Mar 18, 2011; Cleveland, OH, USA; Syracuse Orange players Kris Joseph (left) and Fab Melo (51) and Brandon Triche (20) argue with a referee during the second round of the 2011 NCAA men

While it’s not really much of a surprise, Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge decided that Fab Melo and Kris Joseph would be best suited towards further honing their skills in the D-League for the Maine Red Claws.

Melo and Joseph were not going to see major minutes this year.  Any chance Melo had of seeing fringe backup minutes were thwarted when the C’s signed Darko Milicic.  Joseph, meanwhile, found himself buried in the rotation behind a healthy Jeff Green.  Milicic and Green made Melo and Joseph obsolete.

While both Melo and Joseph have the potential to have good productive NBA careers, that time just isn’t now.  Melo is still very raw and needs a lot of work before he can begin to be a productive backup.

Joseph, meanwhile, was a second round pick and that in and of itself set the bar a lot lower for what was to be expected of him.  In the preseason, he saw nearly 11 minutes per game and put up humble numbers:  4.6 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.  He was a star at Syracuse, but like many NBA rookies, that success at the NCAA level doesn’t always translate to instant success in the pros.

As to whether either, or both, will be called back up before the season ends, really hinges on how healthy the Celtics stay.  If Mlicic and Green remain healthy, productive, and on the court, there’s just not really any place for Melo or Joseph—yet.

Mar 31, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jared Sullinger (0) reacts during the second half in the semifinals of the 2012 NCAA men

There’s a reason Jared Sullinger was at one point projected to be a top 5 pick.  His talent is immense, and the question marks that caused him to fall were in no way related to his ability to play basketball.  He made it very apparent yesterday by scoring 20 in his debut in the Orlando Summer League, as the Celtics summer squad won by 8 over the Thunder.  In addition to Sullinger’s 20, they also received 16 points from E’Twan Moore, who I mentioned could be a fixture in the future of the Celtics.

For the Thunder, Perry Jones III, another one who fell badly in the draft, threw in 16 points in a solid debut.  Bill Simmons of Grantland.com expressed his disapproval of the C’s passing on Jones to select Fab Melo, and it looks like Jones could be one of the steals of the Draft, and perhaps the least surprising of all the steals.  For now, Celtics fans can rejoice that Sullinger looked good in his first game and showed no signs of the lingering injuries that were partly to blame for his descent into the late first round.