As if Cleveland Cavs fans hadn't already had their hearts ripped out when LeBron James left for the Miami Heat in the coldest way possible, Zydrunas Ilgauskas has decided to join LeBron, Bosh, and Wade in South Beach. Ilgauskas was the Cavs' longest tenured player -- he was drafted 20th overall in the 1996 draft and has never played for anyone but Cleveland.
Clearly, winning was a big motivation for Z to bolt Cleveland. He has already made $123,135,542 since joining the league, so money isn't an issue. I would imagine he signs for the minimum and gives it one last shot to get that ring.
For the Cavs, they are in rebuilding mode. There is no panacea for what has happened to them this summer. They need to trade Jamison and Mo Williams for cap space, prospects, and draft picks. A good deal may come along at the trade deadline when teams are looking to get that final piece. J.J. Hickson is a nice prospect and they ought to give him as much playing time as possible. Christian Eyenga is the only other young player with upside on their roster, but he is pretty raw. Unfortunately they're probably stuck with Anderson Varajao, who is owed $30 million over the next four years. I'm curious to see how long Byron Scott lasts as coach. He was hired with the hope that his championship pedigree would convince LeBron to stay. I doubt a coach of his caliber wants to stick around for a rebuilding project. On the bright side, at least Drew Carey still loves Cleveland!
Do you think that the Heat will start big Z or bring Udonis off the bench? If you start big Z it gives u a physical player on the post on defense but will severly slow the team down on offense. The Heat could be the best small ball team of all time so what are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think you start Z. Even in the half court set just put him towards the perimeter and let him wait for an open jumper. God the Heat are going to be good.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing to take out of this whole Lebron thing is that Cleveland DID end up taking the sign and trade. This left them with a couple first and second round picks over the next two or three years. With Mo Williams, varajo and hickson in the starting lineup, the cavs aren't as far behind as everyone seems to suggest. I can imagine them trying to package Mo Williams and a couple first round picks for the rights to Chris Paul. Lest not forget that Paul has always said he'd like to play for Byron Scott again.
ReplyDeleteThey need to start from scratch. Follow Sam Presti's model w/ what he has done with the Thunder. You don't want to bring in CP3 without an all-star sidekick.
ReplyDeleteI'm debating where it's worse to live right now, Cleveland or Detroit?