Thats some bull for Big Z. He had his family and probably some friends/fans there to see that achievement and he doesn't get playtime?
Holy thats ed up!
There must've been a lack of communication or it justs another reason why Mike Brown is a POS.
And it was a damn good game by the Cavs too, to add even more insult to injury.
that was just signaling the cavs' front office to stop surrounding him with trash like mo williams and delonte west. it's certainly a much better method than going public on the radio demanding to be traded. james has never badmouthed his team or the cavs organization publicly. he definitely has never thrown his teammates under a bus either.
He was acting like a classless , just like Kobe has acted.
Lebron's just trying to look like the good guy. Although he already exposed himself against the Magic.
And since when has an individual record become more important than the team itself.
This guy is absolutely clueless in his comments. Which again, is why he needs to just shut up and play.
Why did Ilgauskas not play?
7:46AM ET
Mike Brown |
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Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was set to break the record for games played in a Cavs uniform against Dallas, however coach Mike Brown inexplicitly didn't play him. Ilgauskas had family and friends at the game and was so upset at the decision that he has yet to speak to the media. LeBron James is even upset by Brown's decision.
Here's Brown's take on why he did not play Ilgauskas:
"He was on the minutes sheet to play his normal 20 to 25 minutes," Brown told The News-Herald. "They went small, and the team that was out there played well. I stuck with it. ... It wasn't planned. It just happened. There was nothing for me to say. It was based on matchups and the course of the game. You can call it a mistake or a coach's decision."
Brown said he's handled his players well since he's been with the Cavs.
"I've done a decent job of treating guys right," he said. "Maybe in a lot of guys' minds, I didn't this time. I don't know. That's part of being a head coach."
Coach Brown Denies Z His Moment of Glory
SportingNews
The Cavs have gone on quite an odyssey since Zydrunas Ilgauskas joined the team in 1997. Most of it has had to do with the franchise landing LeBron, but there’s also Big Z’s transformation from injury-prone bust to capable seven-footer to elder statesman. On Saturday, he was ready to break his tie with Danny Ferry for most games played as a Cavalier, cementing his place in Cleveland sports history.
Either no one told Mike Brown, or he just didn’t care. Because Big Z spent the night in street clothes, earning what appears to be the first "DNP-CD" of his career. According to The News-Herald, "Brown’s decision to bench Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Saturday didn’t go over well with the 7-foot-3 center, his teammates, his agent and many of the fans." Oh, and a certain LBJ fellow had a lot to say about the matter, even if Big Z was dodging the media:
"After having a little bit of time to think about it, me personally, I definitely thought he should have played," James said. "I’m not trying to stir up anything with Coach. I don’t know who made the call."
"One game is a smaller thing. What was on the line (on Saturday) was way bigger than us playing the Mavericks. That was Z breaking the record to become the franchise leader in games played."
"I think it’s a sensitive subject. I’m not one to raise havoc in the locker room, but for me, I speak the truth. As a friend of his, I was very upset, and I know he was also."
"I stand behind Z on whatever he feels."
This might be the most LeBron’s ever said about anything. Not to mention the strongest stance he’s taken.
And wait, there’s more:
"Me and Z are the only two remaining (players) when I was drafted. I’ll stand behind whatever Zydrunas Ilgauskas does. He’s more than just a teammate. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a big part of why this franchise has turned around. He’s given everything to this franchise in his 14 years here."
"I’m not speaking for (the rest of the team). A lot of the guys here don’t have the history I have with Z."
"It was surprising to me. It was unchartered territory for me. To see him in a uniform and not get in the game … to a guy like that, it doesn’t happen. He’s played 70 games plus (almost every season). That’s a tribute to him."
Okay, exhale. Mike Brown is promising to meet with everyone, blamed it on matchups, and just basically seemed annoyed by the whole thing. If I were him, I’d be irritated by Bron’s "this was bigger than beating the Mavs" comment, because it wasn’t. Ilguaskas will break the "record," as it were, next time. The Mavs are a strong team in the West, and "Mavs" and "Cavs" rhyme, so there’s a natural rivalry there.
Though maybe it would be good to keep LeBron this worked up all the time.
Coach says Ilgauskas will play Wednesday night
Zydrunas Ilgauskas never got off the bench during his first attempt at history. Given another chance, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown assured it will happen.
Ilgauskas will become Cleveland’s all-time leader in games played when he enters Wednesday’s game at home against Phoenix. He currently shares the record of 723 games with Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry.
Ilgauskas was expected to break the record at home last Saturday, but Brown didn’t play him during a 111-95 win against Dallas.
The perceived snub upset both Ilgauskas and LeBron James—Ilgauskas hasn’t spoke to reporters since the game and James criticized Brown for it on Monday.
“I definitely thought he should’ve played,” James said. “As a friend of his, I was very upset and I know he was, also.”
Brown explained on Monday that he liked the smaller, quicker lineup that was playing well against the Mavericks. But he said on Tuesday if he had it to do again, he would have played Ilgauskas against Dallas. He won’t start Ilgauskas against the Suns—an idea first floated by James—but said he will play.
“I’ll be just as happy as anybody when the record is accomplished,” Brown said.
Ilgauskas declined interview requests for the second straight day Tuesday, while Brown stopped short of apologizing for keeping Ilgauskas from the record. He said he hadn’t spoken to Ilgauskas yet about the incident, but that he would. He wasn’t sure what he would say.
“I don’t know. I haven’t wrote anything out,” Brown said. “We’ll talk. I don’t know when.”
Ilgauskas has spent his entire 14-year career in Cleveland. He battled foot problems early on that forced him to miss essentially three full seasons. He is one of James’ favorite players on the Cavaliers roster and the only holdover from when James was drafted. James was a big proponent in Ilgauskas receiving a five-year contract extension during the summer of 2005. Ilgauskas, now in the final year of that deal, has hinted at retiring after the season.
“I’m not trying to stir up anything with coach or whatever is going on with the organization, but sometimes one game is the smaller things,” James said Monday. “What was on the line was something way bigger than us playing the Mavericks. That was ‘Z’ breaking the record.”
Brown was not upset with James for speaking out.
“LeBron is a loyal person,” Brown said. “That’s big on his agenda. That’s what has made him the type of person he is today. You respect and understand that he was being loyal to Z. I have no problem with that at all.”
Mike Brown just confirmed what we already know about him:
He has no, absolutely ZERO, control over his team.
As a real head coach, he shouldn't have openly regretted not playing Z
James opens his stupid porky mouth and now he has regrets? WTF
Z needs to STFU and realize that he took this franchise for almost 3 years pay and played exactly 29 games in that period when he had Yao-foot from 98-99 to 00-01. Maybe if he weren't such a soft-ass china doll, he would have broken the record YEARS ago. He also makes enough money to fly his ing family over for every damn game.
Ilgauskas sets Cavaliers franchise mark
A little later than expected, Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas set a Cleveland record for games played.
Ilgauskas, whose career was nearly ended by severe foot injuries, played in his 724th game Wednesday night when he entered with 3:50 left in the first quarter.
It moved him past former teammate and current Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry for the most games by a Cavaliers player.
The sellout crowd inside the Q responded with a standing ovation for the beloved 7-foot-3 center, known simply as ‘Z.’ He also is the team’s career leader in rebounds and blocked shots. He’s one of four players in team history to score at least 10,000 points.
Ilgauskas had been positioned to set the mark on Saturday, but coach Mike Brown chose not to play him in a win over Dallas.
The snub prompted LeBron James to criticize Brown for not playing Ilgauskas.
Ilgauskas, a first-round pick in 1996, had major reconstructive surgeries in both feet during his first five seasons in the NBA, risky procedures that worked out and allowed him to continue playing. Since his most recent operation in 2001, Ilgauskas has played in at least 62 games in each season.
I don't think Lebron is staying in Cleveland next year.
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