Zydrunas Ilgauskas off to join Washington Wizards, unsure about return to Cleveland Cavaliers
By Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer
February 19, 2010, 11:04AM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas was on his way to the airport this morning, heading for Washington, D.C., and his new team, the Wizards. The thought of putting on a new jersey makes him almost queasy.
And he'll have to wear No. 17, because the Wizards have retired his usual No. 11 in honor of Elvin Hayes.
But that might be the smallest change facing the beloved long-time Cavs center, the franchise leader in games played, rebounds and blocked shots who was traded to the Wizards on Wednesday as part of the three-team deal that brought Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers .
It has been a tough three days for Ilgauskas. After a long practice on Wednesday, he spent two hours with some teammates at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital visiting terminally ill children. As soon as he stepped outside, he got the call from Cavs general manager Danny Ferry telling him he'd been traded after 14 years with the Cavs, who made the 7-foot-3 center from Lithuania their first-round pick in the 1996 draft, No. 20 overall.
"It was emotional,'' Ilgauskas said of the call with Ferry, a friend and former teammate whose voice quivered when he told reporters about the phone call during a press conference on Thursday.
Though it has been widely rumored that Washington will release Ilgauskas, who would be able to sign back with the Cavs in 30 days, nothing has been discussed to this point.
"Right now I'm a Wizard,'' he said. "I think eventually they'll let me go, but that's just my guess. They haven't told me anything yet. First I've got to go to Washington, and hopefully after a couple of days they'll let me go home.''
The Wizards have been in turmoil since NBA commissioner David Stern suspended All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton for bringing guns into the locker room in a dispute over a gambling debt. Since then, there has been a fire sale, with the Wizards dumping salary in advance of the team being sold. It's unlikely they will be willing to keep Ilgauskas, a 33-year-old veteran who will make $11.5 million this season. It's more likely they will negotiate a buyout.
If that happens, Ilgauskas will have several options. He admits a number of teams have called his agent, Herb Rudoy. Though neither Ilgauskas nor Rudoy identified them, Dallas and Denver are thought to be in the market for a big man.
Ilgauskas wouldn't say for sure he'd be back, but he wouldn't rule it out, either, in spite of the fact that there were some hurt feelings earlier this season when coach Mike Brown didn't play Ilgauskas in the game that would have given him the franchise record for games played. He did get the record in the next game.
"We'll figure things out,'' he said. "I'll do what's best for my family.''
The Cavaliers players and fans hold a special place in his heart. He tried but found it too hard to watch Thursday's game against Denver on his television at home.
"This is my team,'' he said. "I'm going to be mad, but not so mad that I wouldn't come back. I understand it's a business. This is my home. No matter what happens in the future, that will never change.''
