BASDEN FOR ANDRIUSKEVICIUS
Chicago Bulls acquired forward Martynas Andriuskevicius from the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Eddie Basden.
What does it give the Chicago Bulls
A true giant of a center who may still eventually pan out. There was a time when Andriuskevicius was considered by several NBA scouts to be the top prospect in the 2005 draft, and he's still only 20 years old. That's very young for a big man, and 7-footers often develop later than other players. If all goes well, in a few years he may develop into a starting center because he has superb coordination for a guy his size. Lately the Bulls have been focusing on stockpiling post players, and to start out Andriuskevicius will at the very least give them a legitimate post presence for their practices.
What does it give the Cleveland Cavaliers
A highly underrated guard who can dominate on defense. Basden was arguably the best defender in the 2005 draft, but was passed over for some reason. As a rookie free agent last year with Chicago he showed he can hold his own on the pro court, and he has the potential to develop into a Bruce Bowen type of shut-down defender capable of guarding several positions. The Cavs were hoping Big A would learn the game from fellow countryman and Cavalier Big Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who's also 7-2) but it didn't pan out. Basden provides athletic depth on a team that is quietly becoming very good defensively.
Fantasy impact
