Cavaliers' Ilgauskas lands on feet again

By Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY

ATLANTA — When Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas looks 
in the mirror, he could very well see the reflection of Yao Ming, 
the Houston Rockets' 7-5 All-Star rookie sensation from China. 
Ilgauskas, a native of Lithuania, is one of the NBA's growing 
number of international players. And like Yao, Ilgauskas, 7-3, is 
an athletic and skilled big man with a nice feel for the game. Had 
it not been for five operations on his feet — three on the right 
foot and two on the left — which threatened to end his career, the 
seven-year veteran and first-time All-Star could well be the 
center of attention that Yao has become.
 
"We'll never know," says Ilgauskas, who is averaging a career-best 
18.2 points, nearly six points above his career average, and 12.4 
rebounds. "Even if I don't play another game, I'm happy with what 
I did — came back and made an All-Star team."

The similarities between the two centers is not lost on TNT NBA 
analyst Mike Fratello, who was the Cavs' coach when they drafted 
Ilgauskas No. 20 overall in 1996. 

"Both are foreign players who came in highly skilled," Fratello 
says. "They both have the ability not only to shoot and make shots 
but make other players around them better because of their 
understanding of how the game should be played within the team 
concept."

Ilgauskas had undergone foot surgery twice, but the Cavs thought 
he was worth the pick. But they had to wonder after he had to sit 
out the 1996-97 season because of another surgery on his foot. He 
also missed the 1998-99 season with a foot injury.

Ilgauskas was healthy during the 1997-98 season and provided the 
league with a glimpse of why he had been so highly regarded, 
averaging 13.9 points and earning a spot on the All-Rookie first 
team. He also was MVP of the 1998 Rookie Challenge on the strength 
of an 18-point, seven-rebound performance. That impressed the 
Cavaliers enough to sign Ilgauskas to a six-year, $70.9 million 
contract extension.

But he only played 29 games the next two seasons, and his career 
appeared to be over before it really got started.

"I thought from the beginning when we first saw Zydrunas he would 
be a 20-10 game easily," Fratello says. "I said, 'We've got 
somebody that's really special.' He can shoot. He can pass. He can 
rebound. It's a shame he lost so much time and so many games to 
these injuries. But we're going to see him blossom into something 
really, really good."

Ilgauskas' all-around skills can be traced to his evolution as a 
basketball player. He started out as a point guard. When he 
outgrew that position, he moved to small forward. He eventually 
outgrew that spot and moved to center. However, he retained the 
skills he developed at those positions.

"Sometimes I think about what might have been if I hadn't been 
injured," he says. "I probably would have been a lot better player. 
I lost three or four years of my career. But you can't dwell back 
on that. Stuff happens for a reason. You do the best you can with 
what you have."

Ilgauskas considered retiring after he broke his left foot two 
seasons ago but decided to give it one more shot.

In hindsight, he says the injuries may have helped his development.

"I'm not as athletic I used to be," he says. "I can't jump as high 
as used to. I still get by. When my athletic ability was gone, I 
started to rely more on my shooting and ball-handling skills. It 
helped me in the long run."