CLEVELAND _ Cavaliers first-round draft choice Christian Eyenga will never be accused of lacking confidence.

The native of the Congo, who played for CB Prat Juventad of Spain, before being selected with the 30th pick of the first round by Cleveland, suspects that with the aid of a book, he'll be able to understand and speak English in just 100 days.

There's little reason to doubt him. It took him just three months to learn Spanish. If being a quick study transfers to the basketball court, the Cavs very well might have found a diamond in the rough. It wouldn't be the first time such a player came from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Current Los Angeles Laker Didier Ilunga-Mbenga hails from that African nation, as does Dikembe Mutombo. Eyenga said there's a lot of talent in his homeland.

"He's known several players whom he feels could have gotten as far as he has if they had gotten better facilities and more coaching," Eyenga said through his interpreter Anicet Lavodrama. "Most of those players would have benefited from those advantages. They would have gone a lot further _ playing either in the U.S. or Europe."

Eyenga is a guard, so he isn't as physically imposing as those big men from the Congo. He likens his game to that of an Orlando Magic player who inflicted serious harm on the Cavs during the Eastern Conference finals, especially in one area that coach Mike Brown will love to hear.

"He thinks on defense his game is similar to Mickael Pietrus and he thinks given his characteristics he'd be very good at playing defense," he said.

The past 24 hours have proved to be a whirlwind for Eyenga. He was genuinely shocked that the Cavs drafted him in the first round. After the magnitude of the situation sunk in, sleep proved difficult to come by as visions of NBA superstars danced in his head. Yes, they included those of recent Cavs acquisition Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James, he said.

What remains unclear right now is Eyenga's immediate future with the Cavaliers. His status, along with fellow draftee Daniel Green, for the team's Summer League team that will play in July remains to be determined.

Right now, it sounds as if he's just looking for an opportunity. When asked how he would describe Shaq in a single word, he said: "unstoppable." As for James? He knows that he could open the doors to the NBA kingdom if he's willing to listen and learn.

"In regard to LeBron, LeBron is a very complete player, a team player," he said through Lavodrama. "He knows how to make his team better and if he gets a chance to be with LeBron he knows he's going to learn a lot from him."

source : http://www.americanchronicle.com