• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Cavs get a big m from lithuania?

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1 Z is never enough.
 
Marty A has one long neck. I realise being that tall, he would have a long neck, but it does look out of proportion. This breaks down to him playing a little shorter then the 7'2 size states. Not a big issue, but we gotta get that kid some meat and time in the gym.
 
Steve Kerr Rates the Cavs Draft

cle_3.gif
Cleveland Cavaliers – New general manager Danny Ferry inherited zero draft picks, yet he ended up trading for Martynas Andriuskevicius, the 7-3 Russian who can shoot the ball from the perimeter and is an active, athletic player. There are questions about his strength and he did not look good in predraft workouts, but this is a great gamble for Cleveland. He might turn into a good player.
Grade: B
Click to expand...
Draft Grades - Full Story
 
Glad to see our Welsch trade paid off..

Atleast we got somebody, havent heard much about this kid, but obviously he isnt anywhere near ready, so looks like we have some time to wait before we see anything pay off with him.
 
Wow. I like what I've read so far. If he is indeed a younger version of Z, then we have suceeded in this year's draft.

I remember watching Z in his younger years and he was just fantastic. I wonder if this kid holds a 20 foot jumper also.
 
seems like a nice move, hopefully this kid makes it.
 
Karma said:
Marty A has one long neck. I realise being that tall, he would have a long neck, but it does look out of proportion. This breaks down to him playing a little shorter then the 7'2 size states. Not a big issue, but we gotta get that kid some meat and time in the gym.
Click to expand...

He may have a long neck, but what 7' guy doesn't? Besides his head seems kind of short, it evens itself out. :chuckles:

1 thing that was questioned about him is his wingspan is 'only' 6'11, but it's good enough for me. :D
 
This kid is a fantastic pickup. Yea, he's 19, but I don't think we need him to contribute right away. I've been reading most of his scouting reports from last year, and he was actually promised a 7th pick by Phoenix, but wanted to be top 5, so he pulled out. This is a great steal for us at #44.

This should solidify Z staying here even more to help this kid develop. They're practically the same player. He's really, really skinny, but he can work up some muscle. Not too many 7'3 guys out there that can dribble and shoot.

Here's Yahoo's draft capsule:

Martynas Andriuskevicius Draft Capsule

June 28, 2005

VITALS: 7-2, 240, Zalgiris (Lithuania)

OVERVIEW: An early entry candidate in the 2004 draft before withdrawing his name from consideration, Andriuskevicius has spent the last two years learning from legendary Lithuanian center Arvydas Sabonis, who plays for the senior team. After playing with the junior squad in 2003-04, the 19-year-old averaged 4.4 points and shot 50 percent from the floor in 10 minutes with the senior team this year.


LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Andriuskevicius surprisingly stayed in the draft despite not having a promise from any NBA team that it would take him early. Teams better structured to select him would be those who don't need him to develop quickly, and that means Indiana (17), Memphis (19) and Sacramento (23) are possible destinations.

COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Gregor Fucka

ROLE PROJECTION: Backup forward until he gains weight.

POSITIVES: Andriuskevicius can shoot the basketball and run the floor well. He is too thin now to play minutes at center or even power forward but might get onto an NBA court in the next two years because he can shoot the perimeter shot comfortably to about 20 feet. He came up through the same system that produced another 7-3 Lithuanian, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Ilgauskas also was very skinny at this stage of his career. Today, Ilgauskas is one of the better (and few) true centers in the NBA.

SHORTCOMINGS: Andriuskevicius is very thin and very weak. He just turned 19 and has plenty of physical development ahead of him. He is not ready to play in the NBA now and could be another Darko Milicic - a very talented player who is going require patience and a long-range view in order to succeed.
Click to expand...
 
It's a no risk gamble.

This guy isn't going to sniff Cleveland for at least two years, but he's got loads of potential and with 28 million dollars in cap space, I personally think the Cavaliers can afford to wait.

This was a very Spurs-ese move by Ferry and I personally love it.
 
Why not take this risk. This team needs to be built around the Lebron James timeline. Get a young center that has big upside and in two years he maybe a young version of Z, which would help James out a lot.

If he pans out, we have a young talented front court for years to come. Now we just have to sign a young FA SG and PG to develope around James.

Plus losing our extra 2 gaurd in Jiri and freeing up cap space is plus in my mind no matter what.
 
Im surprised he dropped this far in the draft. I think he's a bang or bust type player. He'll either be a really good player for us, or end up never getting off the bench, or even getting out of the nbdl(which would be ok since we didnt have to give away much to get him). He does sound like a young Z, but a lot more mobile. He wont be as good as Z though.
 
He's a project. He's predraft workout was nothing short of terrible.

He looked really weak going against some college scrub center and had terrible conditioning on top of that. Apparently, he got winded after going one on one after just a few plays.

He's got some physical gifts but it's going to be years before this guy will be able to contribute.

Well after bashing the dude for likley being a flop, great pickup in the second round: the correct place to gamble on a guy like Marty. I also think this might be a ploy by Ferry to give Z more reasons to resign for a cheaper contract: mentor the next Lithuanian center
 
Last edited:
I love this pick! Was considered a lottery pick and Jay Bilas had him at 19th best at the start of the draft. A steal at 44. A Z prototype.

Yes I think this will make Z want to stay, I think he'd really like to mentor this guy. I think Marty, Z, and Sabonis are all from the same hometown, Kaunas, Lithuania. Z loves Sabonis and Marty played with him. If only Z will sign for a reasonable contract...
 
I think this is a great move by the Cavs. Getting a skilled 19 year old 7-3 C in the mid second round is definitely worth a chance. Like has been said it's a low risk high reward move. It's also a move that well run organizations with quality front offices make. Hopefully a sign of things to come from the new regime.
I caught somewhere R.C. Buford, the Spurs GM, saying he was surprised Andriuskevicius dropped so far. Seemed the Spurs were also high on him which is a good sign.

He is going to take a few years to develop and needs a ton more weight and strength but has the potential to be well worth the wait.
This is also a player who was projected to be a lottery pick last year before he dropped out of the draft. To get him this late a year later is a great move.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-14: "Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:14: " Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey."
Top