Fab Melo is a Bust. I am calling it right now.

[SHAQATTACK]

I saw very little that encouraged me in the summer league about Fab Melo.

He can stay I guess,  we are tanking for the most part and he will surely help that cause when he is on the court

start fab and we gots that lotto pick locked up.

[Pucaccia]

I have been hopeful that he would turn into a solid defensive presence out there and be a part of the future at the center spot. I liked the pick when it was made. I thought sending him to the D league was a great idea and that he would come back a better player that could contribute at least off the bench this season. After watching him play in these summer league games I don't think it's happening. He won't be in the league in a few years unless it is WAY deep on the bench for some scrub team.

He is so terribly soft attacking the basket on offense. He is a BIG man and if he is underneath the rim should be able to easily go up and throw it down or at least draw major contact to get to the line. Instead he shies away from his defender and makes a simple shot hard. He has NO lift and is getting blocked by mediocre defenders. His post moves are awkward. He doesn't handle the ball well.

His defense is at best mediocre to poor. The guy gets the occasional blocked shot due to his size, but I think it's likely that it is sheer luck versus skill.

He can't rebound to save his life. Much of it is due to his soft play out there.

So here is what we have. A "defensive" project who can't defend, can't rebound. Has almost NO upside on the offensive end and plays down low like he is the size of a 2 guard. Before the rest of the league figures it out let's make sure we package him in a deal and get him out of town. He's done.

I hate to admit it, but I agree. He really looks lost. If he only took some assertive training.  He needs to be nasty.

[cltc5]

I wanted moultrie and Nicholson. Sully turned out well.  Fab has a loooooong way to go and I'm on the side he'll never get there.  Jjj was all big 10 and he's junk.

[aingeforthree]

People are so quick to find his faults, they don't notice the positives.  He's an easy target. 

1.  His lower body looks great.  Legs look strong.   

2.  His upper body is lean.  He's lost a lot of unnecessary muscle in his upper body, but he needs to put on some good muscle in his arms.  That will help him hold on to rebounds and finish.

3.  Fab's passing looks real good.  He's a very good passer already. 

4.  His defensive rotations, and talking are much better. 

5.  His picks are much better.  They still have to improve, but he's much better. 

6.  His hook shot is coming along nicely.  With his length that will be effective in any level. 

7.  He's not a liability at the line.  The form on his jumper looks nice and he plays very unselfish not looking for his offense at all. 

8.  His game is completely tied to his confidence.  As he gets more confident he will become more productive.

You hit it on the head.

I want him to concentrate on 1 facet of his game this year & leave everything else alone.  Rebounding. Get that down & let everything else fall into place. Gotta get better at rebounding right now.

[bfrombleacher]

Fab looks good.  He has confidence issues like Bradley did.  The more he plays, the better he will get.  It's not realistic to expect him to be a polished player right now.  He's a work in progress.

Forgot about AB.

That kid has come far and he'll only go further.

[kg is king]

Once you're past the lottery, most of the picks turn out to be bench players at best. Occasionally you strike gold with players like Rondo, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis, etc. Since historically there's more "busts" than "gems" that late in the draft, I am fine with how Fab Melo is, as that's just the norm.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

So Fab Melo didn't have the greatest Summer League, not the end of the world.

[EJPLAYA]

So here is the problem with the arguments of those who still thinks he may develop into something. The things that you are saying he might develop, are things that take more athleticism than the guy has. It isn't enough to say that he is at least making an attempt to attack the rim on the offensive end. He is getting stuffed because he has NO hops!  That isn't going to change. He is always going to get blocked because he doesn't have the physical ability to not. You can't learn that. He's a big dude who has almost no athleticism. All the patience in the world will not change that.

Ask yourself this question. If you had to cut him or Colton Iverson right now, who would you cut?!

[syfy9]

So here is the problem with the arguments of those who still thinks he may develop into something. The things that you are saying he might develop, are things that take more athleticism than the guy has. It isn't enough to say that he is at least making an attempt to attack the rim on the offensive end. He is getting stuffed because he has NO hops!  That isn't going to change. He is always going to get blocked because he doesn't have the physical ability to not. You can't learn that. He's a big dude who has almost no athleticism. All the patience in the world will not change that.

Ask yourself this question. If you had to cut him or Colton Iverson right now, who would you cut?!

He is 7 feet tall. For that reason alone, he could dominate if he plays harder/smarter. Hops don't mean a thing in a big man's game if you are 7 feet tall.


That being said, I'd rather have Iverson. He plays way harder as is. 

[Yogi]

So here is the problem with the arguments of those who still thinks he may develop into something. The things that you are saying he might develop, are things that take more athleticism than the guy has. It isn't enough to say that he is at least making an attempt to attack the rim on the offensive end. He is getting stuffed because he has NO hops!  That isn't going to change. He is always going to get blocked because he doesn't have the physical ability to not. You can't learn that. He's a big dude who has almost no athleticism. All the patience in the world will not change that.

Ask yourself this question. If you had to cut him or Colton Iverson right now, who would you cut?!

He has a 29.5 standing and 31 max vertical.  Combined with his standing reach of 9'2 means he can dunk on a 11 ft rim without a running start. 

Fab has to work on his upper body strength, which WILL happen.  He needs to become more confident and less hesitant, which hopefully happens. 

[EJPLAYA]

So here is the problem with the arguments of those who still thinks he may develop into something. The things that you are saying he might develop, are things that take more athleticism than the guy has. It isn't enough to say that he is at least making an attempt to attack the rim on the offensive end. He is getting stuffed because he has NO hops!  That isn't going to change. He is always going to get blocked because he doesn't have the physical ability to not. You can't learn that. He's a big dude who has almost no athleticism. All the patience in the world will not change that.

Ask yourself this question. If you had to cut him or Colton Iverson right now, who would you cut?!

He is 7 feet tall. For that reason alone, he could dominate if he plays harder/smarter. Hops don't mean a thing in a big man's game if you are 7 feet tall.


That being said, I'd rather have Iverson. He plays way harder as is.

They seem to mean a thing when he gets stuffed time after time. Face it. The guy can't finish at the rim. He reminds me of BBD under there. Pretend all you want, but he doesn't have the athleticism to play at this level. 7 foot tall means nothing if you play like a scrub. He also reminds me of that kid in rec ball that is a foot taller than everyone else and out of shape and uncoordinated. He keeps getting the ball because he can reach higher, however he keeps missing again and again getting blocked by smaller players. Embarrassing really...

[Eddie20]

People are so quick to find his faults, they don't notice the positives.  He's an easy target. 

1.  His lower body looks great.  Legs look strong.   

2.  His upper body is lean.  He's lost a lot of unnecessary muscle in his upper body, but he needs to put on some good muscle in his arms.  That will help him hold on to rebounds and finish.

3.  Fab's passing looks real good.  He's a very good passer already. 

4.  His defensive rotations, and talking are much better. 

5.  His picks are much better.  They still have to improve, but he's much better. 

6.  His hook shot is coming along nicely.  With his length that will be effective in any level. 

7.  He's not a liability at the line.  The form on his jumper looks nice and he plays very unselfish not looking for his offense at all. 

8.  His game is completely tied to his confidence.  As he gets more confident he will become more productive.

You hit it on the head.

I want him to concentrate on 1 facet of his game this year & leave everything else alone.  Rebounding. Get that down & let everything else fall into place. Gotta get better at rebounding right now.

I agree on 1-7, but I disagree on #8 and think his game is completely tied to aggressiveness . I want to see him develop a nasty streak. He just seems to jolly and somewhat lackadaisical out there. You'll see him get blocked and on the next play he has a smile and is chatting with the opponent.

[lightspeed5]

i think fab is a nice guy, but he can develop a mean streak. anyone remember when doc yelled at him for yelling at carmelo? its not impossible for fab to get p---ed.

[chambers]

He does look like a useless bum out there most of the time.
His footwork is pretty good but his speed is always in slow mow.
He tends to over think on offense.
Actual NBA minutes will help him because he'll have spacing and more time to develop confidence.
I think Yogi is right that much of it has to do with his on court confidence. In the D League he's looked like a completely different player to the one out there in summer league.
Different swagger. Make him primary/2nd back up and play 10-15 mins a night while we tank.
Will make him better but make the team lose, like a real tank should.

[Celtics4ever]

think Yogi is right that much of it has to do with his on court confidence

A guy can either play or not play.  I wonder how many on this board averaged like 20+ a game.   Because you can either do it or not.  Confidence that is developed is never as good as confidence that is innate, period.  We don't have time or resources to babify Melo.   Iverson already shows as much if not more ability and a better strength level.

He is bust, he was a bust at Syracuse too.   His college career was mediocre.   He will be a journeyman center at best.

1) He can't rebound
2) His hands are suspect
3) He did not dominate in college
4) He did not dominate at Maine
5) He did not dominate in Summer League
6) Greg Kite was better than him
7) Marty Conlon was better than him
Crimmy  - Fred Roberts was better than him

He has improved his offensive but that is where we need him to impove.   He needs to improve his rebounding.   I question his strength that you claim is so strong.   He can't jump that high and routinely get's pushed off the block.   Looking strong and being strong are two different things.

He has about 1-2 more years and if he doesn't pan out he is gone or career backup.  DA usually gets rid of guys who can't play.

His hands are what he needs to concentrate as they affect all other areas of his game.   Especially his rebounding.  If a pass or ball don't come right out him he can't catch it.