Z not just forgetting about the Detroit incident

[Kypus]

Dribbles
• Last week, Orlando Magic television commentator Matt Guokas, who used to do Cavs games, told his audience that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had been so frustrated with his teammates lack of response in Rasheed Wallace elbowgate three weeks ago that he went to the front office and asked to be traded in the offseason. Many Cavs fans around the country who watched the game on the NBA League Pass, which picked up the Sunshine Network's feed, were shocked by the comments. Guokas was partially right and partially wrong. Team insiders said Ilgauskas did go to management upset but never expressed desire to go anywhere.

It is pathetic when crucial news on your 2nd best player gets reduced to the the "in other less important news" bullets at the end of a column. Pathetic and disrespectful by the media, but understandable because they can only work with what the Cavs organization gives them. Which has been a total lack of response to our lack of toughness as a team.

Is Ferry going to address this before getting destroyed in the first round? Would it have been possible to sign Traylor for the playoffs? He was our ideal guy for this role, get the crowd up, provide toughness for the team in 5 or 10 minutes of play. I understand why they dropped him, to clear space, but we lost more than cap space when we didn't bring him back, we lost heart. They should have brought him back 2 weeks ago if they could have done it.

 

[B Mac]

Z should be mad. That was embarassing. It was embarassing that no one stood up for Z and Z had to get Sheed back himself. Someone putting a hard foul back on Sheed would have gone a loooong way in turning this into a real team, and one that knew they could trust each other. Its never too late to get Sheed back IMO.

 

[PIP]

These guys are worthless.... 1 of 4 guys should have responded.

LeBron is more worried about spooning with these guys at center court than defending his teammates.

Drew Gooden was scared.

Donyell is useless in all aspects of life

AV would have probably done it if given the oppurtunity.

 

[CleveRocks]

Could we address this in the draft? We have two second rounders, I am thinking Terrence Dials from OSU could be a boozer like draft pick. He is not on the charts, but at 6'9 260 is a power forward body, who has played his entire career guarding bigger players. Brunner from Iowa also gets no attention in the draft, but he is a power guy underneath.

 

[Maximus]

It is pathetic when crucial news on your 2nd best player gets reduced to the the "in other less important news" bullets at the end of a column. Pathetic and disrespectful by the media, but understandable because they can only work with what the Cavs organization gives them. Which has been a total lack of response to our lack of toughness as a team.

Is Ferry going to address this before getting destroyed in the first round? Would it have been possible to sign Traylor for the playoffs? He was our ideal guy for this role, get the crowd up, provide toughness for the team in 5 or 10 minutes of play. I understand why they dropped him, to clear space, but we lost more than cap space when we didn't bring him back, we lost heart. They should have brought him back 2 weeks ago if they could have done it.

Tractor had heart surgery and is in no shape to be a contributor for anyone....next year maybe.

As far as the Z thing goes, I don't think they want to air their dirty laundry and address it in the press. Z was pissed, he told the coaches and mgmt he was pissed. Instead of *****ing out his teammates he let them handle it. Z doesn't like to rock the boat....not sure if he is right or wrong in this case. It bothered him for a week+ but I think he's over it now and his teammates know they made a mistake. We'll find out for sure the next time.

 

[Kypus]

As far as the Z thing goes, I don't think they want to air their dirty laundry and address it in the press. Z was pissed, he told the coaches and mgmt he was pissed. Instead of *****ing out his teammates he let them handle it. Z doesn't like to rock the boat....not sure if he is right or wrong in this case. It bothered him for a week+ but I think he's over it now and his teammates know they made a mistake. We'll find out for sure the next time.

You're probably right, the Cleveland media wouldn't want to air the laundry right now. They'll wait until after we're out of the playoffs then it's open season, most likely on Drew Gooden.

If Z didn't take it up with his teammates at all then he was being a fool. Not saying he has to chew them out, that's not really his style, but he has to at least let them know. It's obvious he doesn't trust his teammates at this point. Sure he has the right, being a 2nd franchise-type player, to go to Ferry and say "get me this guy (whoever) to get my back." But you can't go around the team on something like that. Lack of communication will kill you.

 

[Kypus]

Tractor had heart surgery and is in no shape to be a contributor for anyone....next year maybe.

Hmm. I have heard zero news on his condition in the last few months. Better play it safe then.

 

[Maximus]

Mike Brown should have torn into the players at halftime of that Detroit game. I think he is far too concerned with being everyone's best friend. He has to occasionaly rip into these guys to show them who's boss.

 

[joma]

Great, its on realgm.com now.

 

[Kypus]

Would have been easier to deal with it at the time, rather than fending off national media criticism during the playoffs. Local media would have let it ride until there's nothing else to write about during the summer, national media will not.

 

[Karma]

The Cavaliers did try and sweep this under the carpet no doubt. Main reason, the franchise player was one of the main offenders. Even some posters here took it as a minor blip, because again it casts a shadow over our franchise player. I was disgusted in Z's team mates, and still am. Cant wait to get a real body at the 4 spot next season.

 

[Wine and Gold]

These guys are worthless.... 1 of 4 guys should have responded.

LeBron is more worried about spooning with these guys at center court than defending his teammates.

Drew Gooden was scared.

Donyell is useless in all aspects of life

AV would have probably done it if given the oppurtunity.

You pretty much nailed it. Lebron was seen joking around with Wallace a few minutes later, Drew Gooden was right there ...saw the obvious cheap shot, heard it, witnessed the blood ..was standing right next to Rasheed and he just looked down to the floor and couldn't even make eye contact with the guy ...the situation made him uncomfortable, not angry.

Donyell actually can muster up a temper and react to situations. He's had a few scrapes in his career.

AV will be in more than a few brawl before it's all over in his career. His style of play pisses to many players off, and I like that.

But, more than anything incidents like in the Detroit game and in the Miami game verify issues that run deep with this team. A complete lack of inner toughness within the team. Both physically and mentally. They are all in the mode of passive/non aggressive in nature.

Our team gets fouled hard by most teams going to the hoop, we rarely ever retaliate. He just take it and move on unfazed. At some point this team has to start protecting their own, and that's what the baseline issue is. Teams know they can get away with a style of play on us and that we don't have anyone that will bring it back at them.

Nothing speaks to a players heart more than the fear of injury. At points you gotta let your opposition know , and your teammates know that you've got their backs, and that when you mess with one of us, it's coming back at ya tenfold. Those are the aspects that melds a team together, those are the elements that garner mutual respect amongst your peers, in any form of competitiion or life for that matter.

Until the Cavs grow up, smell the coffee and start protecting each other, they will be doormats for teams that look to expose them for what they are.

From the team mental makeup department, we need some enforcers and true leaders on this team. We sorely lack both, relying on a 20 year old kid to lead is pathetic, no matter whether he's the second coming or not. We need a strong personality, Type 'A' leader on this team to take that responsibility away from Lebron, because he doesn't have it yet ...nor can any 20 year old.

But, because we are so lacking in leadership aspects with our players, he siezes it without even an effort. He's still a kid ..he hasn't lived and learned the lessons yet, nor had that person that he can lead by example on this team. His closest comrade is Damon Jones and he's a mental midget.

We need to bring in strong, winning, tough, playoff tested vets to fill a role on this team. Not saying this guy ..but using him as an example ...A Gary Payton type of guy that plays the game hard, and knows the way winning gets done .....Tony Battie could do it, even Eric Williams has 'it' in him ...they don't have to be stars ...but, they know how life works between the lines.


Lebron needs a mentor in that vain, that can show him and other guys tose aspects that they completely lack at this point in their development.

 

[cdt]

I want Forston...Fortson would have spit in Sheeds face and thrown a bow or something. LeBron is too worried about his "good" image while Kobe and MJ are willing to go to the mats.

We lack mental and physical toughness, LeBron needs to quit jacking jumpers when the going gets tough. And we need a bruiser who we can use to ruffle some feathers, get me Fortson...

 

[TyGuy]

That is really old news, I was watching the game where goukas brought it up and i find it odd that it finally surfaced. As much as I like Goukas he was being a real prick that game and seemed to have a vendetta vs teh cavs. I find it very unlikely z demanded a trade, Goukas just seemed to want to stick it to the cavs.

That guy works for the magic, how exactly would he have inside info on whats goin on in our locker room? Z was mad but he isnt the type of guy to demand a trade and ever since then the cavs seemingly have looked to correct that problem really rallying up. Even after todays win Lebron called everybody together for an after game huddle.

 

[TJ_4_CV31]

Trade Marshall and filler for Danny Fortson. Problem solved.