\
From Scott Sargent at WFNY:
[With] the team’s desire to add post defenders, Byron Scott’s athlete-focused offense and a potential multi-year rebuilding process, Biyombo could find himself as the second Congloese-born player selected by the Cavaliers in the last three years.
If you have been perusing Twitter and/or draft sites over the past month or so, you’ve heard Biyimbo in connection with the Cavaliers’ second first round selection. If you’re unfamiliar, this WFNY piece serves as a solid introduction to the Congo native, who stands 6’9″ and has a 7’7″ wingspan.
Can he shoot? Don’t we already have a very athletic guy from the Congo who can’t shoot?
I haven’t seen him play – and even Ryan Hollins could look good in his own highlight reel. So, I don’t really have an opinion on him. A 6’9″ center -really, a center at 6’9″? His standing reach and wingspan will certainly make him ‘play bigger’ and he’ll likely be more athletic than any center he matches up against – but would he really play center in the NBA or PF? JJ proved that because C is ‘easier’ to play in the Cavs system (rotations are a lot simpler) that it doesn’t take the same basketball IQ.
I’m not down on the guy, but just seems like there are some obvious questions about what position he’d play and when he would be ready. The Cavs likely won’t be very good next year so I’m not bothered by gaining his rights and letting him play another year or two overseas, but I do have mixed feelings about getting another player purely based on ‘potential’ and one GREAT game. The Cavs really need to maximize this draft, and if they feel he’s the guy I’ll just sit back and cheer for him.
Biyombo was averaging 6 ppg, 5 rpg, and 2 bpg in 15 mpg in the spanish league. He is a more ft shooter (54%). I’ve seen him compared to Ben Wallace and Kevin Seraphin. Obviously drafting the next Ben Wallace would be great, but Ben Wallace comparisons are dumb because players like Ben Wallace are once in a generation (6’9″ guys who are the best paint defender / rebounder in the league don’t come around too often).
If the Cavs use a top 10 draft pick on Biyombo, I would not view that as a good development.
If the Cavs were to take Biyombo, I’d prefer it later in the first round.
How great would this be: Every time Biyombo or Eyenga got a block, we’d play the clip on the jumbotron of Mr. McDowell saying, “That guy’s hit us three times. But I don’t think I have to worry about that any more, thanks to my… ‘African connections.’” Seriously. How great would that be?
With a name like Bismark he will have so many awesome nicknames.