So much for Eyenga

[Amon_Ones88]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60745/20090723/report_cavs_eyenga_re_signs_in_spain/

We still have his rights though, correct? Or does this mean he can re-apply for the Draft?

[tidho]

Yes we retain his rights.

This is good news. He wouldn't get minutes on out team, still needs a lot of development, and signing him right now would have put his guarenteed money on our 2010 cap. This is exactly what Ferry wanted to happen when he took him.

[Amon_Ones88]

O yeah I definitley agree, I just did not know if him going back to spain meant losing the rights. Although there was so much hype out of the summer league with him I thought well maybe he is already good enough to put up some minutes. But yeah I agree this should work out well.

[mg]

I really think the Cavs thought Eyenga was at least a 3 year project when they drafted him. After summer league he may only be a 2 year project. Hopefully he progresses in Europe and the Cavs can bring him over one day.

Hope it's not another Tiago Splitter situation where the buyout is too big to bring him back over in a few years.

[tundraknight]

A two year deal would have been perfect. I wonder if he can opt of his contract after the second year. Hopefully we'll learn the contract details asap.

[bcortell]

I agree that this is the best thing for him and the team. I wish it was a two year deal, also. He seems quick enough to pick up key components of the game in two years playing with a program like Joventut. We'll keep an eye out for him and see how he's progressing in the next couple of seasons, and hopefully, his contract has a buyout.

[SmoothKobra]

http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider

Christian Eyenga signed w/ Spanish team. But agent told me he has an opt out after next season. He'll spend a yr developing b4 coming 2 CLE.

[KennerLeaguer]

Yes we retain his rights.

This is good news. He wouldn't get minutes on out team, still needs a lot of development, and signing him right now would have put his guarenteed money on our 2010 cap. This is exactly what Ferry wanted to happen when he took him.

This type of practice needs to be stopped. Forget about the one-year rule whining, this is the issue that needs to be examined by the NBA union. Teams at the bottom of the draft keep picking foreign players who 1)typically aren't ready to play soon in the NBA (if ever), 2)who according to most expets clearly aren't as good as players drated below them in the second round (sure verything is subjective but lets get real) and 3) who, most importantly, aren't likely to play in the NBA during the season immediately following the draft they are taken in. Its all about teams saving money and hiding behind the cover of "upside" and "developmental players", etc. Meanwhile college players, particulary upperclassmen, who are more ready and have possibly just as much upside fall into the second round where they can get paid on the cheap without (for the most part) guaranteed contracts. This isn't about stashing future players, its about stashing money or holding onto money by teams who don't want to pay first round contracts to new players. It was obvious that DeJuan Blair, DaJuan Summers, Chase Budinger, Sam Young, Meeks were more ready for the NBA than Eyenga.

[B Mac]

Yes we retain his rights.

This is good news. He wouldn't get minutes on out team, still needs a lot of development, and signing him right now would have put his guarenteed money on our 2010 cap. This is exactly what Ferry wanted to happen when he took him.

This type of practice needs to be stopped. Forget about the one-year rule whining, this is the issue that needs to be examined by the NBA union. Teams at the bottom of the draft keep picking foreign players who 1)typically aren't ready to play soon in the NBA (if ever), 2)who according to most expets clearly aren't as good as players drated below them in the second round (sure verything is subjective but lets get real) and 3) who, most importantly, aren't likely to play in the NBA during the season immediately following the draft they are taken in. Its all about teams saving money and hiding behind the cover of "upside" and "developmental players", etc. Meanwhile college players, particulary upperclassmen, who are more ready and have possibly just as much upside fall into the second round where they can get paid on the cheap without (for the most part) guaranteed contracts. This isn't about stashing future players, its about stashing money or holding onto money by teams who don't want to pay first round contracts to new players. It was obvious that DeJuan Blair, DaJuan Summers, Chase Budinger, Sam Young, Meeks were more ready for the NBA than Eyenga.

None of those players would have gotten significant minutes on our team this year anyway... With the way you look at it, what would have been the point of us drafting someone at all? Despite what you may think, Eyenga's upside is much higher than any of the guys you listed. Will he ever pan out? Who knows... but its a heck of a gamble to go for when you know you arent going to play any of the guys available this season anyway. If Eyenga doesnt pan out and never comes back to the States then the Cavs just saved themselves a few million dollars instead of paying a rookie to sit on their bench. Whats the harm there?

[Rise Against]

Eyenga will be a stud.

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Good news that he has easy opt-out clauses to prevent Rubio-like situations.

Let's him develop in a real offense and get real playing time.

[Wisedude42]

Saw this report:

Eyenga Staying in Spain: Forward Christian Eyenga, drafted 30th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, signed a three-year contract extension with DKV Joventut.

"I think the best option for me this season was to play here, and we'll see what happens in the future," said Eyenga, a native of Congo.

He also said he wasn't sure he was ready for the NBA, though the Cavaliers had to be pleased with his numbers at the Vegas Summer League: 8.8 points and 2.4 rebounds on 47% shooting from the field in 26.6 minutes.

Eyenga's agent said he would not be subject to a future buyout like point guard Ricky Rubio's current situation with the same Spanish club.

[KennerLeaguer]

Yes we retain his rights.

This is good news. He wouldn't get minutes on out team, still needs a lot of development, and signing him right now would have put his guarenteed money on our 2010 cap. This is exactly what Ferry wanted to happen when he took him.

This type of practice needs to be stopped. Forget about the one-year rule whining, this is the issue that needs to be examined by the NBA union. Teams at the bottom of the draft keep picking foreign players who 1)typically aren't ready to play soon in the NBA (if ever), 2)who according to most expets clearly aren't as good as players drated below them in the second round (sure verything is subjective but lets get real) and 3) who, most importantly, aren't likely to play in the NBA during the season immediately following the draft they are taken in. Its all about teams saving money and hiding behind the cover of "upside" and "developmental players", etc. Meanwhile college players, particulary upperclassmen, who are more ready and have possibly just as much upside fall into the second round where they can get paid on the cheap without (for the most part) guaranteed contracts. This isn't about stashing future players, its about stashing money or holding onto money by teams who don't want to pay first round contracts to new players. It was obvious that DeJuan Blair, DaJuan Summers, Chase Budinger, Sam Young, Meeks were more ready for the NBA than Eyenga.

None of those players would have gotten significant minutes on our team this year anyway... With the way you look at it, what would have been the point of us drafting someone at all? Despite what you may think, Eyenga's upside is much higher than any of the guys you listed. Will he ever pan out? Who knows... but its a heck of a gamble to go for when you know you arent going to play any of the guys available this season anyway. If Eyenga doesnt pan out and never comes back to the States then the Cavs just saved themselves a few million dollars instead of paying a rookie to sit on their bench. Whats the harm there?

Ridiculous. What would be the pint of drafting a player? Well what is the point of, say, the Steelers drafting a guy at the bottom of the first round too he may not start or get a lot of minutes? Only in the NBA do teams try to get away with not drafting someone at the end of the first round specifically to save mony. Its another sign of the league's decline. If teams like the Cavs don't want to pony up the dough for a first round selection then they should try harder to trade their picks. And by the way I don't know if you watched the Cavs reveal how inept most of the players were against Orlando, but if you did see those games you shouldn't assume that NONE of the second round picks could not actually help the team. And what in the world makes you think Eyenga has MUCH higher upside than the players I mentioned? You folks keep getting fooled by that "upside" nonsense even though year after year it turns out to be bogus and teams end up missing out on players who are ready to play immediately in the NBA. Trust me if Eyenga had that much more upside than a Summers or a Budinger or he would have gone long before the last pick of the first round.

[Benedict_Boozer]

Eyenga looked good in summer league. This should be good for his development, perhaps he will even be ready next year?

[TheOUTLAW]

I don't know why anyone would be surprised by this. I'm sure the Cavs love the idea. What Eyenga needs more than anything is time on a court and he wasn't going to get that with the Cavs. Had he signed with us he'd have been through his rookie contract before he was ready to play at all. At least now he will get a chance to develop before we are commited to pay him.

[B Mac]

Ridiculous. What would be the pint of drafting a player? Well what is the point of, say, the Steelers drafting a guy at the bottom of the first round too he may not start or get a lot of minutes? Only in the NBA do teams try to get away with not drafting someone at the end of the first round specifically to save mony. Its another sign of the league's decline. If teams like the Cavs don't want to pony up the dough for a first round selection then they should try harder to trade their picks. And by the way I don't know if you watched the Cavs reveal how inept most of the players were against Orlando, but if you did see those games you shouldn't assume that NONE of the second round picks could not actually help the team. And what in the world makes you think Eyenga has MUCH higher upside than the players I mentioned? You folks keep getting fooled by that "upside" nonsense even though year after year it turns out to be bogus and teams end up missing out on players who are ready to play immediately in the NBA. Trust me if Eyenga had that much more upside than a Summers or a Budinger or he would have gone long before the last pick of the first round.

Bringing up the 1st round pick in the NFL example isnt really applicable. There are far more players that make NFL rosters and far more positions to be filled. Thats also why the NFL draft is 7 rounds and not 2, BUT if you do want to make a comparison between the two drafts I'll go ahead and do it for you. NFL teams draft guys in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds all the time who basically have no shot of making the team and everyone knows it. Yes, there is occasionally that one guy who breaks through, but mostly they are just drafted on potential and then cut which saves those teams money.

The Cavs did exactly what NFL teams do in later rounds. We knew there would be no one available that could help us this year so we drafted the guy who could potentially be great for us down the road. If he doesnt work out, fine no big deal. But if he does work out... we just got a major steal.

Oh and as for the Cavs not wanting to pony up the cash... The Cavs are one of VERY few teams that actually made money last year and are willing to spend. Just because you have the money doesnt mean you need to spend it on something that isnt worth the money though. If thats what you believe than I have an old 99 Cadillac you should buy. I'll charge you the same price as all of the new and better ones coming out though.

I really dont see the argument you are trying to make. Where would a guy like Buddinger or Summers fit on this team:

Williams/Gibson
West/Parker
James/Moon
Varejao/Hickson
Shaq/Z

We are two deep at every spot. I suppose an argument could be made about our PF and PG spots, but remember we have a lot of versatile players. LeBron will be playing the 4 this year a lot and West and Parker will be playing the 1 a lot. Regardless, even if you want to make that argument, Budinger or Summers wouldnt be playing either of those positions. So basically you are looking at those guys as 3rd stringers AKA the last men off the bench who wont get any meaningful playing time anyway. We already have enough of those in Kinsey, Jackson, Williams, Green, etc...

I just dont see the point in spending money on guys who will never get the chance on this team when we can draft a younger guy with a ton of talent, but who is extremely raw and give him a chance to develop for a couple of years, all the while not wasting money.

[KennerLeaguer]

Didn't mean to make this a back-n-forth but with all due respect I gotta say your NFL comparison is absurd. There is no way one can compare the 1st round of the NBA draft to the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds of the NFL draft. The vast majority of 1st round picks of the NBA draft actually make the roster of their teams and all get guaranteed contracts. You know this, I know this. It feels stupid to even go down this road.

But even saying that NFL teams are at least trying to find undiscovered gems in those late rounds, gems who can end up being steals and display the ability to help their respective teams IMMEDIATELY. Ah, there's the difference. The NFL teams aren't typically worrying about who has the most upside. They aren't saying to themselves that a guy who they are drafting in the first, second or even third rounds won't be able to play for them the upcoming season but "may" turn out to be really good in four years. The NFL teams are attempting to respect fans by getting dudes who can help get Ws during the season AS SOON as they put on the jerseys. The only exceptions are quarterbacks who are sometimes brought along slowly (but still will often be called upon to play in their first or second years if the veteran quarterbacks falter or fall to injury). The NBA though is full of teams who essentially disrespect the ticket buyers/consumers by wasting picks on guys they know can't help them the coming season. Whether its a college player who only played one or two years in the NCAA and needs a few more years before he is really ready or a foreign guy drafted very late in the first round, it means teams are willing to toss money at guys who can't make a true contribution for at least an entire season.

Now, I may accept the reality that that is necessary when it comes to college or foreign guys drafted early to mid first round. Those guys are the highly regarded players whom teams don't want to lose out in grabbing even if they have to wait for (hopefully) results. Its a stupid way of doing things but its part of the game now that kids don't want to stay in school for long. However there is no reason to draft foreign guys, who are nothing but projects, at the end of the first round when the same executives who make those decisions realize that college upperclassmen who can contribute quickly are still available. Considering that the majority of these foreign guys end up not playing that first season in the NBA (if ever) and go back overseas instead, it suggests NBA teams don’t care as much about immediate results. And immediate results mean that even if you draft a guy that late and expect him to not be in the top ten rotation, you at least have the player as a possible backup in case injuries pile up and/or veterans aren’t getting the job done. And who knows? Maybe that guy becomes the next Gilbert Arenas. Who wouldn’t want that type to fall in their laps at the end of the first round? But also to really get back to my original point NBA teams are also doing this in order to not pay money to a first round draft pick. Period. And if I was a season ticket holder I would be ticked off.


As for your list of the top ten players the Cavs have, not one of those guys is a tall, rangy outside shooter. Budinger and Summers may never become NBA stars but they have the potential (maybe you folks would be more excited if I use the word “upside”) to be the type of guys who can really provide a spark from the perimeter when they get hot. They are in the mode of some of the players that helped lead to the Cavs’ downfall when they faced the Magic. If you want to win now you want guys like that even if its only as the third player at a position. The two I mentioned would give the Cavs the tall shooters that the team lacks right now (unless Wally is ready to play like a true pro again). Who cares about Eyenga if he can’t help over the next 10 to 11 months? Who cares what he MAY become? If the Cavs are earning as much money as you claim they can grab him via free agency in a few years. You know, when he’s actually ready to play and help an NBA team.

[Pula_86]

Lets be honest, who are all the Cavs draft picks that have worked out or developed well. Perhaps you could argue Varejao is Ok, but no one will ever confuse him for one of the better 4/5s in the league. Probably the only guys I can think that have worked out are Shannon Brown and Carlos Boozer who are of course no longer with the team. Pavlovic and Gibson haven't really shown they can be anything except end of the bench guys.

Based on the Cavs draft history, I don't like Eyenga's chances to break the mold. I think Danny Green has a much better chance to change the Cav's draft fortune. I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting some minutes by the end of the year. I still think we missed out in the first round not grabbing Dejuan Summers. He is just a solid basketball player who will be a solid pro. Watch out for him in Detroit.

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Lets be honest, who are all the Cavs draft picks that have worked out or developed well. Perhaps you could argue Varejao is Ok, but no one will ever confuse him for one of the better 4/5s in the league. Probably the only guys I can think that have worked out are Shannon Brown and Carlos Boozer who are of course no longer with the team. Pavlovic and Gibson haven't really shown they can be anything except end of the bench guys.

Based on the Cavs draft history, I don't like Eyenga's chances to break the mold. I think Danny Green has a much better chance to change the Cav's draft fortune. I wouldn't be surprised to see him getting some minutes by the end of the year. I still think we missed out in the first round not grabbing Dejuan Summers. He is just a solid basketball player who will be a solid pro. Watch out for him in Detroit.

Well, you need to remember that in the Ferry regime, the Cavs have only had like 4 draft picks before this year, Shannon Brown...Boobie Gibson....JJ Hickson....and Darnell Jackson.

Shannon Brown didn't work out here because we asked him to do too much, he's carving a nice niche out in L.A....for a 2nd rounder, Boobie Gibson is one of the best shooters in the league when not injured. He's also young and a good ball-pressure guy defensively. You'll be surprised how much he's going to be like the Boobie of old this year if he stays healthy.


Hickson and Jackson are way too early to evaluate.

This years haul of Emir Predlzic, Eyenga, and Danny Green won't be able to be truly evaluated for a few years, likely longer for Emir/Eyenga.

[Pula_86]

Didn't mean to sound critical. However, the fact is that Eyenga and Green are up against some tough odds. For numerous insundary reasons, the Cavs just have not drafted all that welll overall since acquiring LBJ.