Fab Melo working hard to improve his game

[Fafnir]

The Grizzlies are "working on" a trade that would send Fab Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). It's not clear how close the two sides are to an agreement, or whether the deal would include additional pieces.

Hoops Rumors ‏@HoopsRumors 6m
Grizzlies, Celtics Talking Fab Melo, Donte Greene http://dlvr.it/3pWndZ  #nba
Expand

If this doesn't include a pick or a swap of Brandon Bass for expirings then I don't see the point other than luxury tax reasons...

Luxury tax reasons are probably the single most important reason for the Celtics to make a trade this season.

Yup, and luxury tax issues are cumulative now. So getting under this year means that we can potentially take on salary to go above next year at lesser cost. (repeater tax escalation and all that)

[Fafnir]

The Grizzlies are "working on" a trade that would send Fab Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). It's not clear how close the two sides are to an agreement, or whether the deal would include additional pieces.

Hoops Rumors ‏@HoopsRumors 6m
Grizzlies, Celtics Talking Fab Melo, Donte Greene http://dlvr.it/3pWndZ  #nba
Expand

If this doesn't include a pick or a swap of Brandon Bass for expirings then I don't see the point other than luxury tax reasons...

As far as I can tell, this "trade" entirely consists of Memphis wanting Melo and leaking it to one of their local reporters.  I'll go on record right now and say I very much doubt Ainge is going to give away Melo just to get under the luxury tax.  If that's all he wanted to do, I'm sure some team at or below the salary floor would take on the Hump for a second round pick.

Mike

I don't think a team at the salary floor would do that. No reason to, the penalty for the salary floor is that other players on your team split the money and you lose the "space" anyways right?

Meanwhile they'd lose a lot of flexibility from Humphries eating their space for midseason deals.

[MBunge]

The Grizzlies are "working on" a trade that would send Fab Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). It's not clear how close the two sides are to an agreement, or whether the deal would include additional pieces.

Hoops Rumors ‏@HoopsRumors 6m
Grizzlies, Celtics Talking Fab Melo, Donte Greene http://dlvr.it/3pWndZ  #nba
Expand

If this doesn't include a pick or a swap of Brandon Bass for expirings then I don't see the point other than luxury tax reasons...

As far as I can tell, this "trade" entirely consists of Memphis wanting Melo and leaking it to one of their local reporters.  I'll go on record right now and say I very much doubt Ainge is going to give away Melo just to get under the luxury tax.  If that's all he wanted to do, I'm sure some team at or below the salary floor would take on the Hump for a second round pick.

Mike

I don't think a team at the salary floor would do that. No reason to, the penalty for the salary floor is that other players on your team split the money and you lose the "space" anyways right?

Meanwhile they'd lose a lot of flexibility from Humphries eating their space for midseason deals.

1.  If they lose the space anyways, it doesn't matter if they have Hump or not.

2.  In the Nets' last two season in Jersey, Hump averaged a double-double.  There's certainly going to be some team interested in him if the price is low enough.

3.  The luxury tax for next season doesn't get paid until AFTER the season, right?  There's no need to make a trade now just for luxury or salary tax reasons, is there?  So why would Ainge give up on one of his guys?

4.  Whether it's a salary floor team or not, the point is that there's a bunch of other potential moves Ainge could make depending on how well or poorly the team does next season.  Why give away Melo now?

Mike

[sed522002]

The Grizzlies are "working on" a trade that would send Fab Melo to Memphis and Donte Greene to Boston, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). It's not clear how close the two sides are to an agreement, or whether the deal would include additional pieces.

Hoops Rumors ‏@HoopsRumors 6m
Grizzlies, Celtics Talking Fab Melo, Donte Greene http://dlvr.it/3pWndZ  #nba
Expand

If this doesn't include a pick or a swap of Brandon Bass for expirings then I don't see the point other than luxury tax reasons...

As far as I can tell, this "trade" entirely consists of Memphis wanting Melo and leaking it to one of their local reporters.  I'll go on record right now and say I very much doubt Ainge is going to give away Melo just to get under the luxury tax.  If that's all he wanted to do, I'm sure some team at or below the salary floor would take on the Hump for a second round pick.

Mike

I don't think a team at the salary floor would do that. No reason to, the penalty for the salary floor is that other players on your team split the money and you lose the "space" anyways right?

Meanwhile they'd lose a lot of flexibility from Humphries eating their space for midseason deals.

1.  If they lose the space anyways, it doesn't matter if they have Hump or not.

2.  In the Nets' last two season in Jersey, Hump averaged a double-double.  There's certainly going to be some team interested in him if the price is low enough.

3.  The luxury tax for next season doesn't get paid until AFTER the season, right?  There's no need to make a trade now just for luxury or salary tax reasons, is there?  So why would Ainge give up on one of his guys?

4.  Whether it's a salary floor team or not, the point is that there's a bunch of other potential moves Ainge could make depending on how well or poorly the team does next season.  Why give away Melo now?

Mike

Well it's official now.

[LooseCannon]

As far as I can tell, this "trade" entirely consists of Memphis wanting Melo and leaking it to one of their local reporters.  I'll go on record right now and say I very much doubt Ainge is going to give away Melo just to get under the luxury tax.  If that's all he wanted to do, I'm sure some team at or below the salary floor would take on the Hump for a second round pick.

Mike

I don't think a team at the salary floor would do that. No reason to, the penalty for the salary floor is that other players on your team split the money and you lose the "space" anyways right?

Meanwhile they'd lose a lot of flexibility from Humphries eating their space for midseason deals.

1.  If they lose the space anyways, it doesn't matter if they have Hump or not.

A team that is below the salary floor probably isn't interested in adding significant payroll that takes it well above the salary floor just because they don't want to pay that extra money.  For a team to be willing to do the Celtics a favor and absorb the contract of Humphries, they'd probably need to be at least $10 million below the floor.

[Celtics18]

Bummer.

[aporel#18]

Shhhhhhh.... this story was planted by Danny Ainge----in hopes of getting some GM to bite- on his inclusion in a Wallace or Bass deal.

TP. It looks like it worked out perfectly.

I wish Fab good luck, but I hope this trade works in Celtics favor. Go Celtics!

[the_Bird]

Fab Melo's workin' hard to pack his Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline..

[hpantazo]

This video imo pretty much sums up why Melo was a lost cause:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fjvYLe1eXo

[Birdman]

he can work hard as anyone but at the end of the day, he is still going to be awful!!!!