The deal isn’t official yet, but the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly agreed last week to a two-year deal that will bring 30-year-old Russian center Sasha Kaun to the NBA after six seasons playing for CSKA Moscow. The Plain Dealer‘s Terry Pluto spoke to the man who drafted Kaun in 2008, Danny Ferry.
Ferry was the Cavs GM from 2005 to 2010, winning NBA Executive of the Year honors in 2009.
Drafted by the Cavs with the No. 2 overall pick of the 1989 draft, Ferry played the final three years of his career in San Antonio and spent two seasons with the Spurs front office before becoming Cavs GM. The Kaun selection was the sort of draft-and-stash move that the Spurs have had success with, most notably with Argentinian guard Manu Ginobili.1
The Cavs had only one draft pick in 2008, No. 19 overall, which they used to select J.J. Hickson. Ferry bought the No. 56 overall pick from the then-Seattle SuperSonics for $300,000 on draft night, using the selection to take Kaun though the Cavs had no intention of immediately signing him — “He was a buy-and-hold,” Ferry told Pluto.
Now Kaun is set to make the jump to the NBA, and Ferry sees him as a smart, team-oriented player who has had the benefit of playing under good head coaches.
“He will really help the Cavs,” said Ferry. “He was a three-time Academic All-American at Kansas. He’s like a sponge. He soaks up everything the coaches tell him. The best thing he did was go and play for CSKA Moscow. It’s the elite level in Europe.”
“Sasha played for the two best coaches in Europe,” said Ferry. “(CSKA Moscow Coach Ettore) Messina is excellent, and the same with David Blatt. Sasha has played at a very high level and under a lot of pressure in Moscow. He’s played on a big stage and won’t be scared playing in the NBA.”
Ferry told Pluto that Kaun didn’t play organized basketball until he was 16 years old, when he moved to Melbourne, Florida to attend Florida Air Academy. Kaun was reportedly drawn to the school for its academics, but it didn’t take long for the big man to attract the attention of basketball coaches and scouts. He played four seasons for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Kaun has never put up eye-popping stats, but Ferry chose him because of his long-term potential.
“That’s what I was thinking about when we drafted Sasha — being patient,” said Ferry. “I knew he was raw. But I also knew he was tough, smart and driven to succeed. It would just take time. He was a very late bloomer.”
Now that Kaun has had some seasoning in Russia, Ferry thinks the big man can contribute as a defender and rebounder. He also sees him as a glue guy who can fit right in.
“Sasha wants to give the NBA a shot,” said Ferry. “I also heard they want to raise their family here [in the USA]. It’s good timing for him and the Cavs.”2
“He’s an excellent defender,” Ferry said of Kaun. “He’s one of those glue players. He makes other guys better because of his rebounding and defense. I really like his game.”
- Other notable international picks by the Spurs include Argentine forward Luis Scola and Brazilian center Tiago Splitter. Those two and Ginobili all signed with the Spurs three years after being drafted.
- Kaun is married to a former Kansas soccer player whose family lives in Colorado.
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