Fab Melo did it again

Another monster game for Fab Melo 32 points 9 rebounds and 9 blocks.This kid is playing really good.

Well I have been on board using him as trade bait. May need to reconsider this. Hard to imagine a light switch going off and all of a sudden he starts putting up these type numbers. Would be a great thing if he can just continue to block a lot of shots and rebound. If he does that for a few more games he may get called up to the big show.

32 points ???

Doubled his career total at Syracuse in one game

beat

WOW our defensive 5 that we've been dreaming of seems to be earning a shot at the varsity.....if we can get him up here and going by the all star game, contributing with KG as our 4 I'll be happier than a pig in shit!!!

way to go Melo

some draft by Ainge!!!!

.... am I dreaming?

he was also 8-9 FT's, that means has potential elbow jumper too

I think our Melo's the real deal. He's not as ready as he will be, but we have a hole at center and he can plug it. I hope he moves up this winter and works into the rotation before the playoffs. If we're going anywhere this campaign, we need him, or a reasonable facsimile. And if we're not going anywhere, what's the difference?
To beat the better teams this year, we need several contributors going all-out and a real center guarding the paint. Right now, we're starting an aging, great PF, followed by Whatsis who peaked in high school in the last century, but 20 minutes of Melo would make a big difference. The earlier he arrives, the sooner we can get the rookie fouls out of the way.
As for cashing in this unproven but promising lad for a lack-luster vet, the deal that comes to mind is Billups-for-Anderson: 10 minutes of euphoria followed by a decade of pain. Hawk

Has 39 blocks in 10 games.

We should give him time to develop. Think how bad Perk was his first year.

Dboss

Melo is 7 foot

He has had some very nice games in the DL.

I would like to see him get a few minutes up here now and then as scheduling allows, BUT he needs to develop a lot more, he needs minutes on the court in action not garbage time here.

He never put those numbers up at SU ever.

Maybe we do have something. He appears top be learning that is good. But to expect something this season......????

beat

I think Doc has some doubts about Melo'"s Shape ,sometimes he looks very tired.We have to remember that he is only a rookie and never had been playing that amount of games.Like Cowens mentioned he is very good free Throws shooter and his offensive game is improving every day.

Melo was a career 55% free throw shooter in college, to say he is very good is a stretch. lets see what he is after 25 games.

47 for 85 in college 14 for 21 with Maine

take away the 8 for 9 game he's only 6 for 12 on the season from the line. Long way from a "great " foul shooter

He did have 113 blocked shots in his career of 1050 minutes there

beat

Melo has had a couple of monster games in the past week. While we should keep in mind the quality of the competition, it's nice to see.

Sometimes it just takes one or two of those games for things to 'click' in a player's head. They suddenly "get it" because they see stuff actually working and it's not just coaches and teammates encouraging them. Let's hope that's what we're seeing here.

As far as Melo's conditioning goes, almost every rookie hits "the rookie wall". A college player that goes all the way to the NCAA Finals game might play 45-50 games all season total. The pros play double that. I wouldn't worry about that, Melo's not going to be playing 30mpg in Boston for at least a year or two (or more, if ever).


bob


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Beat you dont shoot 8 for 9 from the line in a game that you play over 30 minuts if you are not a good free throws shooter.As an ex player i can tell you that tired legs are the worst enemy of any shooter.I saw the way he shoots from the line and he did it corectly.

international

it was only ONE GAME, for 1 game even wilt shot 28 for 32 one time and he was poor at best. Think it was the Hershey 100.

Melo had decent form in college too, I saw it first hand and he played significant minutes. But still was "poor" at the line.

We will see if the 8 for 9 is a sign of improvement or not. If he's that good what's the case what happened to the first 6 for 12?

What would appear to be important is that he got to the line 9 times.

beat

Here's the game in question.

Tip off is at about the 13 minute mark, so just drag the cursor at the bottom to the right until you get there. Unless you're exceedingly bored, lazy or have way too much time on your hands.

I see Melo blowing a few bunnies, throw up a wild hookshot brick at the 21 minute mark and not being very aggressive defensively underneath. Statistically, he might have had a GREAT game, but I can see why Doc is saying he's not ready for the NBA.

Downs has been sloppy, not one of his better games, but had a great block at the 23 1/2 minute mark.

DuJuan (a relation to JuJuan?) Summers, #34, 6'8", 240#, looks pretty decent.

At halftime, not impressed with Melo's game. Very raw offensively, very, even down in the paint. Defensively, he's not challenging shots underneath in a timely manner. He's late, almost consistently. It's only when they bring it right to him that he's on point. Virtually all his offense has come off of dunks or layups on pick-and-rolls. That's not enough. His free throw shooting motion looks good, though. I don't understand why he couldn't hit them in college.



See for yourselves folks. The nice thing about this is that you can fast-forward through time outs, opposing team free throws, etc.








bob



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Melo may be developing as hoped for, which is great. Watch some of the video link Bob provided or other video of his play; he's nowhere near ready for the NBA.

You have to keep in mind that the NBADL is almost as talented and competitive as the Big 12, Big 10, ACC, SEC or Big East, but not quite there. He's generally playing less talented teams than he did in college.

Hopefully, however, we're seeing real signs that he's learning the game. If things continue to go well we might have something in a couple of years.

I only have a question....If Fab Melo were a free agent and not a player part of the Celtics roster,would you think that general managers of the other teams will be saying ...That kid is not worthy of an oportunity to play with our team because he is raw and is not ready.Or on the contrary the majority of them will be saying....The kid is 7-0 feet tall and is a natural shot blocker lets give him a try,lets sign him.?

international wrote:I only have a question....If Fab Melo were a free agent and not a player part of the Celtics roster,would you think that general managers of the other teams will be saying ...That kid is not worthy of an oportunity to play with our team because he is raw and is not ready.Or on the contrary the majority of them will be saying....The kid is 7-0 feet tall and is a natural shot blocker lets give him a try,lets sign him.?

Intl,

Let me answer this a few ways:

1. There are 7'ers, or damn close to it, in d-league besides Melo. It takes more than "tall" to play in the NBA.

2. Any team that thought Melo would be worth a chance could call Danny and ask him "how much?".

3. Melo is getting more minutes in one game with Maine than he'd get in a month in Boston. It
If we are seeing a Melo beakout it is because he playing, not sitting. Sure, a lot of teams would be willing to have a human victory cigar as their 12th man, but that doesn't help Melo develop his game. He needs a lot of one-on-one coaching and tutoring. A lot. Between travel and game preparation KG and the coaching staff can't spare much.


bob



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Hes definitely raw, but I would say hes also ahead of schedule, he deserves a shot at some point, how many 30 point games did Steamer have in D-League? sooner we get him up here, sooner he can learn more and give us some shot blocking and rebounding and big man play in the playoffs, that being the goal. If we didn't aleady have his rights, some other team I'm sure would grab him in a second.

International,

I do think other GM's would be tempted to do what we have; pick him up and try and develop him. I think no other GM or coach would use him in an NBA game at this time.

Having seen some of his college games live (and many televised) I was shocked we took him and expected him to go in the second round. I think he's an example of the saying "you can't teach tall." That is to say he does have some ability, but mainly he has the size.

I think he's currently a one-dimensional player in that he can block shots and defend the low post some. Melo didn't take up basketball until late but was able to contribute in the then size-challenged Big East.

I would very much like to see him develop in the way Kendrick Perkins did, and that's certainly what The Celtics must have been thinking when they drafted him. The bottom line, for me anyway, is that I'll be very (pleasantly) surprised if he has much of an NBA career at all. I think he has average agility for an NBA center, and based on what I saw at Syracuse he may not have what it takes mentally.

My guess is if you want to see our next best bet at center, watch Isaiah Austin (Baylor), Alec Brown (Wisconsin - Green Bay), or if we're very lucky, Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky) who will probably go before the halfway point of the first round if he declares for the draft. That is if we don't manage to trade for or sign an established center.

[Then again I don't recall my ever predicting a Celtics pick correctly!]

Regards

Guy is not NBA ready period. But I would like to see him when scheduling permits.

I watched the entire game and he'd get eaten up i'm afraid. He's a project. He's really only played hoops a couple years. And as far as other GM's asking about him whose to say they are.... or aren't.

I'll trust the powers that be that say he's no where near ready. Bringing him up and watching him struggle or sit on the bench isn't going to help him develop IMHO.

beat

Celtics fans i agrre with you that Melo is not ready yet to play many minutes with the Celtics,but i think some of you dont Know a kind of prospect is this kid.Of course as Bob say there are many 7-0 feet centers in the D league,but how many of them block 23 shots in 2 games?My opinion is that many of you are undervalue his abilities,and in the past happened with Avery Bradley.I remember how many people were asking for a trade of Bradley because they thought he wasnt a good player.sometimes or some fans tends to not give the value to what they have and need somebody else to say that they are not correct.Joe Johnson,Chauncey Billups ,Big Baby you have history of bad judgements.remember that.

international wrote:...Joe Johnson,Chauncey Billups ,Big Baby you have history of bad judgements.remember that.

No debate there!

Fortunately not all of it made by the current Celtics administration.

International,

In the video I've watched of Melo, he has displayed good timing on some of his blocks. But many of the guys he has played against are shorter than he is and/or have tended to telegraph their shots. In playing good defense, footwork and position are usually more important than blocks, even though blocks get the headlines. Melo has a long way to go on these parts of the game—especially because he'd be up against much higher caliber offensive players in the NBA

On offense, Melo hits a hook occasionally but isn't at all consistent in beating defensive players to his spot. Too often, he forces shots that are line drives or low-percentage heaves that don't even catch iron. He doesn't seem to have a "go to" shot except when he's in good position to dunk the ball.

In no way am I saying Melo's a lost cause because he certainly has talent. But one can see why Danny and Doc decided to get another DL big (even though he's not really a center) and give Melo more time to hone his craft.

Sam

He has a skill. Hes 7 foot tall and young legs.