Ilgauskas looking for championship

Trade rumors, retirement talk doesn't faze him

INDEPENDENCE: Talk of retirement? Rumor of a trade? It doesn't matter to Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

It probably shouldn't have, but when a report said Ilgauskas wasn't married to the idea of returning to the Cavaliers after this season, it raised a couple of eyebrows.

Going into his 12th season, Ilgauskas has endured bad seasons and multiple foot surgeries.

''I don't know what I'm going to do, that's what I said,'' he said of his future. ''My guess is we'll see how the season is and how I feel at the end of it.''

And should the Cavs win a championship, a realistic possibility heading into the season, it would appear to represent the perfect way for Ilgauskas to go out.

''No, it will depend on how I feel and what I want to do more than anything else,'' he said. ''A championship will not play a big part in it.''

What's apparent is that playing basketball is beginning to feel like a job to Ilgauskas, a 7-foot-3 center from Lithuania.

''Getting in shape isn't the issue. It's the grind, you know. Middle of February, middle of March, West Coast trips, back-to-backs, over and over and over again,'' he said. ''When you're a young guy, you're able to recover and bounce back better, but when you get older it's not happening for you. The grind gets tougher and tougher each year.''

There's no question that Ilgauskas knows he still has plenty in the tank. He averaged 12.9 points and 7.5 rebounds last season. Cavs coach Mike Brown believes the same primarily because 7-footers will always be in demand.

''Z, in my opinion, can play as long as he wants,'' Brown said. ''He'll make the decision when the time is right for him and his family.''

Perhaps that's why Ilgauskas, who has an expiring contract, was allegedly mentioned in trade talks with the Golden State Warriors that would have brought Stephen Jackson to the Cavs. After 11 years with the Cavs, he couldn't be blamed if that bothered him. He just shrugs his shoulders when it's mentioned.

''I've been traded, I think, let me see? Seventy-five times? Seventy-seven times since I've been here,'' he joked. ''After that, you become numb to that.

''I would obviously like to stay here, but this is a business. If it comes or not, when I get to that bridge, I'll cross it. I've expressed my desire to always stay with this team especially now that we have a chance to win.''

Tait missing broadcast

Joe Tait, the voice of the Cavs, won't be behind the microphone for tonight's preseason game against the Charlotte Bobcats in Charleston, S.C. Tait will instead be inducted into his alma mater's Hall of Achievement at Monmouth College in Illinois. Tait graduated from the school in 1959. The Cavs' television voice, Fred McLeod, will call a radio game for the first time since the Cavs played in China two years ago.

Buzzer beaters

Brown knows it will have to happen eventually, but the Cavs' coach isn't in a particular hurry to trim his roster. He said he's seen something positive from the entire roster of training camp invitees. . . . Jamario Moon won't make the trip to Charleston after having two wisdom teeth pulled Friday at the Cleveland Clinic. . . . Delonte West is not expected to join the team.

source: By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Ilgauskas not ruffled by trade rumors

By Zydrunas Ilgauskas' estimate, he has been traded about 75 times since he first came to the Cavaliers 12 years ago.

"Or maybe 77," Ilgauskas deadpanned Friday. "I lost count already."

That's the 7-foot-3 center's way of saying trade rumors are a daily part of life in the NBA, and why he's shrugging off the newest whispers that Golden State has inquired about swapping unhappy swingman Stephen Jackson for Ilgauskas.

While it's true that the Cavaliers might now almost have a surplus of talented very big men with the off-season acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal, the trade rumor also would violate one of the league's unwritten tenets -- don't trade big for small. So Ilgauskas isn't too worried that anything will come to fruition.

"If it happens, life goes on," Ilgauskas shrugged.

View full sizeLisa DeJong, The Plain DealerZydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavs' rebounding record holder.

But the possibility of leaving Cleveland did serve as an opportunity for Ilgauskas to reiterate that he wants to finish his career with the Cavaliers -- and there's a chance the 34-year-old might call it quits when his contract expires at the end of this season.

He's not saying it's likely or even probable, and he swears his decision won't be linked to whether LeBron James re-signs with the Cavaliers in the off-season. It's just a possibility.

"I think I still have at least a few good years of basketball left in me," Ilgauskas said. "I would like to [come back]. [But] it gets harder every year, mentally and physically. I'll just decide at the end of the year."

Ilgauskas reminded listeners of his creaky back and delicate feet, which have endured five surgeries, and his newfound status as a father to two young boys adopted over the summer from his hometown in Lithuania. He's older. His seasons last longer now that the Cavaliers annually play deep into the playoffs.

"I just feel the grind more," he said. "You feel it in the middle of February, middle of March, [with] West Coast trips, back-to-backs, over and over and over again. As a younger guy, you were able to come back faster. When you get older, it's not happening. The grind gets tougher and tougher each year. It takes a toll on your body."

However, the Cavaliers' all-time rebounding leader also could experience more rest this season as he backs up O'Neal. It's the first time in Ilgauskas' career that he will come off the bench. That reduced role, combined with Ilgauskas' rare 7-3 height, might prolong his career for several more years.

"You can't teach size," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "[Big guys] are going to be big if they move slow or if they move slower."

For Ilgauskas' part, though, he wants to keep his options open. He's not making any promises either way, just as he knows the Cavaliers aren't making any promises that he'll finish his career in Cleveland. "This is a business," Ilgauskas said.

He knows one thing for sure, though. His new role as father won't play a part in his decision.

"Either [the boys] will come to the games, or we'll watch the games on TV," Ilgauskas said, laughing.

First times: Ilgauskas will experience a couple firsts during today's game against Charlotte in North Charleston, S.C.: His first time away from the 5- and 4-year-old boys he and his wife, Jennifer, adopted over the summer. And, potentially, his first night of good sleep in just as long.

"I have mixed feelings," Ilgauskas said. "I'm looking forward to a little bit more sleep. I just want to make sure everything's OK. But it's a short trip, so I'm sure they'll be fine." Dribbles:Jamario Moon missed practice Friday because he had two wisdom teeth removed, and did not travel with the team. . . . Guard Delonte West remains on an excused leave from the team for personal reasons and did not make the trip. Forward

source: cleveland.com