Big Z out for awhile

LoveThemCavs · Post #1 » by **LoveThemCavs** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 12:38 am

Watching the pregame, they said he had a chip in his ankle the MRI showed. How did they not see this before? He's now in a boot for a week or more.

Post #2 » by **Rise Against** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 3:23 am

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas could miss up to a month after suffering a small fracture when he twisted his left ankle last month.

Ilgauskas sprained his ankle during a Dec. 10 game at Philadelphia. He missed only three games but has been bothered by pain and stiffness since returning. An MRI taken Friday revealed that Ilgauskas, who missed nearly two full seasons earlier in his career with foot problems, chipped the talus bone in his ankle.

The 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas said he's likely to be "out three to four weeks." He said his left foot, which has pins and screws in it from a restructuring operation, was not affected by the injury.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3806066

It looks like he will be out for 3-4 weeks.. We really needed him for the Boston game in a week.

witnessmoboobie · Post #3 » by **witnessmoboobie** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 8:00 am

Now may be the time to make a move and secure another PF or C. We will be without Z for about a month and then it will take another week or 2 for him to get back into the rhythm of the game again. Thats 4-6 weeks at least.

Post #4 » by **Icness** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 9:32 am

Better now than in March. No need to panic here--good chance to experiment with a quicker lineup or to give Varejao more chances to prove he can score.

witnessmoboobie · Post #5 » by **witnessmoboobie** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 4:42 pm

I am not panicked, but I think if we are going to make a move now might be the time. It would be useful during Z's absence. I doubt we can count on Andy to put up 15+ points every night. Last night he was great, but he is too inconsistent. If someone could guarantee me that Andy could consistently produce I would vote to stand pat. Unfortunately, I don't think he will. We are still one of the top teams without Z, but I would love to add another scoring option to the frontcourt while he is gone. Hickson and Williams should get some big minutes in the upcoming month. We will learn about our young bigs. I am sort of writing as I think right now so pardon my rambling. Actually I am curious as to how the young guys will perform. If Hickson starts to develop he can be useful in the playoffs for us, kind of like Powe last year. I don't mind waiting to make a move, but I do believe the earlier the better because it will give the guy a chance to learn the system and fit in with the guys. I am predicting a win vs Boston without big Z.

Benedict_Boozer · Post #6 » by **Benedict_Boozer** » Sat Jan 3, 2009 7:05 pm

This is put up or shut up time for Hickson. He got some mins and produced against Chicago, he can make a name for himself here in the month Z is out.

All he needs to do is rebound, defend, and bring energy. He has shown he can score already, but if he can do the little things out there we will be fine.

Post #7 » by **Rise Against** » Sun Jan 4, 2009 2:47 am

Well maybe we can get Joe Smith back?

Canomad · Post #8 » by **Canomad** » Sun Jan 4, 2009 5:07 am

Benedict_Boozer wrote:This is put up or shut up time for Hickson. He got some mins and produced against Chicago, he can make a name for himself here in the month Z is out.

All he needs to do is rebound, defend, and bring energy. He has shown he can score already, but if he can do the little things out there we will be fine.

that was my initial thought. right now hickson has to be ready because hes gonna see the floor more then he has all season, and he played well against the bulls. this could be a blessing in disguise giving hickson some time to develop a little bit and get comfortable. if that happens and z comes back that would bolster our frontcourt imo. thats just my wishfull thinking though i hope it happens.

Post #9 » by **INKtastic** » Sun Jan 4, 2009 6:39 am

No rush to make a move. Let the rookies play a while and see how they do. Not just a game or two but 5-10 games and evaluate from there. Better to lose an extra game or two than make the wrong move.

And we can't get Joe Smith unless he is bought out (league rules since we traded him this year) and he's not getting bought out unless they can't work a trade before the trade deadline.