Finally Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Using Zydrunas Ilgauskas as Trade Bait

If you have been a regular reader of Cavalier Attitude for a while, then you know that we here have no qualms at all about including Zydrunas Ilgauskas in any and all trades that could make the Cavaliers a better team — both now and in the long run.

However, for many fans, it’s a big deal. It boggles my mind, to be honest, that fans would rather have a team hold on to a guy that is way past his prime than put it over the top in the quest for a championship.

I don’t know about you, but seeing LeBron James retire as a Cav is far more important than seeing Z retire as a Cav, even if the former comes at the expense of the latter. And if you think otherwise, then you really shouldn’t be surprised that this city hasn’t won anything at all since 1964.

Most Cavs fans who keep up with the team’s pulse make sure to keep up with beat writer Brian Windhorst of cleveland.com and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and it’s Windhorst latest mailbag over the weekend that opened up the Pandora’s box regarding Z’s future in Cleveland:

You have just hit on what I think will be the biggest off-court
story between now and February. Ilgauskas’ contract is a massive trade
chip because of how many teams will be looking to dump salary for next
summer. The Cavs will not have a great deal of cap room, so using that
expiring contract could be the last swing at making a major addition
for a while. For that reason, Danny Ferry would be compelled to
consider it despite his personal relationship with Ilgauskas.

Obviously, Z is an integral part of the team and has been for the
last 10 years and no one is sure how Shaquille O’Neal will mesh with
LeBron or hold up during the season. So it would have to be a home run
deal.

Of course there is always the option that Ilgauskas could be
traded, bought out and re-signed, but I don’t think that should ever be
assumed as many people who have e-mailed me about this topic have done
over the last several months. In short, it very well could become a
complex and emotional decision six months from now.

Let me respond by saying this: If Danny Ferry has any hesitation about including Z and his expiring contract in a deal that addresses a long-term need for a the Cavs — oh, like say a scoring power forward under the age of 30, exactly like the one in Indiana for example — then this guy should be fired on the spot. Not only that, but he should be stoned in Public Square for ruining the franchise both as a player and as an executive.

Z’s contract is really the Cavs’ last hope for adding a big-time piece next to LeBron before LB hits free agency. Unlike the expiring contract of Wally Szczerbiak last year, Z could actually offer a team some skills on the floor in addition to the tremendous cap relief off it.

7′3″ centers with 3-point range and the ability to be a decent rebounder and shot blocker don’t grow on trees. However, for the Cavs, you’re talking about a team whose cornerstone player is only 24 years old. You have to plan not only for this upcoming season but also for five years from now when LeBron is 29 and in the prime of his career (of course, what happens this year will have a lot to do with what jersey LB is wearing when he’s 29).

In Z’s case, his skills are definitely dwindling, and he’s not the same player now as he was when James first came into the league. Forget about five years from now — even two years from now, Z won’t be the kind of impact player that LeBron will need to take and keep the Cavs over the top. There are certainly better and younger players out there, and if a team is looking to move one of those guys in a salary dump, then moving Z would be the team’s best, only, and last option.

And 2010 free agency isn’t going to be the option that many fans think it will be. With the shrinking salary cap and LeBron’s own “cap hold” on the team’s payroll, the Cavaliers will not be players in free agency — at least not when it comes to a max contract player. Plus, we all remember what happened the last time the Cavs relied on free agency as an avenue to make the team better.

To be honest, I don’t know why Windhorst even labels Z’s inclusion in a possible trade as an issue, because it really shouldn’t even be a debate. Look around the league, and you’ll see teams like New Orleans with David West, Indiana with Troy Murphy, and Philadelphia with Elton Brand treading water and saddled with mammoth contracts. Some of these available players would not only fit well with the Cavs now but also several years down the road as LeBron reaches his prime.

The same can’t be said for Z.

And in all honesty — the same fans who question any thoughts of moving Z before February are the same people who won’t be fans anymore when the 2010-11 Cavaliers still have #11 at center but no #23 at small forward.