The team's decision to select him with its first-round draft pick last month was a complete surprise and raised a number of questions that turned out to have rather complex answers. Then, over the past week at the Vegas Summer League, Eyenga showed off some tantalizing skills that raised eyebrows everywhere, from the Cavs' staff to European teams that may have designs on him for the immediate future.

He's listed at 6-foot-5 and is every bit of it. He just turned 20 years old and looks like it. He has pogo sticks for legs. During summer league, he attempted a LeBron James-esque dunk by taking off from at least 12 feet away from the basket. Eyenga may have pulled it off had he not been fouled. Another time, he easily won a jump ball against a player who is 6-9.

He has all the tools to be a good defender - a long wingspan, good lateral quickness, good instincts, and what appears to be a genuine desire to stop his man. This is without him being educated yet on the art of NBA defense, and his inexperience showed at times.

Much of the time, Eyenga was the quickest player on the floor. With his long strides he was often able to beat every player down the court, even when recovering from a defensive position. Had any of his teammates realized it, he probably could have had a dozen leak-out buckets in the five games. But it seemed like it took the whole week for the rest of the team to notice it.

He has a somewhat developed post game and appears comfortable going to the block, even showing a hook shot with both hands. In that regard, he's significantly more advanced than James was at the same age.

So what are Eyenga's weaknesses? His jumper is not always consistent, though he shot 47 percent from the field in Vegas. His release is below NBA standards when it comes to quickness. His body is not fully developed, and while he's at a good weight, he could certainly add some muscle. He also tends to become passive, even when the ball comes to him, and he's got an open driving lane.

In general, he can be inconsistent, and it isn't clear if it is because he's young or because that's his nature. To compare, Basketball people were asking the same questions about Sasha Pavlovic six years ago. Pavlovic had immense talent but was uneven, and he still is to this day.

So with all that, why was Eyenga a relative unknown, and how and why did he become a Cav? Let's examine:

Q: If he's so good, why didn't Eyenga play more for DKV Joventut, the parent Euroleague team, instead of playing mostly for its junior varsity equivalent?

A: A native of Congo, Eyenga didn't have a Spanish passport. Euroleague teams can have only a limited number of non-Europeans on their rosters at any one time. Because he was young and the team had some other non-Europeans, Eyenga became a bit of an odd man out. After some injuries on the parent team, he did get called up to play a few games.

Q: If he was so talented, why was there virtually no buzz surrounding him coming into the draft? Numerous other Euroleague players had been heavily scouted, were well-known and were visiting numerous NBA teams for private workouts.

A: Because he didn't play much for Joventut and he wasn't at some of the major European camps, he was a bit of an unknown. But there was another factor at play. Eyenga's Spanish agents may have been attempting to slip Eyenga through the draft without getting selected and therefore kept him under wraps on purpose.

Had he gone undrafted, he would have been free to sign with any team when he was ready to come over to the NBA. Sometimes being a draft pick - especially had he been a second-rounder with no guaranteed money coming - can hamper European players because they end up trapped. So he only took part in a couple of workouts and was not heavily promoted before the Cavaliers stunned everyone.

Q: If he was so under the radar, then why didn't the Cavs take him with their second-round pick and use their first-rounder on a more established player?

A: As the Cavs looked at the teams picking in between their 30th and 46th picks, they saw several belonged to teams known for deeply scouting Europe. In addition, there were some rumors going around that Eyenga had taken part in at least one last-minute workout in the U.S. in the week leading up to the draft. The major decision, it seems, came down to Eyenga and Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair, who had been red-flagged by NBA doctors because of some issues with his knees. The Cavs decided to bet on the potential of Eyenga instead, most especially because of his defensive potential.

Q: So if Eyenga looked so good in summer league, are the Cavs not going to let him go back to Europe and instead just sign him and bring him to Cleveland this year?

A: It is possible but not assured. The Cavs have not made a final decision, but it seems the coaching staff left Vegas impressed and may lean toward signing Eyenga to his slotted two-year, $2 million contract, with team options for seasons three and four. With the NBA Developmental League team in nearby Erie, Pa., running the Cavs' systems, there are plenty of advantages to having Eyenga close to home to help him develop.

However, Eyenga may not want to sign with the Cavs right now. Friday, his agent declined to let him answer any questions about his intentions. His agents met with Cavs officials Thursday night.

He's also a free agent in Europe and may now be able to command a large deal that would be more than the Cavs can pay under the rookie salary scale. The Cavs may want to influence where he'd play in Europe, but there's a chance there could be a bit of a bidding war as well.

With any European contract, there is often a buyout to leave to play in the NBA. With players who are draft picks - especially first-rounders - it is often a large and burdensome buyout. Several first-round picks, notably Magic pick Fran Vazquez and Spurs pick Tiago Splitter, are in deals with buyouts so high that it doesn't make sense to leave and sign a rookie contract in the NBA, even though their teams would love for that to happen.

Currently, Ricky Rubio is trying to figure out a way to get out from under a crushing buyout number from Joventut, where Eyenga has been playing, to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The advantage is that Eyenga is currently unsigned. He may have some leverage in a new contract and can try to avoid a buyout, but probably not if he wants the most money possible.

So, in short, stay tuned. Eyenga, in general, is worth watching.

Dribbles: The Cavs have received criticism for missing out on some free agents this summer. Indeed, they were unable to land Trevor Ariza and also pitched Channing Frye before both players decided to go elsewhere. But perhaps they have not been given the proper credit for successfully recruiting Anthony Parker.

Parker got several offers richer than what the Cavs signed him for - two years and $5.5 million. One, according to a source, came from Greek power Olympiakos.

Parker, who starred with Euroleague rival Maccabi Tel Aviv before coming to the NBA, turned down a two-year contract with a net worth of $7 million. Though it is often said that players in Europe get their contracts tax free, the case is really that the teams pay the player's taxes and set up the contract's value based on the amount after those taxes.

The Toronto Raptors also tried to retain Parker after a sign-and-trade deal to land Hedo Turkoglu allowed them to clear cap space to better the Cavs' offer. But Parker, who was one of Cleveland's targets July 1, was impressed with the Cavs' pitch and situation and turned down the richer offers.

Yao seeks Z's advice: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is going to have reconstructive surgery on his left foot next week and likely will miss the entire 2009-10 season. Before deciding on the surgery, Yao spoke with Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas because he had nearly the same procedure in 2001 and has recovered to have a productive career.

Interestingly, Yao is having his surgery done by Rockets team physician Dr. Tom Clanton, who is regarded as one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. Ilgauskas, however, saw Clanton when he was weighing his surgery options and instead went with Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore and has given Myerson credit for saving his career.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166