Atlanta Hawks: Prospect focus: Syracuse’s Fab Melo and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli
The league trend is smaller lineups. The Heat’s small lineups defeated the Thunder’s small lineups in the finals–though it helps to have the best player in the world, a guy who can play all five positions.
But the small ball movement seems to be one of circumstance rather than innovation. Remember, Erik Spoelstra resisted it to the point that he tried starting Dexter Pittman in the playoffs.
Teams would use traditional lineups if there were more quality bigs.
“Sometimes the counter to that [small ball] is make teams match up to you,” Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft said. “There are still several big centers in the league. I think there is always going to be a premium on big guys. Anytime you can get size and are convinced they can compete at this level, it’s hard to turn down.”
That brings us to the tonight’s draft, when the Hawks could have the chance to select one of two centers with the No. 23 pick: Syracuse’s Fab Melo and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli.
Each prospect have good potential as basket defenders. Neither are polished offensively, and their rebounding numbers are weak for their size.
Both players have great size and length and have attributes that could allow them to play significant minutes as a rookie.
“I think Fab with his shot-blocking ability,” Larry Drew said. “He’s pretty mobile. He gets up and down the floor pretty well. Festus, with his size and strength down low.”
I remember watching Melo play as a freshman and not feeling so bad he jilted my Cards at the last minute for Syracuse. He was slow, flabby and looked lost. Once Melo got into legal trouble, I was glad he picked the ‘Cuse.
Then I saw Melo as a sophomore and was concerned about how long he might stick around in college. He was still raw, especially offensively, but he was in much better shape and suddenly sprinting the floor. He was a shot-blocking menace anchoring the ‘Cuze zone. There still was some knucklehead behavior but, basketball-wise, you could see the potential.
Melo moved from Brazil to the U.S. to play for a high school in South Florida. He’s also still young for a big man (22) so there’s room for growth.
“He does a good job moving from block to block,” Drew said. “He’s going to have to get stronger. At this level, playing against centers and power forwards, he doesn’t have that strength. I think he has a chance to get a good NBA career if he continues to work hard.”
Melo’s mobility suggests he eventually could stay on the floor even against small-ball opponents and still be an effective defender. Pendergraft said Melo already has
“We went to a workout in Santa Monica and his footwork was shocking,” Pendergraft said. “It was not like he got a lot of post play at Syracuse. They were more of a slashing, penetrating-and-kick team. He didn’t get a lot of touches on the block. What we saw his footwork and balance were really, really good. Also what we saw in that workout was he could make the 16-, 18-footer consistently.”
Teams will have to evaluate how Melo will fare defensively now that he won’t be able to play in a true zone defense and will be forced to defend lots of screen-rolls.
“You look at his motor skills,” Pendergraft said. “You look at can he move his feet. You look at all the lane agility tests that we put all of our prospects through. How does his time measure up to the other guys? I think his does.
“The hardest thing for him is learning the ‘2.9′ rule where you’ve got to cleanse yourself and guard your man and not camp out in the paint. I worry about does that come natural to him as opposed to if he is laterally quick enough.”
Ezeli measures out an inch shorter than Melo and only about 10 pounds heavier, but he’s much more physically imposing,
“He’s just a very, very powerful kid,” Drew said.
“He’s big as a house and very, very strong,” Pendergraft said.
Ezeli said he suffered a torn MCL during a practice last October.
“By the end of the year it was fine,” he said. “Even when the knee was 100 percent, I was not 100 percent mental. It was tough for me but I got over it.”
Pendergraft said Ezeli looked to be slowed by the injury during the season but not now.
“He’s got his bounce back, he’s got his quickness back, he’s got his power back,” he said.
Ezeli’s size and strength suggest he should have posted better rebounding numbers at Vandy.
“That’s an interesting question,” Pendergraft said. “Someone with that kind of explosiveness, you would think they would get more rebounds per-minute than what he got. You have to pay attention to that and address it by studying film. Could it be injury-related? Maybe. Could it be that they didn’t have, for a really good team, they didn’t have a deep bench and he was a little less aggressive going to the boards, fearful for foul trouble? I don’t know that. It’s something we will really have to look into.”
Ezeli said he’s a “traditional big man” whose strengths are defense.
“I block shots,” he said. “I guard ball screens. That’s all me on defense. The offensive part, that’s an added bonus I’ve been showing.”
Pendergraft: “He has an unbelievable right-handed half hook. That’s his go-to move. That’s NBA-like. He shoots that as well as any NBA 6-10 player. If he gets to his sweep spot on the court and he gets to that shoulder, it’s good. Now, outside of that, he is somewhat limited. I think maybe in time he might develop a 15-footer. Probably needs to get a counter to that right hand first. But he’s not as rough around the edges today through his college years.”
Ezeli (pronounced e-ZEE-li) was born in Nigeria and moved to the Sacramento to live with an uncle when he was 14. The plan was to become a doctor.
“He’s a pediatrician and I wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “So my parents thought it would be a good idea to go and kind of shadow him and live with him and kind of see what the life of a doctor is like.”
He started playing basketball at age 15 and his body filled out. He started off pre-med at Vandy but those plans changed.
“I graduated in economics,” he said. “I kind of changed my mind. Basketball was going well, so I decided to go a different route.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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188 comments Add your comment
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:54 pm
“In the absence of toughness, give me a steady and stable 20/10 guy. But alas, the Lakers obviously decided not to pursue the trade several weeks ago.”
He is not steady, and he is not a 20 and 10 guy anymore. That’s the point. Josh is closer than 20, and 10 than he is at 6′9.
glenn
June 28th, 2012
3:56 pm
@DS
That is a pretty crazy article though but yes he looks mighty young . But you hear him say the Bobcats have five offers for the two pick . Thats some pretty exact stuff . Maybe he has an uncle in the know : )
Still very interesting article .
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
3:56 pm
Gleen – My sources said Horford being traded to Orlando, JUST DAM
From what i hear for some reason the Fans in Orlando and blogs have been screaming for Horford.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:56 pm
“So is there some validity to what Horford is saying then, about not wanting to play center and get banged around for his career?”
The difference is Horford was drafted to be a center, and played mostly center in college. Josh was dreafted to be a SF, and has developed into a PF.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
3:57 pm
“So is there some validity to what Horford is saying then, about not wanting to play center and get banged around for his career?”
From a preventing injuries standpoint, yeah, there is definitely validity to that. Where I disagree with proponents of moving Al to PF is in the idea that he will necessarily become more productive if he moves there. I think his production will improve when he becomes more decisive and gets a go-to back to the basket move, regardless of whether he plays C or PF.
joeygt1
June 28th, 2012
3:57 pm
again per mike stein on true hoop-Hawks resisting interest in Smith for now
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
3:58 pm
I would have no problem with Horford for the #2 pick if we are able to get an impact SF or a center who actually wants to play center.
Hoosierhawk
June 28th, 2012
3:59 pm
Everyone always wants a center, but the only position for which we have a backup signed is center. I think we would be better off with a shooter, wing defender, or PG.
O'Brien
June 28th, 2012
3:59 pm
From marc stein on espn.com;
Teams have been calling the Atlanta Hawks all week to register trade interest in swingman Josh Smith, according to sources close to the situation.
And one of those teams, sources said, is the Orlando Magic, who know that Smith ranks as one of Dwight Howard’s closest friends.
But new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry apparently isn’t ready to part with Smith right away.
Boston, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers — with Pau Gasol as the prime piece being offered in L.A.’s case — have joined Orlando this week in making their interest in Smith known.
Yet as Ferry settles into the job, sources say he wants to take stock of things before deciding if he’s prepared to go into next season without Smith, who is entering the final year of his contract at $13.2 million and has let it be known for some time that he’d welcome a trade..
glenn
June 28th, 2012
4:00 pm
@ bigdog
I could easily see that . Orlando gets Horford . Dwight goes to the Rockets & we get a combo of Houstons three picks . Or something to that effect .
Just Joe
June 28th, 2012
4:00 pm
If Mo Williams goes to Utah, Hawks need to try to work a Marvin & 43 for Devin Harris trade.
Utah really improves their shooting with Williams & Williams, and have the 43rd and 47th picks to try to package and move up to the late first rd.
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
4:05 pm
glenn – I believe that could happen to but the only thing is D12 will not sign and extension in Houston.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
June 28th, 2012
4:08 pm
glenn – Horford will be traded, this would be a dumb move for Hawks unless D12 is coming
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE.
The Real cp
June 28th, 2012
4:14 pm
Im convinced that some of you dudes are just trolling at this point. Cant be serious at all with these trade scenarious and fantasy moves.
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2012
4:15 pm
Very smart move by Ferry, essentially saying that there will NOT be a fire sale here. It never makes sense for a GM to put a “Yard Sale” sign in the front yard.
And I completely disagree about the 20/10 thing… give Gasol Josh’s usage last season and he would produce a far more efficient 20/10. In the previous season, when Bynum missed the first 6 weeks of the season (the last time Gasol was the featured low post player on the team), he produced an easy 20/10.
Hawk-eye
June 28th, 2012
4:17 pm
Boys,me thinks both Lopez’s be free agents,so why would you have to trade for them ????
glenn
June 28th, 2012
4:18 pm
It would have to be part of a three way deal for the Hawks to do it . I could see it though . The Rockets want Dwight badly & the Hawks have to free cash . Orlando keeps combo 4/5 who was a star at Florida to boot .
Danny Ferry is going to have to address Joe Johnsons paralyzing contract .
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2012
4:24 pm
The Real cp, there are quite a few interesting 2nd round options for the Hawks (according to these mocks). A few guys who could be developed into a solid scorer off the bench. Murphy (TN Tech, I think) and the guy with two last names come to mind. One sounded like Jamal (but at a 10th of the cost) and the other like Flip (the two last name guy from Marquette). Given Ferry’s discussion about player development, I’m looking forward to what he does in the 2nd round tonight as much as I am the first round. The D league doesn’t seem ideal for working with bigs… the little guys with the ball are too busy trying to create moments for their YouTube video (see how I did that?). I’m guessing that when Ferry looked at how we drafted Sy and Benson and gave them very little chance to develop, how we sold off 2nd round picks and how we haven’t utilized the summer league properly (the last time we fielded a team, it was mostly full of guys who had already signed overseas contracts but was built to help Teague gain confidence in himself) he probably focused on the poor utilization of those assets.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:26 pm
@ Glenn
That and Marvin should be the first and second orders.
If Horford is traded I have no problem with that only thing is who do you pick at #2 SG, PF, C????
Cause unless we moving Josh to SF it makes no sense to pick PF, and I’m still not sold on Andre Drummond too much.
Ra'mon
June 28th, 2012
4:30 pm
Rod, if the Hawks get the #2 pick, they can (and should ) take Beal to play the 2 guard, moving Joe to the three. Teague- Beal – Joe – Josh – Zaza would be a great lineup. And Atlanta would have 3 good athletes in their starting line up.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:30 pm
Honestly I liked the Kid out of Norfolk St.
Kyle O’Quinn looks like he got good character about himself and a hard worker. At least when I was watching the NCAA Tournament it seemed as such.
Anyone got info him?
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
4:31 pm
I see Brook Lopez’s name thrown around every now and then. Every negative thing I have ever said about Pau Gasol applies x1000 for Lopez. Please don’t bring that non-rebounding waste of space anywhere near this time. It’s bad enough that he ruined my fantasy basketball season this year.
O'Brien
June 28th, 2012
4:33 pm
I think the big divide is whether or not the Hawks should blow it all up now…or try something different for a year or 2, and then blow it up.
Rod,
If Josh would sign an extension, I would trade Horford for #2. But I would hate to trade Al for #2, and then the team loses in the first round again, and Josh walks away next season.
glenn
June 28th, 2012
4:33 pm
I would think they would play it safe and take Thomas Robinson . Basically a poor mans Horford and much cheaper .
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:34 pm
@ Najeh
What happened with Brook I have not been watching the Nets this year and yes I’m being serious cause honestly I thought he had been a good C so far.
The Real cp
June 28th, 2012
4:35 pm
@Astro. I think it will be a lot of talent in the second round tonight. I wish we had another second rounder. A lot of shooters should be available in that second round. I want Lamb or Cunningham. If both are gone then Hollis Thompson seems like a good option. Great size and can really shoot the ball. He is also a lot more athletic than I initially thought. Could be a lot of gems there in the second.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:36 pm
@ glenn
If we acquire #2 I’d have to take Drummond I said he’d be a bust, but for us either him or Kidd-Gilchrist hope I said that right.
Only way I can see us taking Bradley Beal is that means Joe is gone basically.
PD
June 28th, 2012
4:36 pm
2nd Rounders Jae Crowder and Quincy Acy should be snagged if they’re on the board. O’Quinn looks like a poor man’s Horford and Z-Bo together.
The Real cp
June 28th, 2012
4:37 pm
@Ray. I think Kyle O’Quinn might end up being better than some Centers taking in the first round. I like his game and he should be there in the second round. He rebounds better than Melo and Ezeli and has a better offensive game.
glenn
June 28th, 2012
4:37 pm
Yeah I like Beal alot as well . I also think MKG would be a great substitute for Josh . Dudes a winner . Just a total high motor baller .
PD
June 28th, 2012
4:37 pm
TyShawn Taylor is a good pickup too in the 2nd round
glenn
June 28th, 2012
4:38 pm
@ Ray
We agree .
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:39 pm
WOW ESPN Reporting Derrick Willaims being shopped former No. 2 pick here folks.
Let me not say Reporting, but under their trade rumors he’s being shopped it says I say Hawks jump on the deal he can’t be worse than Marvin and probably a bit cheaper too.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:41 pm
@ The Real Cp
According to most websites though they got him listed as a Power Forward oh well now on Draft Express they saying PF/C.
Ra'mon
June 28th, 2012
4:41 pm
O’Brien, Beal will be a superstar. You don’t have teams like OKC, SAS, BOSTON and others trying to trade up that high to get him unless he’s truly someone special. If you have Beal, it doesn’t matter if Horford and Josh is gone, because you will have a superstar for YEARS! Lebron and Wade just beat Indiana without ANY highly productive bigs in the lineup. And Beal is a better shooter than Wade was coming out of college, and just as explosive. Other players will want to come play with him here in Atlanta. And with Teague and Beal, you would have your back court set for years to come.
Ray
June 28th, 2012
4:42 pm
Also Dejuan Blair is being shopped as well what do you guys think about him at all in hawks lineup?
The Real cp
June 28th, 2012
4:47 pm
Ray I think he could play either position depending on mathups. Quinn has the length to play center.
I just read Ford’s latest mock draft and I just dont see Perry Jones falling to 24. Im not the biggest fan of his but its no way the Hawks would let him pass them. He also has Lamb falling to the Hawks at 43. I
think he goes a lot earlier than that. If Jones and Lamb both fall that far then the Hawks should snatch them both up without hesitation..
@PD. I think people are sleeping on Tyshawn Taylor. I wouldnt be shocked if he snuck in as a late first rounder.
Also looks like Blair is available. Ferry should call up his old team and get something done. We could use his rebounding and toughness.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
4:47 pm
“What happened with Brook I have not been watching the Nets this year and yes I’m being serious cause honestly I thought he had been a good C so far.”
Averaged 6 boards per game last year, broke his foot and had surgery one day after my fantasy basketball draft this year, missed all but five games this season, averaged 3.6 boards per game in those 5 games, has seen his rebounds and blocks decrease in each of the last three seasons.
Ra'mon
June 28th, 2012
4:48 pm
Blair would be redundant with Ivan here.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
4:49 pm
I like Blair but I don’t think he is a starter. If he comes here he essentially will replace Ivan. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he will also be a free agent after next season and probably will cost more than Ivan will to retain.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
4:49 pm
“And I completely disagree about the 20/10 thing… give Gasol Josh’s usage last season and he would produce a far more efficient 20/10. In the previous season, when Bynum missed the first 6 weeks of the season (the last time Gasol was the featured low post player on the team), he produced an easy 20/10.”
I don’t play fantasy baskeball ,and I don’t do what if’s. I heard that what if Marvin got more shots crap on these blogs for years. The facts are he is not a 20/10 guy anymore, and with his age it would make since that his skills are on the decline. He won’t get Josh’s usage anywhere because at this point in his career he is not batman. Josh should not be batman either. This was not the previous season, this was this season. You and Northcyde can play fantasy baskeball and what if games until the cows come home.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 28th, 2012
4:51 pm
If Perry Jones wanted to be great, I think he could be nearly as good as Durant. He has that kind of skill. But he reminds me of my skinny friend in high school who was four inches taller than everyone, had really long arms, jumped higher than everyone, and stood around shooting jumpers all day instead of dominating inside. NBADraft.net compares him to Tim Thomas, and I could easily see him being just as infuriating.
The Real cp
June 28th, 2012
4:57 pm
Im praying that Stuart Scott will not be hosting the draft tonight. Please let my prayers be answered.
@Najeh. Yea Jones is a very frustrating player but if he is available at 23 I would have no problem with the Hawks taking him.
O'Brien
June 28th, 2012
5:00 pm
Latest ajc tweet;
#Hawks GM Ferry says “we will probably be picking 23″.
Rod from College Park
June 28th, 2012
5:07 pm
“Latest ajc tweet;
#Hawks GM Ferry says “we will probably be picking 23″.”
Wonder why we can’t get a first or second round pick for Marvin? LOL
PD
June 28th, 2012
5:17 pm
At 23 you take Best Available or Need?
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2012
5:20 pm
PF or C. The new NBA is just a BIG. Bosh started at C for a champion and he is light years from being a true C.
Rod, I;m not talking about what ifsa, looking at the last good sample size when he was the #2 option, a whopping 18 months ago. Josh won’t have the same usage with Horford as he did without Horford. He won;t be taking 18 FGAs next year with Horford in the line-up. And the whole gasol discussion is in light of 2 years… not some life-long investment. Gasol’s game will age better than Josh’s because his game is based on skill and guile, not athleticism. Gasol is 32, not 37.
cp, Jones has a bad knee that is pushing him down the draft board. It kind of makes you wonder if Baylor players got the right medical treatment (considering Miller’s issue).
D'Jhay
June 28th, 2012
5:21 pm
Is it legal for the ASG to sell both picks?
Astro Joe
June 28th, 2012
5:21 pm
Trade high!
O'Brien
June 28th, 2012
5:21 pm
Rod,
Hawks need to bit the bullet and let Marvin go. He will be paid $8.3 mil this year SMH. And I dont understand why he is still considered part of the core 4.