Like Anderson Varejao the year before, Andriuskevicius' Orlando Magic lid now becomes just a souvenir. Jennifer Pottheiser NBAE/Getty Images

Last year, a Brazilian kid by the name of Anderson Varejao – the first player selected in the second round – was included in the deal that sent Tony Battie and a couple of picks to the Magic Kingdom in exchange for Drew Gooden, Varejao and Steven Hunter. We all know how that one worked out.

On the evening of the 2005 NBA Draft, the Wine and Gold once again made a deal for Orlando’s second-rounder. This time it was 19-year-old Martynas Andriuskevicius, a rail-thin and raw Lithuanian who had been seen as a lottery pick by more than a few pundits.

The two NBA names most closely associated with Lithuanian big men are Cleveland’s own Zydrunas Ilgauskas and former Blazer center Arvydas Sabonis, whose team Andriuskevicius played for back in Europe. Should the Cavaliers ink Ilgauskas, who will become a free agent on Friday, odds are that the 7-2 rookie will be given the moniker: “Mini Z”.

"I know Z when he started to play in the NBA," said Andriuskevicius. "I think he can be a great friend to me. I’ll just try to learn a lot from him."

Numbers are always important when scouting an international player, but perhaps the ones just mentioned – 7-2 – more adequately explain teams’ interest in Andriuskevicius. His stats are far from eye-popping: in the Lithuanian League last season, he averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game. In 15 Euroleague games in 2004-05, he averaged 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.

Andriuskevicius’ first season in the Lithuanian league was by far his most productive but it was also in Lithuania’s second division. In 27 games he averaged 17.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. He was an early entry candidate in 2004 but pulled out before the Draft.

“Martynas is a young, skilled big man who comes from the Sabonis School in Lithuania,” Ferry said. “He loves to play basketball and has a very good feel for the game. The combination of his size and skill are very rare. We are excited to have him in our program.”

The negatives on Andriuskevicius are obvious just by looking at the young man. He lacks muscle, and with it, the stamina to take the pounding guaranteed by an 82-game season. That being said, Andriuskevicius can and will add pounds to his 240-pound frame. The 7-2 part won’t be changing.

"(Martynas) needs to spend time with (Strength and Conditioning Coach) Stan Kellers in the weight room," Ferry added. "And that needs to be his big focus, starting today. Hopefully he’ll eat well, lift hard and grow some big muscles. And that’ll help him in his game. He ate a big steak last night, so he’s off to a good start."

What scouts loved about Andriuskevicius was the raw athleticism he displayed in less than a year of full-fledged European competition. Although he is a center, he’s more along the lines of a Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki seven-footer. He is ambidextrous, runs the court extremely well and is said to be an excellent passer for a big man.

In the near future, he'll be paired up with another athletic youngster who's an excellent passer, LeBron James. When asked if Andriuskevicius knew of James, the quick-witted teen responded: "We have newspapers in Lithuania."

The acquisition of Andriuskevicius does raise some interesting questions. Was he brought in to complement Z or replace him? When will he be ready? And lastly, what does this mean to DeSagana Diop?

These questions will be answered in short order as the Cavaliers continue changing the complexion of a club that finished one game shy of the postseason in the last two years. One change (that facilitated the move to nab Andriuskevicius) was moving Jiri Welsch to the Bucks in exchange for a second-rounder in 2006. That pick went to the Magic and Welsch went to Milwaukee.

Welsch never got untracked in Cleveland after he was acquired at the trade deadline last year. In his short 16-game tenure with the Wine and Gold, the former Celtic managed totals of 2.9 points and just under two boards per game. He never materialized as the three-point marksman that Jim Paxson envisioned and his confidence deteriorated down the stretch. The parting of ways should be a good move for both parties.

The transformation of the Cavaliers won’t happen overnight, but it is beginning. The stakes get even higher this Friday, however, as the free agency period begins with Cleveland’s coffers full of cash and its front office full of ambition. The departure of Jiri Welsch and the acquisition Mini Z are only the first moves. They won’t be the last.