I am coaching Cs Fab Melo only has two duties

[Ogaju]

next season - Defense, picks and Rebound - okay three duties. If he gets the defense down and he is able to clog lane and get some blocks no one, and I mean no one will stop us from hoisting #18.

[lightspeed5]

learning defense is easier said than done.

ask jajuan

[Atzar]

I like Melo's potential, but if he gets any non-garbage time minutes this year then that's probably a bad thing.

He has too far to go and too much to learn before he can take a spot from an established NBA player, in my opinion.  I think he has the tools and the motor to get there in the next couple of years, but certainly not this season.

[arambone]

i am superman and some call it fantasy.

I am coaching and large men follow my orders

i'm tom brady and i sleep with gisele.

Maybe i'm just a regular joe on the internet.

Maybe i'll stop writing sentences that indicate otherwise, however strong my fantasies.

[arambone]

i do think the op (doc is that you?) is onto something.

Melo knows what his role will be, and doc will probably let him slide on totally mastering the defense before playing him. Doc threw hollins right into the mix. Melo should be better this year.

Every player has strengths and weaknesses. Melo has strengths not found outside of kg on this team.

I was predicting to myself earlier tonight that melo will block lebron in next years ecf.
Melo could be better than perk by the playoffs. That would be a big storyline and matchup in the finals.

10 mpg by the end of the season.

[tarheelsxxiii]

I think we will have the luxury of letting Melo learn on the fly in short stints this year. And that, my friends, is wassup!

[tarheelsxxiii]

I think we will have the luxury of letting Melo learn on the fly in short stints this year.

Duties include:
1. Droppin buckets
2. Eatin babies
3. Messin up Portland

[tarheelsxxiii]

sadf

[jdz101]

learning defense is easier said than done.

ask jajuan

Jajuanna learn defense??

Nope.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Melo has a pretty nice shooting stroke. I would for the team to develop that so he can be a pick and pop option, you know, like late in his career Brad Miller. He'll rebound, play defense and will hit open 16-18 footers. That's solid contribution.

[SHAQATTACK]

  Melo is a big man project , he has overcome alot already in short life. Hopefully he has the desire to continue to develope.   I can see DA and Doc are bringing him slow , like they did in Summer League. Sully; well they basically threw him in the pool of sharks the first game ( he was ready). Melo is a real baby to the NBA game overall, sending him out to play the likes of Bynum and Howard , he would be cannon fodder.  So they don't want to mess him up by asking too much too quick.  Melo just needs to be around the NBA players learn and practice  , train hard this season and get his feet wet slow. He'll get very limited minutes at least first half of season. He'll ride the pines as he learns and bulks up.

I believe he has a nice touch for shooting lurking ( he's been trained NOT to shoot, and one day he may have a decent offensive game.   Just gonna take time and hopefully he'll put in the effort.

If Melo can catch up and break out one day , he will be exciting to see play along side Bradley.

[bfrombleacher]

@ Yoki and @SHAQATTACK

This dude does not only have a nice jumper, he has great mobility and footwork (from soccer) for his size.

I thought he was going to be a traditional low post guy if he developed any offense at all. But I think now his face up game might be very much worth developing.

He's like an 18 wheeler with great steering. It's hard to stop when he's running through the paint.

Think this:
http://youtu.be/SO16SxVkjeI?t=40s (Did he just do a mini-Eurostep? Jesus...a 7 footer.)
http://youtu.be/fgOj-PV1LBc




I also agree with your other part.

If I am coaching Cs, Fab Melo will only have one duty: carrying KG's bags.

At least for the first half of the season.

[Surferdad]

I would be shocked if Melo gets any significant PT this season. He will be in Portland mostly and when their season in over he will ride the pine.  He's our 4th string center at this point.

[jdz101]

He will have 4 duties.

Find bread.

Find peanut butter.

Find both flavors of jelly.

Make sammiches.

[Professor of Rondology]

I think that Doc will play Melo a lot more than expected this year.  To be clear: my expectations are that he will spend most of the season either in Maine or racking up DNPs with the Celtics.  Exceeding those expectations could entail no more than getting some meaningful minutes here and there, against inferior opponents. The reason that I think he might get some burn is that it is in our best interest to develop him sooner rather than later.  I think that Danny and Doc know this, and will adjust the rotation accordingly.

This team will be very competitive for the next several years. Even if Melo never plays a single minute we'll be fine, but imagine what could happen if he develops into a player quickly.  Pairing him with KG could create a historically great defensive frontcourt if Melo can get there quick enough.  The way I see it, if we want that to happen- Melo and KG on the court together- we need to develop Melo ASAP.  Obviously we are in "win now" mode so our primary focus is not developing our youth, but 5 mpg is not a lot- it would also ease the burden on KG, Wilcox, and Collins.  It might cost us a game or two, but the idea is to prepare Melo for an increased role next year.  The idea that rebuilding and competing are mutually exclusive is ridiculous- the Spurs have been quietly doing it for a decade.

If Melo gets a few minutes a game to butt heads with NBA bigs, it could do him a lot of good.  Learning the rotations/ the basics of NBA defense will be easier if he gets to do so in real game action.  I know that Doc hates giving minutes to guys who aren't ready for them (and I don't think Melo is ready for NBA minutes), but this might be a case where he can see that it is in the team's best interest to speed up Melo's development. 

Danny has spoken about Sully and Melo being on the "fast track."  The very fact that Danny talks about those two in the same sentence shows that Danny thinks more highly of Melo than most of us (myself included).  So I am hoping (and simultaneously dreading) that Melo will get 5 minutes a game- they will probably be 5 frustratingly inconsistent minutes, but I think the end results will justify the frustrations and lost games.  Maybe we won't see the results until 2014, but that doesn't matter to me.  When we drafted Fab Melo, we were drafting a project, and projects don't turn into players by riding the pine.