Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Looking into the slump

[Karma]

It is very clear to every Cavalier fan that veteran center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is struggling with his shot. You can be a fan of the man or even a perpetual hater, and you can see the guy is lacking confidence in his J. Combine that with getting blocked trying to jam one home and the casual fans here are calling for an immediate trade. Just an update, ever since Z had his 500 foot surgeries, he has been stuffed quite often. That ain't a 2009/10 thing.

Personally this "trade Z" propaganda on this forum is very very short sighted. Firstly we need a legit center to continue keeping O'Neal's minutes down. Then you need a starter for those games where O'Neal cannot go. Move on to the fact that as the trade deadline approaches, so do the amount of available players. Moving Z right now doesn't make any sense unless there is a home run deal, of which I don't think any GM will agree to until the last minute. So please move on from this "trade Z now" tripe as it lacks logic in so many ways.

Now I mentioned in the game thread that Ilgauskas, despite his shooting slump, is still contributing to Cavalier victories. This isn't clear to the many uneducated fans out there, who some unfortunately call RCF's their home.

* Offensively, Z still is spreading the floor. If he continues to miss, that may change. But for now players are contesting his shots and that is dragging out the D.

* He is still allowing Coach Brown to sit O'Neal for very large periods of time. That is invaluable.

* Defensively Z is doing a job. Most don't see it, but Z's show on the ball handler is very effective. you only have to see the difference tonight with Wade. With Shaq who doesn't show he just gets inside with ease and has finished. We Z out there, Wade has to push wide before driving which gives the help defense oodles of time to come across. Missed shots and turnovers have been a result.

* Offensively Z still is playing the sets smart. He picks at the right time and has forced a couple of second chance opportunities.

Game is back on so I'll continue later......

 

[JayP146]

It really kills me inside to see him struggle this season.

To be fair, though - teams are defending the pick and pop with Z better than they did last year ...

Thanks for the perspective, Karma.

 

[SanduskyCav]

 

[Scuzzy]

Does he want to dunk the ball or does he just looking for the foul?

Great noo look pass from Bron, Z catches under rim, Z looks at his defender 10 feet away, Z stares down defender, Z waits 5 sec for defender to meet him, Z struggles to lift ball up, Z jerks his arms at swatting defender to catch the foul while flicking the ball in process to sell the hack - then proceeds to put his head down and goes to the line missing 1 of 2

 

[Karma]

Does he want to dunk the ball or does he just looking for the foul?

Great noo look pass from Bron, Z catches under rim, Z looks at his defender 10 feet away, Z stares down defender, Z waits 5 sec for defender to meet him, Z struggles to lift ball up, Z jerks his arms at swatting defender to catch the foul while flicking the ball in process to sell the hack - then proceeds to put his head down and goes to the line missing 1 of 2

Terrible exaggeration to go with a flat out lie. Z hit both freebies.

Fact was tonight, defensively we were superior with Z on the floor compared to Shaq. Not saying Z played better, just that he serves a purpose. His defensive and offensive awareness allow him to be a factor through shooting slumps. Jermaine got basically nothing with him marking him, Wade wasn't as efficient with the Z show rather then the Shaq standing still getting dribbled stright around.

The dude needs to snap out of this shooting slump for sure. But whilst he is still helping the team elsewhere , we need his 20 or so minutes. Shaq getting in foul trouble constantly justifies having a prominent big man in reserve. Z certainly was a bigger factor then Varejao tonight.

 

[Karma]

If you do not want to contribute anything constructive, don't post. If you flat out disagree or whatever throw something out there. That is a cavs.com type response.

I'll stick to backing Coach Brown who knows what Z brings to the floor other then hitting J's.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

I'm skeptical about Z at the moment. There's a chance that this could be a permanent thing(not THIS terrible, but not good either), but there's also a chance that it is just a slump. He's had a few good games this year, just not lately...and this is a "what have you done for me lately" type of league now.

Z gets the pat on the back and the free pass of suck for at least another month before I truly call for his head while being 100% serious. I think he has a chance to get it together and produce for us.

 

[Karma]

I'm skeptical about Z at the moment. There's a chance that this could be a permanent thing(not THIS terrible, but not good either), but there's also a chance that it is just a slump. He's had a few good games this year, just not lately...and this is a "what have you done for me lately" type of league now.

Z gets the pat on the back and the free pass of suck for at least another month before I truly call for his head while being 100% serious. I think he has a chance to get it together and produce for us.

That's fair enough, unlike most posters here who throw people under a bus any given chance.

My main point is that Z produces on the floor generally even when the J isn't sticking. Obviously we cannot afford continual missing, but as long as he is giving us his other intangibles we are getting good minutes at center.

 

[The Shoulder]

I wish could throw it down...hes just too slow/weak

 

[MYoung23]

Big men have the tendency to fall off a cliff at some point in their careers. It has happened to the best of them.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Big men have the tendency to fall off a cliff at some point in their careers. It has happened to the best of them.

This is my biggest concern at this point.

 

[Zog]

If we're not getting a quality big back, we shouldn't trade Z. For Bosh, yes, for West, yes, for Amare, yes. But not for Stephen Jackson. Moon is starting to play well now that he is more accustomed to his role, and Parker and Boobie are playing well also. If we get Delonte back, our 1-3 will be very solid. Z still adds a big body in the paint that can stretch the floor. Notice that he's not bricking wide open shots all the time, the defense is still flying out to him to get a hand in his face. I'd like to see him pump fake once in a while when his shot is not falling and take a dribble in to get closer or make a pass to someone cutting to the hoop.

 

[Douglar]

Big men have the tendency to fall off a cliff at some point in their careers. It has happened to the best of them.

Yes, but the strange thing here is that usually it's the other stuff that falls off, not the the mid range jumper. Players don't usually forget how to shoot.

 

[redscoon]

This argument sounds more personal than logical. If Z can't hit a jumper with consistency and can't be a force on the offensive glass, his value is diminished drastically. That is exactly what we've seen to this point. He looks like he is running in sand more so than usual and I don't know if I've seen him hit consecutive jumpers all season. It may turn around, but it's bad right now. His performances in the playoffs in recent years haven't been anything to write home about either. I won't even get into his lack of a post game because we all know that is almost entirely gone.

The time to trade him isn't now, but it's coming. His production no longer trumps what his contract could bring at the deadline. The time to win is now. The organization can't let emotions get in the way of a championship.

 

[thecrowning]

Imho, agreed to the op.

1) Never trade big for small, especially for the Cavs, with virtually no big man who can play 35 - 38mins a game.

2) Z and Boobie would play better when West comes back.

3) Z is in a slump, you don't just trade a shooter when he is in a slump, because of the law of averages tells you that he is going to get hot real soon.

4) Z is old, but until a home run deal comes along, you can't just trade him cents for a dollar. You can sit him, but trading a shooter in a slump is short sighted.

5) On top of that, Z's expiring deal gets more and more valuable as it gets closer to the deadline. Again, even if you think Z is DONE, you SIT him, not TRADE him before his expiring deal reaches its value.