61 replies to this topic

[RoDaddy]

Fab followed up his amazing triple double with a 32-9-9 line (6 offensive boards!) for the Red Claws on Wed. I'm sure no one in the organization expected anywhere near this rapid a development. If he keeps up anything close to these numbers, he'll end up in Boston the second half of the season. I don't know about starting but really, how long can we put up with 1-1-0 lines from Jason Collins in 17 minutes?!

Here's the YouTube video of Fab's 14 block performance on the 22nd:

[Nick Kaufman]

Forget the organization. No one in the universe expected this. Were the Claws playing zone? It looks that way to me. Because that at least helps to explain it.

[LeoCarrillo]

This is only Fab's seventh season of competitive basketball. And the leap he took from frosh to soph at Syracuse was stunning. He was a dominant defender and at least ceased acting like a gangly giraffe on offense.

[PedrosRedGlove]

Haha, that's a hell of a highlight reel. Granted the obvious caveat that its D-league competition applies but that's an impressive performance. Three blocks on a single possession, and he's really good at resisting the Dwight Howard urge to send it ten rows back every rejection, a lot of those blocks he just played sound defense and was able to alter shots just by being freakishly long. He may still have some developing to do, but given his recent performances, and the current front court situation with Wilcox out, I think we need to give KG all the help he can get.

[ifmanis5]

Encouraging. He does what they sorely need for sure.

Can we have Bass watch these tapes so he can get some ideas on how to block shots?

Edited by ifmanis5, 28 December 2012 - 01:49 PM.

[Ed Hillel]

You just don't see people with that length and athleticism come along very often. He's still raw, but the guy really does have the potential to be an all-star Center in the NBA. Given how rare a find that is, that's really why the Celtics had to take him. If he puts together another couple weeks like this, I think it's time to see if and what he can contribute this year. I wouldn't be shocked to see Fab on the second unit in the playoffs this year.

[Brickowski]

I vote for leaving him in Maine where he can play 30+ minutes a night. At present his basketball skills are rudimentary.

If Melo had the offensive skills of, say, Darius Songaila, he could be an all-star. Let him learn a drop step and a jump hook this year, and put on some muscle. Then let's see what he can do next year.

Edited by Brickowski, 28 December 2012 - 05:23 PM.

[AK_]

I'd like to see him get Collins' minutes right now..

Collins goes in, gets 5 fouls, 2 points and 2 rebounds in 15 minutes

Fab has the defensive instincts, the same height/length that Collins has, is way more athletic and has way more potential

we're struggling right now.. let's make a bold move and hope he pans out

did anybody think Stiemsma would ever be productive? no. but he played well for us last year

let's give Fab a shot

[Nick Kaufman]

So, I did a google search to get a sense of how DLeague stats translate to the NBA. I found one such study which claims that Dleague stats should be reduced by 30% at the NBA. Can't say this is accurate, but it seems reasonable enough and a nice rule of thumb.

http://www.basketbal...p?articleid=849

So then I google Melo's stats in the DLeague.

http://www.basketbal...p?articleid=849

I don't if those include his last couple of games, but nevertheless he's only played 10 games or so and based on those you should expect something like 7pts a game, 4-5 rebs (a good chunk of which offensive) and 3 blocks in about 25 minutes a game.

So, let's not get excited about him yet. And let me reiterate that while I wish him the best and it would be great if we ve found the steal of the draft who grows up to become an All-star Center, no one expected this. At best, people thought he could be serviceable, at worst a bust.

[PedrosRedGlove]

Brick, in most situations I'd agree with you about leaving him in Maine for the development. I'm really starting to lean towards bringing him up given what the Wilcox injury does to our front court. I really think that could cause problems, not only because it's one less experienced player in the rotation, but it also means Garnett will be asked to shoulder even more of the load, and they're already leaning on him too much as it is.

If the Celtics think Melo can be even semi-competent in the defensive system, something that isn't a total stretch given how his development track has been one of leaps and bounds, then I think they should bring him up. If he can't handle the rotations and is a liability when he's on the court you send him back down, but if he can cut it there's no shortage of minutes on the big team right now.

[Brickowski]

Let's be realistic. This Celtics team isn't winning a championship this year or next year. What's best for the franchise 3-4 years down the road? IMHO it's better not to rush Melo's development. Isn't this only his 7th year playing organized basketball of any kind?

Edited by Brickowski, 28 December 2012 - 07:12 PM.

[ilol@u]

Let's be realistic. This Celtics team isn't winning a championship this year or next year. What's best for the franchise 3-4 years down the road? IMHO it's better not to rush Melo's development. Isn't this only his 7th year playing organized basketball of any kind?

Uhhh ...

[TheWalthamKid]

At the very least I expect him to be a good specialist that can come in off the bench and protect the rim. Some of his blocks were just solid d where he got his hands up and made a play, which is good, but on the weakside blocks a lot of the time he just swatted them away when he probably could have controlled it more and tapped it to a teammate.

Let's talk about the 32 points. I know it's the D league, but 32 points is 32 points. His career high at Syracuse was 14, so it looks like he might be on his way to at least developing a somewhat effective offensive game.

[Brickowski]

If they bring him up he needs to play 20-25 minutes a game, win or lose. That might happen after someone is traded, but not before. No point in bringing him up to sit on the bench and play meaningless minutes at the end of blowouts.

[jose melendez]

He's on his way up.

[TheoShmeo]

ESPN Boston notes that the move is likely procedural in that Fab is getting checked on a concussion and he needs to be on the Cs' roster for that purpose. Fab has a tweet along the same lines.

Edited by TheoShmeo, 02 January 2013 - 05:19 PM.

[TheWalthamKid]

He needs to be on the main roster to be checked for a concussion? Do they not have doctors in Maine?

[mt8thsw9th]

Apparently he got his concussion walking into a hotel door. Sounds like a bright guy.

[BigSoxFan]

Apparently he got his concussion walking into a hotel door. Sounds like a bright guy.

Sounds like a drunk injury to me

[Ed Hillel]

Or a tall injury.

[The Allented Mr Ripley]

Apparently he got his concussion walking into a hotel door. Sounds like a bright guy.

[curll]Racist.[/curll]

[nighthob]

He needs to be on the main roster to be checked for a concussion? Do they not have doctors in Maine?

CBA rules are that a player has to be on the NBA roster to have team doctors look at him.

[Brickowski]

CBA rules are that a player has to be on the NBA roster to have team doctors look at him.

What happens when a Red Claw who is not on the Celtics' roster needs a medical evaluation?

[The Allented Mr Ripley]

[BigSoxFan]

Ha, that killed me, Ripley. Good work!

[mt8thsw9th]

Or a tall injury.

Frankly, I can't recall another 7 footer getting a serious injury walking into a door. They've had years of practice at this sort of thing. Unless the door just came out of nowhere, I'm not sure what the excuse could be.

[nighthob]

What happens when a Red Claw who is not on the Celtics' roster needs a medical evaluation?

They would likely go to whatever doctor was convenient. However, Melo is Boston property and if they want their doctors to do a medical evaluation, he needs to be recalled.

[Hee-Seop's Fable]

He's more graceful and has better luck than Paxton Crawford, so he's still got something going for him.

[RoDaddy]

He finally got some NBA minutes last night (5), and I hope there’s no turning back now. He has everything the C's need - size, rebounding including offensive rebounding, shot blocking, bulk (now that Sully’s gone; Melo is listed between 255-270 lbs) and less minutes for KG with the only question being how much of these things he'll bring to the team this year.  Personally, I hope he never returns to the D league and the Celts commit to 8-10 minutes a night from him now. His development has been much faster than anyone could have expected in the D league, and there’s no reason to think it won’t continue, especially under KG’s tutelage.  Despite the current streak, the C’s are a ways away from matching the league’s elite teams and need another shot in the arm to get to the next level.  Let's roll the dice with Melo!

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Was actually his second NBA minutes.  First points, though.  Changing things on a team that has won 6 in a row?  Slow down, buddy.

Edited by Lose Remerswaal, 08 February 2013 - 09:08 AM.

[DannyDarwinism]

Was actually his second NBA minutes.  First points, though.  Changing things on a team that has won 6 in a row?  Slow down, buddy.

 

Yeah, changing things on a team that has won 6 in a row by giving meaningful minutes to a guy who looked lost against Laker scrubs is not advisable.  Melo should be strictly for blowouts for at least a little while.  Hopefully between those blowout minutes and practicing with the big boys he can get more comfortable defensive assignments and with staying out of the way on offense.  Plus, Chris Wilcox is back and just getting his legs under him, there's no need to rush Fab.

[FelixMantilla]

Really?. Was anyone encouraged after seeing Melo play last night? The guy is a stiff right now. He has a lot of work to do before he should be playing in this league.

[The Allented Mr Ripley]

I know guys who went to Red Claws games and said he looked like a stiff up there. I can't imagine that improving against NBA competition.

[ALiveH]

I was encouraged by Fab Melo but only for next year. He looked lost half the time. His offensive game is raw, but with slightly better touch around the basket could be adequate. the defensive potential and atheticism are pretty exciting. If I recall, he altered several shots at the rim (not sure he recorded an official block).

[RetractableRoof]

He looked a combination of deer in the headlights and hyperactive.  A bad combination to be sure.  It was nice of the players to work so hard to get him his first bucket though.

 

It would seem to me that he needs some serious practice time with the NBA rather than piling up dominance against JV quality.  On the other hand, I don't know from his personality makeup whether confidence is/could be an issue.  Also, with an older team I don't know how much the Celtics are actually practicing... if it is limited amount, then maybe the Red Claws is actually the better thing.

 

Either way, unless that was extremely exceptional play because it was against "the Lakers" or something like that - he has quite a ways to go...

[radsoxfan]

Really?. Was anyone encouraged after seeing Melo play last night? The guy is a stiff right now. He has a lot of work to do before he should be playing in this league.

 

Yeah.  Small sample size sure.  But I feel confident saying he has no chance of helping the team this year.  He looked out of shape, lost, and genuinely bad at basketball.  

 

I understand 5 minutes is almost never enough time to make any sort of determination on a player.  But he looked so bad its hard to imagine it was all a fluke.

[BigSoxFan]

I'm hoping he's the big man version of Avery Bradley because right now he probably is literally the worst player in the NBA. Also, his body type reminds me of Mark Blount, which bothers me. We'll see. I similarly wrote of Kendrick Perkins a decade ago and he turned out fine.

[Blacken]

I'm hoping he's the big man version of Avery Bradley because right now he probably is literally the worst player in the NBA.

That seems like a challenge.

[Sprowl]

I'm hoping he's the big man version of Avery Bradley because right now he probably is literally the worst player in the NBA. Also, his body type reminds me of Mark Blount, which bothers me. We'll see. I similarly wrote of Kendrick Perkins a decade ago and he turned out fine.

 

I dunno about comparing Blount to Perkins as far as body type is concerned. Perkins was earthbound, but always in (somewhat brutal) contact with his man and immovable in the post. Blount could jump when he wanted to, which wasn't often.

 

I've seen very little of Melo so far, except the highlights of his 14-block game, which suggest that at his best he should be quicker than Perkins and heartier than Blount.

[radsoxfan]

Fab was just sent back to Maine.... no surprise there.  Get on the treadmill buddy

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

In the lineup tonight for the Claws.

[CSteinhardt]

Apparently he got his concussion walking into a hotel door. Sounds like a bright guy.

 

Fab Melo is walking through that door.  He just has to open it first.

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Fab back to Portland. For a team with this little size, it's kind of amazing he can't crack the lineup.

[Lose Remerswaal]

Would you rather have him out there showing off his, ummm, size?  Or would you rather he be in Portland and maybe learn how to rebound better and score a little?

 

He's not going to add anything to the C's with his current level of skill.  Now that they have enough bodies to practice, they are better served with him learning his craft.

[BigSoxFan]

Fab back to Portland. For a team with this little size, it's kind of amazing he can't crack the lineup.

 

Haven't you watched him play? He is a terrible basketball player and I want him nowhere near the court.

[Jed Zeppelin]

He needs reps. He's old for a rookie but developmentally way behind his peers (compare to Sullinger who is nearly two full years younger but has likely been eating, breathing, and sleeping basketball for as long as he can remember) because of his limited basketball background. The guy just needs to play a shit-ton of competitive basketball before we can know if his ability to play the game can ever come close to matching his physical tools. The most gifted athlete in the world couldn't make up for that much youth development time missed.

 

It will likely never happen for Melo, at least not in an overly satisfactory time frame, but playing 3 minutes here and there will do absolutely nothing for him. Guy needs to play. Little by little, parts of the game will become second nature, at which point he won't need to think and can just let his tools go to work. But seriously, who knows if that will ever happen while he is Celtics property. It's not his fault, just bad luck that A)he wasn't born in the US or B)nobody put a basketball in his hands sooner. As it is, it's impressive enough that he improved so much from one year to the next at Syracuse to become a 1st round draft pick.

 

We'll see, I guess.

Edited by Jed Zeppelin, 01 March 2013 - 02:31 PM.

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Haven't you watched him play? He is a terrible basketball player and I want him nowhere near the court.

 

Yes, I have, and I don't disagree that Portland is the right place for him right now. He's way too raw and just seemed completely overmatched when he saw the floor in Boton. But when you see how he sometimes just dominates in the D-League, and you see how utterly pathetic the Celts are on the boards and defensively in the paint, it's still somewhat surprising the Celts haven't found a way to make him useful enough to keep around. 

 

Basically, I'm just surprised in the abstract about how far away from being a productive NBA player a guy that large picked at #22 overall is.

 

I mean, he was picked right after Sullinger. Sure, he was a flyer, but that's a pretty big gap between players picked right after one another. 

[DannyDarwinism]

Yes, I have, and I don't disagree that Portland is the right place for him right now. He's way too raw and just seemed completely overmatched when he saw the floor in Boton. But when you see how he sometimes just dominates in the D-League, and you see how utterly pathetic the Celts are on the boards and defensively in the paint, it's still somewhat surprising the Celts haven't found a way to make him useful enough to keep around. 

 

Basically, I'm just surprised in the abstract about how far away from being a productive NBA player a guy that large picked at #22 overall is.

 

I mean, he was picked right after Sullinger. Sure, he was a flyer, but that's a pretty big gap between players picked right after one another. 

 

Really?  Raw but tall and athletic guys get picked high pretty frequently.  2012 was an exception in that Melo was the first one of those guys off the board and he lasted until 22.  Just the year before you had Kanter, Valanciunas, Jan Vesely, and Biyombo go in the top 7.

[BigSoxFan]

 
Yes, I have, and I don't disagree that Portland is the right place for him right now. He's way too raw and just seemed completely overmatched when he saw the floor in Boton. But when you see how he sometimes just dominates in the D-League, and you see how utterly pathetic the Celts are on the boards and defensively in the paint, it's still somewhat surprising the Celts haven't found a way to make him useful enough to keep around. 
 
Basically, I'm just surprised in the abstract about how far away from being a productive NBA player a guy that large picked at #22 overall is.
 
I mean, he was picked right after Sullinger. Sure, he was a flyer, but that's a pretty big gap between players picked right after one another. 

Yeah, this is basically a redshirt year for him, no different than Perkins in 2003 when we needed to spend a year getting him in shape. My concern with Melo is that I don't think he understands the game at all. This is certainly understandable given his history with the sport but it does the Celtics no good. He's so far behind the curve that he'll need to be a gym rat to catch up. Is he? I have no idea.

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

 
Really?  Raw but tall and athletic guys get picked high pretty frequently.  2012 was an exception in that Melo was the first one of those guys off the board and he lasted until 22.  Just the year before you had Kanter, Valanciunas, Jan Vesely, and Biyombo go in the top 7.

I see your point, but just taking the last name, Biyombo started 40+ games last year.

Maybe the new CBA and increasing status of the d-league means more draft picks will stay in the d-league longer?