LakerAlert: Cleveland Cavaliers Apply Pressure on Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Zydrunas Ilgauskas’s brief sabbatical is quickly wounding down and his former employer and co-workers have committed to an all-out blitz in an attempt to re-sign their center.

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“Several of the center’s former Cleveland teammates visited him in New York on Tuesday, hoping to persuade him to re-sign with the Cavs and help them make a run at an NBA title. Ilgauskas, who has a place in SoHo, was traded last month to Washington in the deal for forward Antawn Jamison.” – ESPN.com

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Impact on the LakerShow:

Because Shaquille O’Neal will be shelved for the rest of the regular season with a jacked-up right thumb, the Cavs have been forced to start 6'9" J.J. Hickson at center. Although he’s solid, Hickson is too undersized and could cost them a few games, which would help us achieve homecourt throughout the playoffs.

LeBron’s presently the biggest threat to us repeating, so having a long 7'6" center that can spread the floor sign somewhere else wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the purple and gold.

Big Z’s agent said a decision should be made by the weekend, however the earliest the 34-year-old could sign a contract to play anywhere is March 22nd. Based on familiarity and championship hopes, the Cavs still have the inside track, however multiple teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, have been making a push.

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