Rapid reaction: Sullinger, Melo

Rapid reaction: Sullinger, Melo

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

The Celtics selected Ohio State's Jared Sullinger with the No. 21 pick.
BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Celtics beefed up their size, but rolled the dice after selecting Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Syracuse's Fab Melo with the Nos. 21 and 22 picks in Thursday's 2012 NBA draft.

Many thought Sulllinger would have been a high lottery pick if he had come out after his freshman season. Instead, he returned to Ohio State and battled back issues that forced his draft stock to plummet recently. When healthy, Sullinger might be one of the best low-post players in the draft. Despite his back issues, Sullinger ranked in the 87th percentile among all NCAA Division 1 players, averaging 1.052 points per play last season, according to Synergy Sports data. Nearly half of his offense came in post-up situations, but he's also a solid cutter and, while his game isn't above the rim, he can put back misses (12.7 percent of his offense last season, second only to post-up situations). Defensively, he graded out as "very good" by Synergy metrics, allowing 0.713 points per play (and would only benefit from sharing the floor with the likes of Kevin Garnett). He needs to beef up his post defense.

The question marks about Melo surround his academic woes that left him disqualified for the NCAA tournament. But there's no denying his pure size. He'll be more of a project, and the team will have to craft his work ethic. According to Synergy, Melo averaged 0.978 points per play on offense (78th percentile) and thrived as a cutter. Defensively, Melo allowed a mere 0.593 points per play, ranking in the 89th percentile overall, and he was particularly stout in the post (98th percentile).

One thing to keep in mind: The Celtics pounced when Avery Bradley slid down the draft board two years ago due to an ankle injury suffered in a draft workout. Boston wouldn't mind if history repeated itself with Sullinger and Melo, who both seemingly had lottery potential at one time or another.

Iowa State's Royce White, who some speculated had a promise from the Celtics to be drafted no later than No. 21, went to the Houston Rockets at No. 16. St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson, another name often rumored to interest Boston, went to Orlando at No. 19.
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Jared Sullinger, Fab Melo to Celtics

By Greg Payne | Special to ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics selected Ohio State sophomore forward Jared Sullinger with the 21st overall pick and Syracuse sophomore center Fab Melo with the 22nd overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.

"Obviously we needed to address size," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "The fact that number one, Jared Sullinger fell to us, is just fortunate. Last year he would have a been a top-5 pick. It gives us a rebounder, a high IQ player, a good player, a really good player from the outside."

Sullinger originally was projected as a lottery pick, but was medically red-flagged by NBA doctors with a back issue.

"We feel pretty good about it, or we wouldn't have taken him," Rivers said. "Obviously we're going to have to watch him and make sure he has the right treatment all the time. ... All the doctors that we talked to gave the clearance and none of them red-flagged him. That's fine by us."

The 6-foot-9 Sullinger missed two games of the Buckeyes' 2011-12 campaign because of back spasms, but still managed to average 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds, helping lead Ohio State to the Final Four.

Melo, a 7-foot native of Brazil, was the 2011-12 Big East Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the Orange last season. However, he was ruled ineligible for the NCAA tournament because of academic issues.

Rivers said that Melo, like Sullinger, would help beef up the Celtics' inside presence.

"Fab Melo does the same thing. He has size and we like size, we needed size. It gives us the chance to work with him. We think he can be a good player."
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CSNNE.com's - Celtics take gambles, add size with questionable players

Blakely: 'Celtics got great value for their two picks'

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics used their two first-round picks to add a pair of questionable players who they believe will be the answer to what has ailed the C's frontcourt for years.

Jared Sullinger, a top-10 talent from Ohio State that slipped into the latter part of the first round after being red-flagged for having back problems, was scooped up by the Celtics with the No. 21 pick.

An inconsistent effort on a number of nights led to Fab Melo, a 7-foot defensive standout at Syracuse, being available for the taking at No. 22.

"We needed to address size," said C's coach Doc Rivers via a teleconference call from Newark, N.J. where his son, Austin, was drafted with the No. 10 pick by New Orleans.

Of the two, clearly the addition of Sullinger was considered the bigger haul.

"The fact that Jared Sullinger fell to us, is just fortunate," Rivers said. "Last year he would have been a top-5 pick and all this year, he was a top-10 pick. The fact that he just kept falling to us … it gives us a rebounder, high IQ player, great passer and a very good shooter from the outside."

As far as Sullinger's back, Rivers said the C's have talked with a number of medical officials prior to feeling comfortable with selecting the 6-foot-9, 280-pound forward.

"We feel pretty good about it," Rivers said, referring to Sullinger's back. "Obviously we're going to have to watch it and make sure he gets the right treatment all the time. But I played 13 years with a bad back, and I was OK and I think he will too."

Rivers added, "All of the doctors that we talked to, gave clearance. That's fine by us."

As for Melo, it's clear that his selection was more about developing a player with potential, then adding an immediate impact player.

"He has size. We needed size. This gives us a chance to work with him," Rivers said. "We think he could be a good player."

Sullinger, who left Ohio State after two seasons, averaged 17.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and was a first-team All Big Ten performer each of his two seasons for the Buckeyes.

Melo, who also left college after two seasons, was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year this past season. Along with his 7.8 points per game, he also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks while shooting 56.6 points per game.
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Celtics select Syracuse's Kris Joseph with 51st pick in NBA Draft

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

The Celtics selected Syracuse forward Kris Joseph with the 51st pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night. It was Boston's second straight selection from Syracuse and third overall in the draft.

Joseph averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds this season for the Orange. He made 34 percent of his 3-pointers and 42 percent of his shots from the field. Originally from Montreal, Joseph played four seasons for Syracuse.