Why is everyone so down on Fab Melo?

[Yogi]

1)Yeah yeah we get it. Shouldn't expect much from a weak draft, that typical old excuse that plenty of us have heard.

2) Two completely different things... You didn't even quote the right part of it..

3)He's an klutz... You ever see Yao bump into a door, and get an concussion? Hell, even Yao had to squat, and couldn't fit in one car cause he was so big.

4)Yeah, because Danny is going to tell all of us that he's lazy and doesn't work hard. Of course a GM will call a player out... When Fab got a concussion, there wasn't much motivation for him to get back his spot. He just chilled, sat on the benches, and didn't do anything much.

5) His personality says it all... I agree he won't have the greatest vocabulary in a new country... But are you seriously defending and saying his BBIQ is beyond average? He can't understand plays, hasn't adapted, and can't even make routine defensive rotations.. Yes our system is hard to understand, but so what? Can we stop using the tired excuse that he hasn't played for long? Who's problem is that? Maybe he should've stayed with soccer then..

6)Yeah okay, cause he definitely put up productive numbers.

I'm hoping he proves me wrong.

1.  It's not an excuse though.  It is a fact.  I still would rather have Fab than anyone drafted after him.  Only Taylor, Crowder and Green and possibly Jenkins and Lamb even interest me but they all play in overloaded positions for us and Fab has a higher ceiling than those guys. 
2.  It is a direct quote.  I didn't alter anything.  I have yet to see a single shred of evidence that he is lazy or has a poor work ethic.  Everything I've heard about him says otherwise. 
3.  I am willing to bet my house that Yao has bumped into a door or 20. 
4.  When someone has a concussion, you CAN'T do anything.
5.  Fab does not have a great feel for the game, but his BBIQ has impressed me.  He has to see the play happen before blocking shots and taking charges.  He is an excellent passer.  I was very impressed with his passing during summer league.  What he needs is experience and confidence. 

[dark_lord]

he is a stiff and sux. he will be in the d-league or playing outside the US before he knows it

[EJPLAYA]

Because he is a slow footed, bad handed, low BBALL IQ 7 footer that struggles finishing under the rim (even though he is supposed to have a great vertical) can't rebound well, and doesn't even seem to block shots well against NBA level players. A guy who can't rebound or play high end defense that also has no offensive game is someone that is not going to excite many fans...

[kozlodoev]

To respond to multiple comments in this thread: I don't think  it's a matter of work ethic or effort.

But while in the NCAA effort + being extremely large is typically enough to do well, in the NBA an actual ability to play basketball is required. That is, the ability to process and respond to the game as it happens: in real time, all the time.

[danglertx]

I refuse to believe anyone who says Fab had a decent Summer League actually watched him play in it.

He repeatedly got blocked at the rim by no name earthbound career D-Leaguers.  Any pass to him has a 50/50 chance of being bobbled and dropped.  The next offensive rebound I see him get will be the first.  He took several shots that didn't hit anything.  He has no motor.  He won't move two steps to get a loose ball.

Second year guys should be dominating the summer games but Melo was getting dominated.  Melo was clearly the worst player on squad and our squad had some of the worst players in the Orlando Summer League.

Ok, now that's just ridiculous.  After Olynyk, Pressey and MAYBE Iverson Fab was easilly thennext best player on the Celtics Summer league squad.  He lacked consistency, but he was actually reasonably productive.

It isn't at all ridiculous.  In fact, saying Fab was the next best player is ridiculous.  Fab rebounded like Tony Mitchell who was a major disappointment, however Mitchell scored 5 more points a game. 

The stats don't even tell it all though, Mitchell had to drive and make his own shots.  I'd guess around 80% of Fab's looks came from passes created by someone else and within five feet of the rim.  Half the time he couldn't catch it cleanly and the other half of the time he was usually getting stuffed at the rim, once by a guard.  He has no explosion and can't finish when it is contested.  If he didn't actually turn it on at the free throw line his scoring would have been even worse.

Just to put the icing on how bad Fab was, in 91 minutes of floor time, he collected 17 rebounds, had 1 assist, 6 blocks (which is he one redeeming quality), and 31points.  That isn't going to do it for a slow footed 7ft guy.

[mmmmm]

NO

The "But just look at Avery Bradley" argument is RETIRED.

(1) Avery Bradley is STILL a one-dimensional player who is far from establishing himself as an average shooting guard in the NBA.

AVERY BRADLEY = NOT [YET?] A SUCCESS STORY

(2) Avery Bradley WAS HURT going into his rookie season. Over the course of his rehab, he nonetheless destroyed the D-league and then put up an electric and efficient 20 points in 27 minutes in the Celtics regular season finale.

MELO = NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS BRADLEY WAS

STOP IT.

PLEASE

Hmm ... does getting named First-team All-Defensive for the D-League count as 'destroying it'?   He definitely posted a few dominating games there.  Seems like Fab has done that part.  Check.   

He hasn't had a chance to play anywhere close to 27 minutes in an NBA game (where both teams have pulled starters) for us to see what he could do in that situation.

Not saying he'll impress like Bradley did, of course.   Just noting that's the missing piece in your comparison.

[EJPLAYA]

NO

The "But just look at Avery Bradley" argument is RETIRED.

(1) Avery Bradley is STILL a one-dimensional player who is far from establishing himself as an average shooting guard in the NBA.

AVERY BRADLEY = NOT [YET?] A SUCCESS STORY

(2) Avery Bradley WAS HURT going into his rookie season. Over the course of his rehab, he nonetheless destroyed the D-league and then put up an electric and efficient 20 points in 27 minutes in the Celtics regular season finale.

MELO = NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS BRADLEY WAS

STOP IT.

PLEASE

Hmm ... does getting named First-team All-Defensive for the D-League count as 'destroying it'?   He definitely posted a few dominating games there.  Seems like Fab has done that part.  Check.   

He hasn't had a chance to play anywhere close to 27 minutes in an NBA game (where both teams have pulled starters) for us to see what he could do in that situation.

Not saying he'll impress like Bradley did, of course.   Just noting that's the missing piece in your comparison.

Hey, I once led the league in scoring in city REC ball putting up 28 ppg. Does that count as "destroying it"? Should I be given the opportunity to be one of our 2 guards? I just haven't had the minutes out there in the NBA to prove that I have what it takes!

[danglertx]

1)Yeah yeah we get it. Shouldn't expect much from a weak draft, that typical old excuse that plenty of us have heard.

2) Two completely different things... You didn't even quote the right part of it..

3)He's an klutz... You ever see Yao bump into a door, and get an concussion? Hell, even Yao had to squat, and couldn't fit in one car cause he was so big.

4)Yeah, because Danny is going to tell all of us that he's lazy and doesn't work hard. Of course a GM will call a player out... When Fab got a concussion, there wasn't much motivation for him to get back his spot. He just chilled, sat on the benches, and didn't do anything much.

5) His personality says it all... I agree he won't have the greatest vocabulary in a new country... But are you seriously defending and saying his BBIQ is beyond average? He can't understand plays, hasn't adapted, and can't even make routine defensive rotations.. Yes our system is hard to understand, but so what? Can we stop using the tired excuse that he hasn't played for long? Who's problem is that? Maybe he should've stayed with soccer then..

6)Yeah okay, cause he definitely put up productive numbers.

I'm hoping he proves me wrong.

1.  It's not an excuse though.  It is a fact.  I still would rather have Fab than anyone drafted after him.  Only Taylor, Crowder and Green and possibly Jenkins and Lamb even interest me but they all play in overloaded positions for us and Fab has a higher ceiling than those guys. 
2.  It is a direct quote.  I didn't alter anything.  I have yet to see a single shred of evidence that he is lazy or has a poor work ethic.  Everything I've heard about him says otherwise. 
3.  I am willing to bet my house that Yao has bumped into a door or 20. 
4.  When someone has a concussion, you CAN'T do anything.
5.  Fab does not have a great feel for the game, but his BBIQ has impressed me.  He has to see the play happen before blocking shots and taking charges.  He is an excellent passer.  I was very impressed with his passing during summer league.  What he needs is experience and confidence.

I'm not going to call him lazy or question his work ethic because I have no idea.  And I give him credit for being willing to take a charge and being tall with long arms.

I DVR'd all the Boston summer league games and watched them twice.  After the first game I wrote off Abromaitis from my watch closely list for second viewing and kept an eye on Olynyk, Mitchell, Pressey, Fab, and Iverson during my second watching of each game.

Fab just doesn't have it.  The second anyone puts a body on him he doesn't move.  He is the anti Sullinger.  When a shot goes up Sully will turn his body sideways, try to slip through cracks, and push his way to good rebounding position.  Melo doesn't move.  He stays right there and hopes the ball bounces over your head.

He went up for a dunk and some white 6-10 German looking guy absolutely stuffed him at the rim.  This wasn't some athletic 6'11" guy with long arms, but an earthbound, muscled up guy who absolutely stoned Melo.  Fab goes laughing back up the court.

He just doesn't have "it".  You have to want to be good.  You have to push yourself.  Look at Shav.  Much smaller guy but has "it" to rebound.  Every ball out there was his and he was going to go get it.  With Fab its... its just painful to watch honestly.  A guy who is fighting for a spot in the NBA without the motor to do the one thing he has to do, rebound.

[Yogi]

I'm not going to call him lazy or question his work ethic because I have no idea.  And I give him credit for being willing to take a charge and being tall with long arms.

I DVR'd all the Boston summer league games and watched them twice.  After the first game I wrote off Abromaitis from my watch closely list for second viewing and kept an eye on Olynyk, Mitchell, Pressey, Fab, and Iverson during my second watching of each game.

Fab just doesn't have it.  The second anyone puts a body on him he doesn't move.  He is the anti Sullinger.  When a shot goes up Sully will turn his body sideways, try to slip through cracks, and push his way to good rebounding position.  Melo doesn't move.  He stays right there and hopes the ball bounces over your head.

He went up for a dunk and some white 6-10 German looking guy absolutely stuffed him at the rim.  This wasn't some athletic 6'11" guy with long arms, but an earthbound, muscled up guy who absolutely stoned Melo.  Fab goes laughing back up the court.

He just doesn't have "it".  You have to want to be good.  You have to push yourself.  Look at Shav.  Much smaller guy but has "it" to rebound.  Every ball out there was his and he was going to go get it.  With Fab its... its just painful to watch honestly.  A guy who is fighting for a spot in the NBA without the motor to do the one thing he has to do, rebound.

He got blocked a couple of times... so what?  Who cares?  It happens to Dwight Howard and Lebron James too. 

Do people realize that we are talking about someone who played 2 years in high school, 2 years in college and 1 year in the D league?  Just try to imagine how little basketball that is.  Of course he's not going to be confident.  That takes a lot of time.  By the way, he eventually become a defensive force in all levels that he had gotten minutes in.

Everyone has their skills.  Shavlik is a great re-bounder, Fab Melo is not.  That doesn't mean that Fab doesn't have "it."  Melo is still developing his skill set.  He is very good at steals, blocks and taking charges.  He's pretty effective in defending the pick and roll.  Fab has excellent passing ability.  He is working on a mid range game and a hook shot.  He may never become great, but he will get better at setting picks and boxing out. 

Fab hustled a lot when he was on the floor.  One play stands out (against Indiana) he fought for an offensive rebound, dived in the floor to save it from going out of bounds to Olynyk, who missed a jumper but Mitchell (or Fells) gathered the miss for a nice floater.  Melo's hustle gave us those two points. 

Just because your teams want you to doesn't mean you can become great at something that falls outside of your skill set.  Natural talent plays a role in what you are good at.  I'm sure Fab works very hard at rebounding, but that doesn't mean that he can become a great re-bounder. 

The Celtics did not draft Fab for his rebounding prowess.  They drafted him for his impact on the defensive end.  That means, challenging shots, getting deflections, blocks, steals and charges.  He will also work on other aspects of the game like rebounding, shooting etc. 

There is a lot of room for growth with Fab.  That is why his ceiling is so high.  As fans, we have to be patient. 

[McNoob]

Hey, I once led the league in scoring in city REC ball putting up 28 ppg. Does that count as "destroying it"? Should I be given the opportunity to be one of our 2 guards? I just haven't had the minutes out there in the NBA to prove that I have what it takes!

Sure, if your city's REC ball is full of NBA players and other professional players. I have a feeling it's not though, and I doubt you were drafted by the Celtics to be developed.

[Tr1boy]

Melo is tailor made for college ball bc he can just hang around under the basket all day long. But in the nba just understanding the 3 sec rule seems daunting for him.

Its either going to take another year or two or he is done

[danglertx]

He had one assist in 91 minutes.  Kevin McHale would say that isn't excellent passing.

If your 5 has no offensive game, he has to at least be a rebounder.  If Melo were a dominant defensive player maybe his rebounding could be tolerated, but he is anything but dominant.

[mmmmm]

Fab Melo is a bust. That being said, give him 10-15 minutes to see if Stevens can coach him, and if he can learn to thrive under the fast paced NBA style of play.

In final, Melo is terrible, looks awkward, gets a concussion from a door, breaks chairs, screams, "GIVE ME THAT!" Over a charge, is unmotivated, lazy, and didn't have the work ethic to work out as hard as he could in the off season.

Let me just put it this way. Give him 10-15 minutes so he can try to test the waters, and if he sucks at least it'll help us tank. The thing about Melo is all these comparisons from Bradley to Perkins... Guess what? Who cares? Even Steven Adams looks more polished than him... And the problem with Melo... He just is a goofy, and uneducated sort of guy... He doesn't sound intelligent, and doesn't work hard..

If he wanted to really impress Danny Ainge.. Then he'd push himself the hardest like Roy Hibbert, Noah, Bradley, and other great players do in the off season work outs/conditioning...

As far as I'm concerned... Melo is a bust, and I'm saying that now with finality. I was hoping he would do well in SL, but even then... A guy who's been in the league for a few years still can't even put up productive numbers... Also Stevens has already seen the type of performance Melo can put up... I doubt he'll get more than 10 minutes at best.

1.  Naturally Fab Melo is a bust.  He has absolutely not lived up to the standard of past 22nd overall picks in a weak draft.  That goes without saying.

2.  "screams "GIVE ME THAT!" over a charge, is unmotivated, lazy"  A guy that gets excited over taking a charge is clearly unmotivated and lazy.  That also goes without saying.

3.  A 7ft who bumps into doors designed for 6ft people?  An NBA center breaks a chair designed for an average human being?  He must be some kind of klutz.  After all, which one of us has bumped into something or broken a chair in our lives?

4.  It is obvious that he has wasted the summer.  Yes, Danny Ainge and others in the organization have constantly said they love his work ethic and he has spent a big part of Summer working out very hard at the Celtics facilites, but what do they know exactly?  We can use our unprofessional eyes to determine exactly how much work he's put in from watching him play 5 summer league games. 

5.  "He just is a goofy, and uneducated sort of guy... He doesn't sound intelligent, and doesn't work hard.."  This should be obvious to everyone.  The guy talks slowly in a foreign language that he only learned in high school.  I mean clearly we are all fluent and razor sharp with the foreign languages we learned in high school.  Anything less would make us "an uneducated sort of guy who doesn't sound intelligent." 

Clearly coming to a different country and becoming a first round pick in the NBA doesn't require any hard work.  Just imagine how easy it would be for one of us to go to Brazil and become a member of the Brazilian Soccer team.  Plus we are all super smart and not goofy sounding at all!

6.  "A guy who's been in the league for a few years still can't even put up productive numbers... "  Ignoring the minor details that Melo has been in the league for ONE year and DID put up productive numbers, this statement sums it all up nicely.

Oh my.  THAT was definitely TP worthy.

[Yogi]

He had one assist in 91 minutes.  Kevin McHale would say that isn't excellent passing.

If your 5 has no offensive game, he has to at least be a rebounder.  If Melo were a dominant defensive player maybe his rebounding could be tolerated, but he is anything but dominant.

Not sure about that stat, but passing is more than assists.  He had a beautiful pass delivered on point to a 3 point shooter in transition.  He also had an out of bounds play where he found the open guy under the basket for a quick two with fractions left on the clock.  He had one bad turnover off a mis-communication.  Overall, his outlet passes were very good.  He is not running the point here, but he can really pass the ball.

[TripleOT]

Because he sucks?