Syracuse Basketball: 3 Reasons They Are Delighted to See Fab Melo Go to the NBA

Along with Dion Waiters, Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, Fab Melo has decided to head to the NBA. Melo was an anchor at the bottom of the famous 2-3 zone, as well as being one of the best shot-blockers Syracuse has seen in a while. 

Along with the positives, Melo also brought a few negatives to Syracuse. In what will go down as the sketchiest year in this program's history, Fab Melo added to the long list of distractions, due to his academic instability. 

Yes, Fab Melo was a phenomenal player, and he deserves to be remembered as such by Syracuse fans. But his decision to head to the NBA will prove to be helpful for the Orange, and here's why. 

"It's Tournament Time, Where Is Fab?"

Despite all of the distractions that surrounded Syracuse University this year, Coach Jim Boeheim was still able lead the Orange to their most successful regular season in school history.

The Orange finished 30-1, the one loss coming in a game played without Fab Melo. Syracuse went on to play two more games without Melo's help (sliding by Cincinnati on the road, and narrowly escaping West Virginia in overtime).

After he allegedly settled his academic issues that forced him to miss those three games, Melo returned to the lineup. Months went by with no questions of his eligibility, until two days before the NCAA tournament began.

It was announced that Melo would not be flying with the team to Pittsburgh, nor would he partake in any tournament games. And just like that, Melo's last game as an Orange was a loss to Cincinati in the Big East semifinals.

Without their center, the Orange started off the tourney with some rust. Syracuse almost became the first No. 1 seed to ever fall to a No. 16 seeded team, but thanks to a few blown calls by the referees, the Orange narrowly escaped UNC-Asheville.

They were able to rebound from the scare and cruise past a tough Kansas State team. In the Sweet 16, they faced a scorching-hot Wisconsin squad. Due to Wisconsin's immaculate three-point shooting, the Orange could not put away the Badgers.

However, the Orange were indeed able to pull out a one-point win, landing them a trip to the Elite Eight. They were left to face Ohio State who, like the Orange, also had a very talented center—Jared Sullinger. Unlike Melo, Sullinger was allowed to play in the tournament, and he tore the bottom of the zone apart. It was safe to say that they needed Melo that game. 

Throughout Syracuse's history, there has never been a player with Fab Melo's caliber to miss the tournament due to non-injury-related causes. Academic ineligibility is simply embarrassing for anyone in the NCAA to have. With this distraction gone, Jim Boeheim can focus on developing his other centers without worry that they will fail out of school.

Recruiting Boost

While it is sad to have a talented player leave your team, having alumni in the NBA is an extreme positive for a school like Syracuse.

The Orange already has some names in the NBA: Carmelo Anthony, Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, Hakim Warrick, Deon Greene, etc. This year, Syracuse will be adding at least three more names to that list, maybe four (depending on Scoop Jardine).  

Having alumni in the NBA is a huge attraction for future recruits. Incoming freshmen want to ensure that their school of choice will be a bridge to the NBA.

With Fab Melo's academic inconsistency, he's actually being more useful for Syracuse playing in the NBA, acting as an attraction for recruits. 

DaJuan Coleman

With Fab Melo gone, Boeheim will have an easier opportunity to give his highly touted freshman, DaJuan Coleman, more playing time.

If Melo were still on the team, Coleman would be battling Rakeem Christmas and Baye Moussa Keita for minutes, but taking Melo out of the equation adds more minutes for Coleman. 

With more time to develop, Coleman has the potential to become one of the most powerful centers in the NCAA. Currently, Coleman is the sixth-ranked center in the ESPN 100 and the 14th player overall.

In high school, he averaged 25.5 points and 15 rebounds per game. At 6'9" and 285 pounds, Coleman will be a behemoth in the zone and a defensive presence comparable to Melo's. 

With Coleman having more time to develop. He can undoubtedly go to the NBA within the next two years. After all of these recent Syracuse-NBA transitions, the Nerlens Noels of the future might shave an "S" into the back of their head. 

In addition to Coleman, Rakeem Christmas, CJ Fair and Jerami Grant are all of NBA potential.