Mercifully, Our Regional Nightmare is Over: Fab Melo Traded to Memphis

Look it up, I was never a Fab Melo fan dating back to his brief time at Syracuse so you can imagine my frustration when the Celtics drafted him in the first round (22nd overall) in 2011. I predicted he'd never have an impact in Boston and despite being a beast in the D-League (hold your laughter), Melo couldn't find a place on an NBA team that basically played without a true center for two years. What does that tell you how they viewed him? As far as I'm concerned, his most memorable pro moment so far is bumping his head in a hotel which gave him a concussion.

Today, he was traded for another bust from Syracuse-forward Donte Greene-that was on the Grizzlies last season but never actually played a game. He was a first round pick (28th overall) by Sacramento where he toiled for four seasons, averaging a forgettable 6.1 points per game. This was a chance for Boston to trim salary and get under the luxury tax line next season assuming that they waive him before the regular season starts in October. Also, it's another step in the rebuilding process as they admitted (with this move) that drafting Melo was a mistake from the start.

Oh well, at least now we don't have to watch that big goof painfully try to play basketball. So we've got that going for us.

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Help Us Jarvis Varnado, You're Our Only Hope

With Chris Wilcox (thumb) being out for possibly up to a month of action, the Celtics had to make a move to bolster their thin frontcourt. Tonight, they have agreed to sign NBA D-League forward Jarvis Varnado of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Before you laugh, I can assure you that Varnado is actually a pretty good player. He was the NCAA's all-time leading shot blocker at Mississippi State that was drafted by Miami in 2010 (2nd round, 11th pick). Of course, there has to be a reason that he was in the D-League. Unless you are a superhuman athlete-Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard, etc-it's hard to make much of an impact in the NBA when your primary skill is blocking shots.

At Sioux Falls this season, the 6-foot-9 Varnado was averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in 10 games. The interesting part about this move is that Celtics rookie center Fab Melo just put up a triple-double on Saturday night with the Maine Red Claws (15 points, 16 rebounds and a D-League record 14 blocks). Apparently, the Celtics don't want to rush Melo who is still extremely raw.

At 24-years-old and with a couple professional seasons (he played in Italy and Israel) under his belt, Varnado is the safer bet for the time being. There is no need to put too much pressure on Melo just yet. If you're looking for a good sign with Varnado, Greg Stiemsma played for Sioux Falls and then made the Celtics out of training camp last season. He parlayed that into a decent rookie season and earned a deal with the Timberwolves.

Nobody is expecting Varnado to be the presence that Stiemsma was from day one but I will say that his resume is more impressive than Greg's so he definitely has the ability. At this point, the Celts could use any type of energy they can get. Avery Bradley has said he thinks he'll make his season debut on January 2 but I read something today that Doc Rivers admitted Bradly could play on Christmas in Brooklyn. We shall see.

Because I'm a college hoops junkie, here's a little Christmas treat for you:

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Different City But Same Team & Same Result

The Boston Celtics are staking their claim as the best team in the 2012 NBA Summer League. After going 4-1 in Orlando last week, they begin their stay in Las Vegas with a one-sided 87-69 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks this afternoon at Cox Pavilion.

The C's (1-0) led from start to finish and had five players score in double figures. Rookies Kris Joseph and Jared Sullinger (7 rebounds) helped Boston cruise to victory with 14 points while Dionte Christmas and Jonathan Gibson scored 11 and Jamar Smith had 10.

Rookie Fab Melo had his best game of the summer (which isn't saying much) with seven points and five rebounds and E'Twaun Moore added nine points.

Atlanta (1-2) fielded a team with basically no NBA experience so its no wonder they got walloped. Rookies Mike Scott (6 rebounds) and John Jenkins paced the Hawks with 12 points while Keith Benson put up 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston rolled since they shot 5.7% better from the field (41.8-36.1), hit seven more 3-pointers (9-2) and made seven more free throws (22-15).

The Celtics led 23-16 after one quarter and 49-31 at halftime. Boston were up by as many as 23 points as their chemistry forged last week in Orlando started to take over. The Hawks cut it to 10 in the third quarter but still trailed 67-52 heading into the fourth.

Boston plays Chicago (0-0) tomorrow night (10 p.m., NBA TV).

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It's All About Celtics Rookie Forward Jared Sullinger On Day 1 Of Orlando Summer League

It only took one game in the 2012 Orlando Summer League that lasted 40 minutes to show why rookie forward Jared Sullinger could turn out to be a complete steal for the Celtics in the near future.

He had a game-high 20 points and six rebounds as the Celts (1-0) held off the Thunder (0-1) 73-65 this afternoon at the Magic's practice facility.

Second-year guard E'Twaun Moore (16 points, 4 assists) and guard Dionte Christmas (10 points, 10 rebounds) were the other C's in double-figures.

Oklahoma City rookie forward Perry Jones III, who fell even further than Sullinger in the 2012 NBA Draft, proved that when he puts his mind to it that he can be very effective on a basketball court. He had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Former Boston College guard Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 19 points while Marquette forward Lazar Heyward added 18 points.

Boston jumped out to a 15-point lead (25-10) at the end of the first quarter but Oklahoma City cut it to 36-34 at halftime. The Thunder trailed 51-50 heading into the fourth.

Sullinger along with fellow rookies Kris Joseph (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Fab Melo (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks) all came off the bench for the Celtics.

Sullinger took over in the second half as he scored 14 of his 20 points. He showed versatility in his game: hitting a key 3-pointer in the fourth, make a nice spin move then layup and even a running hook shot off the glass. He was also 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Guard Jamar Smith posted nine points for Boston while forward JaJuan Johnson grabbed eight rebounds in the victory.

The C's meet the Brooklyn Nets (0-1) and former Providence College star MarShon Brooks (subject of many trade rumors involving the Dwight Howard situation) tomorrow night (5 p.m., NBA TV).

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2012 NBA Summer Leagues: Feel The Excitement In Orlando & Las Vegas

Just a quick reminder that if you consider yourself a true hoops junkie like myself, you will definitely want to tune into NBA TV the next few weeks for the Orlando Summer League (July 9-13) and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 13-22).

The fun starts tomorrow as the Orlando Summer League kicks off at 11 a.m. with the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Orlando Magic. The Celts face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 1 p.m. (bless you DVR). Here's the rest of the schedule, note that the games are closed to the public.

Orlando Summer League
Date Time Opponent
Monday, July 9 1:00 p.m. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, July 10 5:00 p.m. Brooklyn Nets
Wednesday, July 11 11:00 a.m. Indiana Pacers
Thursday, July 12 11:00 a.m. Detroit Pistons
Friday, July 13 10:00 a.m. Orlando Magic

Here's the schedule for Vegas, that one should be much more exciting with many more teams and actual crowds. I officially hate anyone that gets paid to cover those contests.

NBA Summer League
Date Time Opponent Venue
Monday, July 16 4:00 p.m. Atlanta Hawks, Cox Pavilion
Tuesday, July 17 10:00 p.m. Chicago Bulls, Cox Pavilion
Thursday, July 19 6:30 p.m. Sacramento Kings, Thomas & Mack Center
Saturday, July 21 10:30 p.m. Milwaukee Bucks, Thomas & Mack Center
Sunday, July 22 6:00 p.m. Los Angeles Clippers, Cox Pavilion

According to the blog Secret Rival, these are the players that will at least start on the Celtics' roster tomorrow afternoon in Orlando. True to form in summer league games, things are pretty fluid so some guys might leave, get hurt, etc. so by no means is this final.

He lists age, position and what team they played for most recently.

BOSTON CELTICS
Craig Brackins (24) - C - Maine (D-League)
Dionte Christmas (25) - SG - Rethymno (Greece)
Jonathan Gibson (24) - SG - Trabzonspor (Turkey)
JaJuan Johnson (23) - F - Celtics
Kris Joseph (23) - SF - 51st pick out of Syracuse
Stephane Lasme (29) - PF - Obradoiro (Spain)
Fab Melo (22) - C - 22nd pick out of Syracuse
E'Twaun Moore (23) - SG - Celtics
Jamar Smith (25) - SG - BK Prostejov (Czech Rep)
Jared Sullinger (20) - PF - 21st pick out of Ohio State
Sean Williams (25) - F/C - Celtics/Mavericks

Things to note about those players:
1) Brackins prepped at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire before going to Iowa State
2) Christmas played at Temple, he was a very good college player
3) Lasme went to UMass-Amherst and nearly made the Celtics last season.
4) Johnson, Moore and Williams were buried on Boston's bench in the playoffs last spring so they'll be trying to show what they have.
5) All three 2012 draft picks are scheduled to play.

It is understandable if the NBA Summer Leagues don't do it for you; I get that it's a sickness to watch more than one or two of these games and I can accept that. Still, keep in mind that many of these players make NBA rosters if not next season then in the near future. It's also a great chance to get your first look at the next crop of rookies around the NBA and get a feel for who is going to be good, bad, etc.

Last of all, it's the MLB All-Star break aka the most dead period in the sports year so there really aren't any other options as far as this week goes. Follow me on Twitter (@RichSlate) since I will be watching all the Celtics' games and tweeting about them. If I feel like they deserve some blog posts, I'll do that too.

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2 Orange & 1 Buckeye Are The Newest Boston Celtics

After much speculation about Boston trading up in the 2012 NBA Draft, maybe even to select head coach Doc Rivers's son Austin, the Celtics ended up keeping all three of their original picks: No. 21 (Jared Sullinger, sophomore power forward, Ohio State), No. 22 (Fab Melo, sophomore center, Syracuse) and No. 51. (Kris Joseph, senior small forward, Syracuse).

All three players are particularly well known to college basketball fans since not only are they from two of the better programs and more prestigious conferences (Big Ten and Big East respectively) but the Buckeyes and Orange faced each other in the Elite 8 at TD Garden this past March. I'd say that Danny Ainge did all the scouting he needed then but Melo was suspended for the NCAA Tournament so there goes that half-ass lazy theory.

Of those guys, Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) is by far the one that makes me most hopeful. The two-time All-American would have been a Top-10 pick if he left Ohio State in 2011 after his freshman year. It's not that he had a bad sophomore season (17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds) as the Buckeyes went to the Final Four but in his case two things worked against him: more exposure meant increased scrutiny and possible issues with his back raised a red flag the last few weeks at workouts.

He's a great low-post player that is also able to step out and hit jumpers consistently. He gets to the basket, draws fouls and hits free throws. Perhaps most importantly for the Celts, he knows how to rebound (one of their biggest issues last season). Sullinger is pretty slow and not particularly agile so it'll be interesting to see if he can be as effective against bigger and faster guys in the NBA. One thing's for sure: he knows how to play the game and he's a winner which is why I think this was a steal for the C's provided his back holds up.



Which leads me to Melo (@fabpmelo); I have already bashed the man in print (check out last week's Metro Boston boom/bust Draft preview) but I have to admit that he made sense in this spot. There weren't many other great options then and his potential upside is huge if he can just get focused. He was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last season with 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the Orange. If nothing else, he can give Boston the defensive presence at center (he's a legit 7-feet) that they've lacked. I don't know if I'd call him a project (although his offensive game is very basic) but I certainly would be surprised if he gives the Celts much his rookie season. It'll probably be a big adjustment for him to the NBA but that's usually how it goes with big men.



One could argue that the Joseph (@Krisjo32) (13.4 points, 4.7 rebounds last season with Cuse) pick was a throwaway choice so it didn't really matter but I have to say that I didn't really understand it. I saw him a million times in college (since he was a senior) and he never impressed me despite the fact that he led Syracuse in scoring the last two seasons. He's just OK at everything: shooting, driving, passing and playing defense. He could have a hard time making this roster next season although that's not to say he couldn't hook on in a less intense environment.

I'll keep you updated to see if these players will be on the Summer League teams that begin play next week. I doubt the Celts' front office would let Sullinger suit up. Melo seems like he could and you know Joseph will be there from Day 1.

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