Fab Melo

Celtics Recall Fab Melo From D-League

Here are Tuesday's D-League assignments and recalls, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. The last time Melo was recalled from the D-League, it was so his concussion could be treated by Celtics doctors. The rookie big man reportedly sat out Maine's most recent game with a quad strain, so the C's may have similar intentions this time around.

D-League Moves: Melo, Lamb, Wroten

We'll track Friday's D-League assignments and recalls right here, with any additional moves being added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Celtics have re-assigned Fab Melo to their D-League affiliate, the club announced today in a press release. Melo had been recalled from the Maine Red Claws last week to undergo treatment for his concussion from Boston's training staff. It appears he's been cleared to return to action for the Red Claws.
  • Jeremy Lamb has been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers by the Thunder, the team announced today in a press release. In 11 games (all starts) in the D-League this season, Lamb has averaged 21.5 PPG on .422/.295/.909 shooting.
  • The Grizzlies have sent Tony Wroten back to their D-League affiliate, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. For Wroten, the 25th overall pick in last June's draft, it's his third stint this season with the Reno Bighorns. In eight games with the Bighorns, the 19-year-old has averaged 13.6 PPG and 3.8 APG in 24.6 minutes per contest.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Melo, Rivers, D-League

As we look forward to a full Wednesday night slate of NBA action, let's check out a few odds and ends from around the Association:

  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Kevin Pelton tries to find a potential trade partner for the Kings and DeMarcus Cousins, eventually concluding that it'd be hard to find a package whose value exceeded Cousins' own value.
  • ESPN.com's Joe Kaiser also explores some hypothetical deals in an Insider piece, identifying the ideal trade targets for the Celtics, Nuggets, Nets, and other teams.
  • Fab Melo confirms (via Twitter) what ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg predicted earlier today — the rookie was recalled from the D-League so that the Celtics' training staff can check on his concussion. According to Melo, he'll likely be headed back to the Maine Red Claws later this week.
  • With Austin Rivers' NBA career off to a very slow start, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com advises us not to be surprised if the Celtics reach out to the Hornets to see if New Orleans is interested in moving the rookie guard.
  • Over at The Basketball Jones, Mark Deeks of ShamSports takes an in-depth looks at current D-League players who are candidates to be called up to the NBA this season.

D-League Moves: Bazemore, Tyler, Melo

We'll track Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

  • The Warriors have once again recalled Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler from the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced today in a press release. Golden State has taken advantage of its nearby D-League affiliate to shuttle Bazemore and Tyler between Santa Cruz and the NBA team, as each player has already had four D-League assignments this season.
  • The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. Melo has spent most of the season with the Maine Red Claws, with his most recent stint having begun on December 12th. Melo, one of two players selected in the first round last June by the Celtics, had a particularly impressive pair of games for the Red Claws last week, posting a triple-double on December 22nd (15 points, 16 rebounds, 14 blocks), and then recording 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine blocks on December 26th. Melo is currently day-to-day with a mild concussion, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com speculates that the big man was recalled to ensure that he's treated by the Celtics' training staff (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Wilcox, Raptors, Bynum

Here's a look at today's news out of the Atlantic..

  • Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced that Chris Wilcox will be sidelined for three-to-four weeks with his thumb/wrist injury, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  The C's might be forced to find a big man, but it might not happen during their current road trip.
  • Rivers more or less shot down the idea of calling up Fab Melo from the D-League, Forsberg tweets.  “I haven’t talked to anyone that thinks he’s ready to come up yet," said the coach.
  • The Raptors are expected to be one of the most active teams between now and the deadline, and they'll try to trade Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon as a package. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes that they're targeting a marquee small forward, just as they did over the summer. 
  • Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com argues the Sixers made the right call in trading for Andrew Bynum, even if Bynum never plays for the team, since last year's squad had reached its ceiling.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/was-bynum-trade-worth-it/article_17a2dbc1-6fd1-510b-9a55-e8a7a17bfd60.html

D-League Moves: Acy, Melo, English, Middleton

Here are Wednesday's D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Raptors have recalled Quincy Acy from their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, the team announced today in a press release. Toronto is short-handed, with Kyle Lowry, Andrea Bargnani, Landry Fields, and Mickael Pietrus among the players suffering from injuries, so Acy will provide some depth.
  • Fab Melo, who was recalled from the D-League by the Celtics on Monday, has been assigned back to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. The 22nd overall pick has yet to make his NBA debut.
  • The Pistons have assigned rookies Kim English and Khris Middleton to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today. The duo is expected to spend a three-game stint with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. English, the 44th overall pick in this year's draft, has appeared in ten games for Detroit, averaging 3.2 PPG in 9.2 minutes per contest. Middleton, the 39th pick, has played in just three games for the club.

D-League Moves: Lamb, Orton, Melo

We'll track the day's D-League assignments and recalls right here:

  • Jeremy Lamb and Daniel Orton have been recalled from the D-League by the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. The duo have been up and down between the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers so far this season, having just been assigned to the 66ers on Saturday.
  • The Celtics have recalled Fab Melo from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced today in a press release. Melo had been assigned to Boston's D-League affiliate back on November 14th. Although the C's have assigned and recalled Kris Joseph to the Red Claws multiple times already, this is Melo's first recall of the season. For Maine, he averaged 6.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in five contests.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Raptors, Trail Blazers

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston heard from head coach Doc Rivers that the Celtics could decide to recall Kris Joseph and possibly Fab Melo up from the D-League while Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox are out of action. More notably, after Danny Ainge told WEEI radio that Rajon Rondo would be given a two game suspension (Twitter link), Rivers gave the impression that the team won't necessarily try to make any subsequent roster moves anytime soon. You can find more of tonight's miscellaneous links from the Association here: 

  • HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy says (via Twitter) that the Raptors are weighing their free agent options at the small forward position.
  • Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian of his plans to use D-League assignments accordingly for Victor ClaverJoel FreelandWill Barton, and Nolan Smith. While Olshey thinks that his young players are currently benefitting through their NBA experience, he believes the best time to send them to the Idaho Stampede (their D-League affiliate) would be after they have built a good enough foundation with the coaching staff and need significant minutes to continue developing.   
  • According to Anthony Slater of NewsOK, Thunder GM Sam Presti was spotted at Oklahoma State University's basketball practice to supposedly begin scouting Marcus Smart and Le'Bryan Nash, two college prospects who are currently touted as potential first round picks. 
  • The Nets announced that the right foot sprain which Brook Lopez suffered during last night's game is unrelated to the foot injury he sustained last season, and added that he is only expected to miss the next two games (Howard Beck of the New York Times reports). 

Celtics Assign Fab Melo, Kris Joseph To D-League

The Celtics have assigned a pair of players to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today. Rookies Fab Melo and Kris Joseph are headed to the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics confirmed in a press release.

Seven games into the Celtics' season, Joseph has only earned three total minutes of playing time, in the team's November 2nd contest against the Bucks. Melo, meanwhile, has yet to make his regular-season NBA debut. With the Red Claws, both players will earn much-needed playing time and a chance to develop.

To keep tabs on all of this season's D-League assignments and recalls, check out our tracker.

Celtics Rumors: Melo, Joseph, Green

It's only preseason, but the Celtics have given their Atlantic Division rivals reason to be discouraged in their last two outings. Boston recorded a 30-point win over the Nets on Thursday and rallied from down 20 points last night to beat the Knicks. They're doing so with one of the league's most overhauled rosters. Even though they still have mainstays Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, only six players return from last year, fewer than all but three other teams. We've got news on a few of Boston's offseason acquisitions right here. 

  • The Celtics aren't too concerned as first-round draft pick Fab Melo struggles in the preseason, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge envisions sending him down to the D-League for some work this season, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes.
  • Believing his team is deeper and more versatile than last year's Celtics, coach Doc Rivers agrees with point guard Rajon Rondo that this year's Boston team is better than the one that came away with the title in 2008, Bulpett reports.
  • Kris Joseph, whom the team drafted 51st overall in June, is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, but drew praise from Rivers, who touts his "unbelievable" rebounding for a 6'7" small forward, as CSNNE.com documents.
  • Rivers believes Jeff Green struggled after arriving in a trade from the Thunder in 2011 because he deferred too much to the team's stars. Green promised a more aggressive approach when he re-signed this summer, and so far, he's delivered, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines