If or when new Wizards big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas gets bought out by Washington, should Boston try to bring him to town?
Ilgauskas, who previously spent his entire 12-year career with the Cavaliers before being traded in the Antawn Jamison blockbuster, is widely expected to be bought out and return to Cleveland.
Currently, NBA rules prevent Ilgauskas from returning to Cleveland for a 30-day period, but many players and teams have taken advantage of this rule — including Boston. In 2005, the Celtics traded Gary Payton to the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker, and then welcomed Payton back into the fold 30 days later.
Such is the reality of life in the NBA, where expiring contracts are more valuable than the players themselves. (Ilgauskas is making $11.5 million this year and will become a free agent after the season.)
Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters before Thursday's Lakers-Celtics battle that he's not a fan of the impending Ilgauskas return to Cleveland.
"I loved it three years ago when we did it with Gary Payton if you remember, but now I think it sucks," Rivers said. "I think it's a terrible deal."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson concurred.
"They're going to get Ilgauskas back, and it's going to be one of those scenarios that we see in the NBA where you ship a player out, you get another player, then your player retires or they pay him off and then he comes back in 30 days," Jackson said. "I don't know what that does for the league. I think that's kind of a weird situation."
Jackson may not know what it does for the league, but it’s clear what it does for the Cavaliers. They get an All-Star in Jamison (along with former Celtic Sebastain Telfair) while giving up, essentially, a first-round pick and the rights to their second-round pick from 2009. OK, so they lose the ability to have Ilgauskas for a month. Big deal — they'll get him back for when it counts: the playoffs.
There is growing sentiment in the league that the rule, as currently comprised, is unfair. Several teams are preparing to chase Ilgauskas, solely to deny his return to the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. The Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks are early front-runners.
Why not the Celtics? The club has one open spot on its roster after the Nate Robinson deal and may have two if they opt to waive Marcus Landry, who came in the Robinson deal as well. Shelden Williams, who has rarely taken his warmup jacket off lately, also could be jettisoned if necessary.
Ilgauskas would fit in seamlessly as a center behind Kendrick Perkins and relegate the inconsistent Rasheed Wallace to a more complementary role backing up Kevin Garnett. Averaging 20.5 minutes a game, the Lithuanian is posting 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
The Celtics are looking for ways to improve this team, and one way to do it is to shore up the quality of the bench players. Robinson was one way to do it. Ilgauskas might be another — and could provide valuable inside intel on the Cavaliers, a team Boston will have to get through if they hope to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.
