Danny
Ainge, president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics,
answers a reporter's question during media day at the NBA basketball
team's training center in Waltham, Mass., Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. (AP
Photo/Stephan Savoia)Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge covered a lot of ground during his weekly interview on WEEI (93.7 FM). Ainge talked about the Celtics' opening night loss to the Heat, Kevin Garnett's cold reaction to Ray Allen, and the team's plan for Fab Melo.
Melo, a 7-foot rookie out of Syracuse, is likely to spend a lot of time in the D-League with the Maine Red Claws this season.
"We like what we've seen in Fab so far in practice in September when he was here before the season," Ainge said. "Fab puts in his work, he's working hard in the weight room. We need to get him stronger, and Fab is a late bloomer in basketball. He took up the game late and he's got a lot to learn about the game itself. He has good athletic instincts, but he does need to learn about execution, both offensively and defensively ... we hope to get Fab to Portland, Maine [with the Red Claws of the D-League] and get a lot of playing time this year and a lot of individual instruction. We see him as a guy that could be a contributing center, even a starting center, in this league at some point in his career."
The 22nd pick in the 2012 Draft, Melo still has a lot to learn about the game. During the preseason, Melo regularly shot air balls and generally seemed uncomfortable. Moving to the D-League would give him an opportunity to gain some of the experience he needs to grow into an impact player.