Ilgauskas to play for national team
Cavaliers player has declined invitation in past because of concerns over surgically repaired feet
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008
CLEVELAND: For years, Zydrunas Ilgauskas' head and his feet said no. Now he's able to give the answer he always has had in his heart: Yes.
After a few months of thinking about it, Ilgauskas has told the Lithuanian National Team that he will play for it this summer at the Beijing Olympics, a move that has created a lot of excitement among his countrymen.
''I've always wanted to do it before I get too old,'' said Ilgauskas, who will turn 33 in June. ''I feel like I have a lot of basketball left in me and I can help, and this is probably my last chance.''
For years, Ilgauskas has passed on playing for his national team because of concerns over his feet and the general wear and tear the NBA season takes on him. He used to be under strict orders not to play any contact basketball over the summers to preserve his surgically repaired feet. He also was concerned about the medical care he would receive with the national team.
But his feet have been free of injury for more than seven years, and he believes now is the time. The Lithuanians, who have a history of strong finishes in international competition, were third in the European championships last summer to qualify for the Olympics. The team also is loaded with talent, including Ilgauskas' best friend and former Indiana Pacer and Golden State Warrior, Sarunas Jasikevicius; Denver Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza; Washington Wizards forward Darius Songaila; and former New Orleans Hornet Arvydas Macijauskas.
Ilgauskas will be the third Cav expected to play next summer. LeBron James is a captain on Team USA, and Anderson Varejao is expected to play for Brazil, although it has not yet qualified for the Olympics.
''I don't think I would be able to play every summer. That would put me at a high risk,'' Ilgauskas said. ''But I've really taken care of my body. I get beat up like everybody else, but I've been able to avoid major injuries. It's a two-month commitment in the summer and something that I think if I didn't do it, I would regret it.''
In the locker room
• Drew Gooden had a black eye over All-Star Weekend and is still bruised. It came from a Tim Duncan elbow last Wednesday. ''And he made the shot, too,'' Gooden said.
• James, on his dunk on the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki in the All-Star Game: ''I was mad at Dirk because he stole my point guard.''
• Devin Brown is still wrapping his left pinky finger, which he broke during the first week of the season. He played through the injury and has a slightly crooked finger as a trophy. But it does have its side effects. ''I like to play (video game) Guitar Hero, and I'm getting to the high levels and I have trouble hitting the notes with it.''
• After seeing retired players Aaron McKie and Keith Van Horn being signed to balance out trades in the past few weeks, some Cavs fans have wondered whether that is an option as they look for assets for the team to trade. It isn't. The last two players who have played for the Cavs and then retired — Robert Traylor and Lucious Harris — are not eligible because they were on one-year contracts. The last currently unsigned player the Cavs have ''Bird rights'' to is Trajan Langdon, who is now playing in Europe with CSKA Moscow.
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Brian Windhorst can be reached at
bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at
http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
