D-League playoffs.

Fab stat paddin' his rebounding. Has the coach been trying to contain him before? He seems out of control, like a Jordan Crawford on both ends. Feast or famine basketball but at least he's making a difference.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: CelticConcourse on April 11, 2013, 08:30:01 PM
Made playoffs.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on April 11, 2013, 09:21:29 PM
Josh Selby. Impressive.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: bfrombleacher on April 13, 2013, 10:32:37 PM
And the Red Claws are knocked off.

Dumb turnover cost them the game. Very dumb.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: TripleOT on April 14, 2013, 11:28:05 AM
Can anyone who has followed the Red Claws closely give a recap of Melo's season in Maine? Statistically, it looks like he blocked a lot of shots, but didn't shine in any other area of the game.  I know he had a few monster games, but what was his overall experience in the D League? 
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Celtics4ever on April 14, 2013, 01:03:50 PM
He is a project, I do think he developed a hook shot more throughout the year but he is a terrible rebounder for his size and has bad hands.
Title: Re: Fab Melo D-League thread
Post by: Nowee on April 14, 2013, 06:07:49 PM
He needs to work hard this summer. I think traing camp and summer league are hist last changes to shine if he wants to stay with the Celtics.