After acquiring four time NBA champion and future hall of famer Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers have some interesting decisions to make at the center position.
One option could be to trade center Zyndrunas Ilgauskas. He is a staple of the Cavs franchise. The longest tenured player on the roster, “Big Z” as he is called, is a dependable and consistent player.
But with the addition of Shaq, is there a need for two aging centers? No, and the better of the two is Shaq. Thus, a trade of Big Z would be the best option.
Every team needs a solid 7-footer, and not every team has one. Big Z would not need to start, and could provide great experience and basketball smarts off the bench.
A couple contending teams are in need of a capable center are the 76ers, Miami, Atlanta, and Pistons. Those are eastern conference teams, and I think there is a bigger need for centers in the east than west.
While Big Z has been a great player for Cleveland for many years, his time to move on is now. The Cavs need to get younger and faster, and their window for winning a championship could only be for 1 year.
While Danny Ferry, the Cavaliers general manager, has a great relationship with Big Z, if he can make a trade to improve the team, it must be made because LeBron James will not stay beyond 2010 if the Cavaliers are not built to win for many years.