Laffey, Francisco and Carroll Lead the Way
June 13, 2008Would Cano and Friends Be Enough For C.C?
June 13, 2008We’ve touched on this over the last few months, and we now have confirmation via the Plain Dealer that Zydrunas Ilgauskas will not be allowed to play in the upcoming Olympic games.
Citing that Ilgauskas is an important member of the team, Danny Ferry’s concern of an injury obviously rings louder than the nation of Lithuania who had been petitioning the Cavaliers for consent regarding their center and his admission into the games.
Ferry was obviously between a rock and a hard place on this one, and is resting his larurels on the fact that Ilgauskas’ professionalism will shine through on the decision of whether he would prefer Z to be unhappy versus unhealthy. Do I agree with this decision?
It’s a tough call. Sure, the early portion of Ilgauskas’ career had been hampered by injuries. But the big man has only missed 14 games in the last three years before back injuries forced him to miss two weeks this pasts season. So, for Ferry to call Ilgauskas a “higher-risk player” may be a little off-base. But given that he is up there in age and is a key part to the successes of this team, I can understand the basis behind said decision.
If it were not for the injury history, Ilgauskas would not have had the insurance provision within his contract that requests approval for international play. He’s the exception more than rule – and these are terms he agreed to. There is no denying the fact that the big guy is pretty much an institution these days. Heck, we’re already waiting for his name to be hanging from the rafters. But that doesn’t outweigh the fact that he is under contract with the Cavaliers. And unless there were some way to insure that Ilgauskas would remain healthy and provide a return on their investment, it actually surprises me that more players do not have these provisions.
Of course, the fact that Z’s teammate LeBron James will suit up for the United States will not help matters much. Using the same argument, the injury risk to James and the impact that it would have on the team would be much, much higher than if Ilgauskas were to miss time.
But in the same, if Danny Ferry had the opportunity to deny LeBron the chance to play overseas, do you think he would? You would have to count the costs between “what LeBron says, goes” and the chance that a 25-win season with a James injury would cost Ferry his job. Not to mention all of the investment that Nike has in China, and that LeBron is the basketball face of Nike – oh, and have I mentioned that the Olympics are in China? That could be a small part of the equation as well.
Expect a lot of mixed emotions over this decision over the course of the next few days. Like I said, I’m sure Danny Ferry would allow him if there was a way that his player could be properly insured. But until that happens, it’s Olympics on the DVR for Big Z with likely front row seats for Jay-Z.
Cavs deny Z permission to play in Olympics [Cleveland.com]
12 Comments
I understand Ferry’s position, but I can’t help but feel bad for Z. Representing his home country in the Olympics is a unique opportunity that would mean a lot to him and all his fans back home. Especially this late in his career, I’d be inclined to let him go and have a blast, crossing my fingers that he doesn’t get hurt and dealing with it if he does.
You have to wonder how much of this relates to Ferry being scared shitless of a total collapse next season…
Easy answer – trade him and the expiring contracts for Oneal and let the Pacers deal with it… It has been well documented that his style pg play does not mesh well with what the Cavs (LBJ) need on offense to be successful. I have to think he is in the mix of the myriad of trade possibilities Ferry is contemplating. So, this decision (making him unhappy) only reinforces this train of thought. Will he be in a Cavs uniform after the coming season — odds point to no.
I heard Ferry is not going to even allow Z to watch the Olympics. He is only permitted to view old game footage and reruns of “Yes, Dear” this summer.
And to protect his feet from a relapse injury, he is only allowed to wear pink crocs.
I would love to see Big Z represent his homeland, but I think this is the smart move. If Lebron had the same claus I bet they would let him though. As scary as the thought of Lebron getting hurt is, (I certainly hope it would never happen) it would open us up to a lot of opportunities.
Lebron himself said a Lebron team is never deperate. Z gets hurt we still can sniff .500. Lebron gets hurt, we have a decent chance at a number one pick in the draft. Do you think a Derrick Rose or a Beasley would be a big help? I certainly do.
So, if one player were to get hurt, you’d want it to be LeBron?
Thinking about this again, I really believe that Z’s passion for playing for the Cavs has earned him the right to make this decision himself. Aside from his long experience with the team, the moment that comes to my mind is his return after suffering the loss of his child during the playoffs. He came back far sooner than many would have expected and contributed to the Cavs continuing on that year. That alone gives him the right in my book.
what I read in paper said that the reason is that Z’s contract is not fully insured against injury. So here are a bunch of if’s
IF they can fully insure his contract, let him play
IF he gets hurt, the money is paid by insurance
IF Daniel Gilbert is willing to pay the luxury tax from siging big $$ FA
IF you can sign a big name that otherwise was out of the picture
It could work out really well for the Cavs. Imagine signing Gilbert Arenas, or Antwan Jamison to a deal.
I do like anon imus’ thinking that they won’t let him play because it would hurt his trade value, just not thrilled J O’Neal is the target.
Hi,
your opinion about Ilgauskas denying from the Cavs seem to be based on economic interests, as it happens most of the times on the NBA. But I have to agreee that if he has signed such a contract, he has to agree with the Cavs decisions. But couldn´t they be more flexible once the player has lost only 13 games in the last 3 seasons? Besides the Olympic tournament is short (although it is intense).
Im brazilian and here we are quite vexed by the denying of Anderson Varejao to play the qualifying of the Olympics. I would like to hear your opinion about it.
Thanks and congratulations for the post.
Marcos
[…] I’ve seen what’s happened to Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili and countless others. I was firmly in the camp that didn’t want Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the recent Olympics. However, a part of me thinks […]