So, Cavs first round draft pick Christian Eyenga has been taking heat ever since David Stern called his name and kinda sorta laughed. The choice was widely panned - of course, the Cavs probably didn’t want to pay 1st round guaranteed money and were happy getting a player they thought was just as good at 46 in Danny Green for less cash, but that was barely mentioned. Also, those of you who thought Sam Young would deliver a championship…probably not the case.
The train to bash Eyenga as an awful pick has continued after he played two entire summer league games in Vegas and wasn’t particularly great based on David Thorpe’s tweets (@coachthorpe) and the box score (although Eyenga shot the ball well in his second game at 4-6). Suddenly, Eyenga’s fate was determined - a bust that would never amount to anything.
And then there’s this from Brian Windhorst:
“Eyenga, a 6-6 wing, is battling a list of challenges in his first taste of the NBA, most especially the language barrier. Trainer Mike Mancias is translating some things into Spanish, which is already the Congo native’s second language. But Jent said they are throwing him into the deep end a little bit with some basketball terminology to help him with the English.
In the opener Saturday against the Lakers, Eyenga was scoreless in 18 minutes. He came back Sunday against the Bucks and looked more comfortable, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three rebounds in 24 minutes.
‘[Language] is holding him back a little bit right now,” Jent said. “He’s sort of just out there playing.’”
Oh…the guy can’t speak English. Perhaps that’s a little bit disconcerting?
I understand that the pick feels more like an old-school scout’s choice - draft a guy who has athletic talent but has demonstrated little productivity, hope the athleticism becomes productivity down the road - and because of that there’s reason to be skeptical, but maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, especially since the Cavs aren’t likely to rush Eyenga to the NBA.
