Zydrunas Ilgauskas hasn't been right since returning from a sprained ankle in mid-December.  Neither has the Cavalier's offense.  Now Z, who has been bothered by pain and stiffness in the ankle since the injury occured Dec. 10 will take the advice of Cleveland Clinic doctors and let the foot rest tonight against the Chicago Bulls.

There is no timeline on the return of Ilgauskas and the Cavs are likely to be very careful with the 7-3 big man who has had a plethora of foot injuries in his career.

Anderson Varejao will start in his place.

The Cavaliers are expected to get Wally Szczerbiak back into the lineup tonight after he missed the previous few games with a sore knee.

Time To Kill The Injury Bug

Nothing has stopped the Cavaliers so far this season.  At 19-3, the Cavs have the 2nd best record in the League and look to be a title contender.  Everything has been rolling along beautifully as the Wine and Gold has won 10 straight and 18 of their last 19 contests.

The waters are about to get a bit rough.

That nasty little injury bug has reared it's ugly head this week, forcing Mike Brown to alter his rotation for the foreseeable future. It started on Tuesday Night when Daniel Gibson sprained his big toe.  He is expected to miss at least two weeks.  The Cavs hardly missed a beat in jumping out to a big lead in Philadelphia on Wednesday, then that nasty little pest bit again.  With about 9 minutes to go in the game, Zydrunas Ilgauskas came down on the foot of Donyell Marshall. He limped off the court with what has been diagnosed as a moderate sprain to his left ankle.

The team has not placed a timetable for Z other than to say he would miss this weekend's back to back at home against Philly tonight and tomorrow in Atlanta.  After that is anyone's guess.  Personally, I doubt we will see Z until after the New Year - 3-4 weeks.  With all the problems Z has had with his feet the Cavs and Ilgauskas would be wise to be careful.

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It all gets started today, unofficially at least.  The Cavaliers will open the 2008 NBA Pre-Season tonight at the Q against the Toronto Raptors(7PM, WTAM, No TV).  Like the Cavs, the Raptors revamped thier roster, bringing in Jermaine O'Neal, among others, in an effort to get Chris Bosh some help.

For the Cavs, the season kicks off with a renewed optimism and welcomed stability within the organization.  Last season, despite coming off the team's first trip to the NBA Finals, the Cavs were in a bit of dissarray.  Larry Hughes was unhappy, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao were battling the front office over contract issues, and Damon Jones was demanding a trade.  This season, the Cavaliers took care of contract issues during the summer, getting Delonte West and Daniel Gibson signed, sealed and delivered well before Training Camp.  Instead of Hughes, the Cavs brought in Mo Williams to be the offensive side-kick of LeBron James, and the attitude difference has been uplifting and refreshing to say the least.

Continue reading this post »

It all gets started today, unofficially at least.  The Cavaliers will open the 2008 NBA Pre-Season tonight at the Q against the Toronto Raptors(7PM, WTAM, No TV).  Like the Cavs, the Raptors revamped thier roster, bringing in Jermaine O'Neal, among others, in an effort to get Chris Bosh some help.

For the Cavs, the season kicks off with a renewed optimism and welcomed stability within the organization.  Last season, despite coming off the team's first trip to the NBA Finals, the Cavs were in a bit of dissarray.  Larry Hughes was unhappy, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao were battling the front office over contract issues, and Damon Jones was demanding a trade.  This season, the Cavaliers took care of contract issues during the summer, getting Delonte West and Daniel Gibson signed, sealed and delivered well before Training Camp.  Instead of Hughes, the Cavs brought in Mo Williams to be the offensive side-kick of LeBron James, and the attitude difference has been uplifting and refreshing to say the least.

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The Cavaliers held their first official practice of the 2008/09 season yesterday, and were pleasantly surprised by what they saw, or felt.  Mike Brown, whose long, drawn out practices have worn at veterans at times in the past , announced that only one of the two workouts per day would be "contact" practices, allowing for some of the older guys to stay fresher and avoid wear and tear.  This is crucial for the Cavaliers, especially in the front courth where age is beginning to become a concern.

Both Cavaliers big men - Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace - had back issues late last season that surely affected their play during the playoffs.  While the Cavs addressed the age "problem" among their big by drafting J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson, both are likely not ready to make a huge impact this season, though I expect Hickson to become more and more important to the Cavaliers as the season wears on.

The old guys won't be the only ones to benefit from the kinder, gentler, Mike Brown training camp.  LeBron James is likely to see some extended rest during training camp in order to stay fresh after a summer filled with basketball.

For the Cavaliers it is going to be all about staying healthy, especially up front, and to Mike Brown's credit he is understanding that right from the start.  While the Cavs have plenty of depth in the back court, an injury to Wallace or Z could be a big blow.