It was last summer that one of the best players to grace the Cleveland Cavaliers left the team to join the Miami Heat. He did so in hopes that being surrounded by stronger players would increase his chances of winning a championship. He also stated that he didn’t feel bad for his decision, as it was strictly business.
That man, was Zydrunas Ilgauskas, long-time center for the Cleveland Cavaliers — Not Lebron James like you may have assumed.
From LithuaniaBasketball.com (viaPBT):
Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to honor Zydrunas Ilgauskas by retiring the player’s jersey. This came to light on Kyrie Irving’s Cavs number one pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, trip in China, when the guard admitted that he wanted to choose number 11, but was told that the number was going to be retired.
Ilgauskas will become the seventh Cavalier to be honored by having his jersey hung in the rafters of the Quicken Loans Arena and will join Bingo Smith, Larry Nance, Mark Price, Austin Carr, Nate Thurmond and Brad Daugherty.
Congrats to Ilgauskas on his accomplishment, he spent fourteen years with the Cavaliers and was one of their best big man in the history of the team. However, with this announcement, I can’t help but wonder if James will be paid this same respect on down the road.
Both players were large contributors to the Cavaliers franchise, James arguably larger.
Both players decided that a new team would bring them closer to their dreams of winning a title.
Both players agreed their moves were strictly from a business standpoint.
But will both players be rewarded for their hard effort?
Well, we know one will.