October 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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After carrying five centers last season, the Miami Heat's glut in the middle apparently will be reduced going forward, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas telling the Cleveland Plain-Dealer he is retiring. Ilgauskas went from regular-season starter to postseason afterthought last season, replaced as the starting center during the Heat's postseason run to the NBA Finals by Joel Anthony. The 36-year-old former All-Star nonetheless last June invoked the $1.4 million 2011-12 option on his the two-year Heat contract he signed in the 2010 offseason, to accompany former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James to South Florida. He will now walk away from that guarantee. "Enough is enough," he told the"
September 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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After carrying five centers last season, the Miami Heat's glut in the middle apparently will be reduced going forward, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas telling the Cleveland Plain-Dealer he is retiring. Ilgauskas went from regular-season starter to postseason afterthought last season, replaced as the starting center during the Heat's postseason run to the NBA Finals by Joel Anthony. The 36-year-old former All-Star nonetheless last June invoked the $1.4 million 2011-12 option on his the two-year Heat contract he signed in the 2010 offseason, to accompany former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James to South Florida. He will now walk away from that guarantee. "Enough is enough," he told the"
June 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Zydrunas Ilgauskas has decided to cash in instead of cash out. Whether that means he will be on the Miami Heat's 2011-12 roster is another story. The 36-year-old center Wednesday informed the Heat that he will pick up his $1.4 million player option for next season. Ilgauskas had spoken in recent weeks of retiring. He becomes the third center under contract to the Heat for 2011-12, joining NBA Finals starter Joel Anthony and seldom-used 2010 second-round draft pick Dexter Pittman. The two other centers who finished 2010-11 on the Heat roster, Jamaal Magloire and Erick Dampier, become unrestricted free agents July 1. Ilgauskas started 51 games during the regular season, most of any Heat"
June 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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They may be getting on in years, but the aging veterans who rounded out this season's Miami Heat roster insist they are not the retiring types. Not a single player who finished the season on the Heat roster has definitive retirement plans. In fact, even had the Heat won a championship instead of falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, they said they still did not plan to go out on top. But that doesn't mean any of the roster's graybeards will necessarily return. Most curious is the case of 33-year-old point guard Mike Bibby, who forfeited $6.4 million in a buyout from the Washington Wizards in order to finish the season with the Heat. Sunday, Bibby, who had started in each of"
May 17
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Spoelstra pushed aside just about every question regarding potential lineup changes or changes to Wednesday's active roster. Of possibly activating Erick Dampier or Zydrunas Ilgauskas for added bulk in the middle, he offered his now typical "I'll evaluate everything." TNT analyst Steve Kerr said Spoelstra tipped his hand by opening with Joel Anthony in the middle and the bulkier big men on the inactive list Sunday."
May 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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A week ago, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the Miami Heat's starting center. Sunday, for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, Ilgauskas was inactive. With Joel Anthony having started the final two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics and continuing in that role, Ilgauskas did not dress out for Sunday's game at the United Center. "I'm just keeping myself ready for whenever my number is called," Ilgauskas said an hour before tip-off, when the 12-player active rosters had to be submitted."
May 9
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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This time Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra did not parry the question. So perhaps change is coming. After deflecting the subject of a lineup change several times amid his team's uneven starts to games this postseason, Spoelstra offered a more evenhanded response Sunday. Asked about his team consistently playing from behind with a starting lineup that this postseason has featured point guard Mike Bibby and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas flanking LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, Spoelstra said, "I'm looking at everything right now and I'll continue to look at that for the next day." He followed up by saying of the team's practice session at Emerson College, "We walked through quite a"
May 5
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It could be considered a classic case of buying time. But because Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is getting away with it, he sees no reason to change. Despite his starting lineup being outscored by 50 points in these playoffs, Spoelstra said he plans to remain with center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and point guard Mike Bibby flanking LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. In Tuesday night's 102-91 victory over the Boston Celtics in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Heat fell behind by five early and trailed 12-9 when Ilgauskas was pulled in favor of Joel Anthony. Ilgauskas played only that opening 5:40 in the first half and 10:46 overall, after a similar stint to"
April 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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To say the Miami Heat's rotation has been a late-arriving proposition would be an understatement. Monday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena marked just the third time the Heat have gone with a starting lineup of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Mike Bibby. "The chemistry is happening," James said of the unit the Heat will also start in the playoffs, which open this weekend. Asked he was surprised a team would be tinkering with a lineup this late in a season, James said change has been the team's only constant. "It's been the whole year with us," he said. "If we could have had a full range of healthy guys all year, we would have been able to"
March 27
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had to take a second look when surveying the practice court Saturday. After taking a head count, he realized all 15 players were on the court. It's the first time they were all together since early in the season. Although Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilguaskas and Mario Chalmers are still battling injuries, this is the healthiest the Heat has been in a while. The Heat could welcome back Ilgauskas early as Sunday's game against the Houston Rockets at AmericanAirlines Arena. He's missed the past eight games because of a foot infection. Ilgauskas was able to participate in practice for the first time since sustaining the injury. "If all goes well, he'll suit up (Sunday),""
March 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas could rejoin the team early as Thursday. Ilgauskas did not travel to Detroit for Wednesday's game, but continues to improve after being sidelined because of foot infection. Ilgauskas has missed six consecutive games. "He should be back in a basketball shoe [Wednesday]," Spoelstra said. "Hopefully, he's able to resume when we get back." The Heat originally thought the infection occurred when Ilgauskas stepped on a nail at his home. On Tuesday, he said doctors told him it happened before the incident. "I'm on my way back, probably a couple days away," Ilgauskas said. "It was uncomfortable for a while but now it's getting better. … Hopefully, this weekend.""
March 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Miami Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas missed his second consecutive game because of a foot infection. Ilgauskas spent two days in the hospital before being released Monday. He was not on the bench for the game against the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there is no timetable on his return. He is doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. "He is at home resting right now," Spoelstra said. "We'll have to wait and see [when he returns], until he gets back into gear." The injury occurred when Ilgauskas recently stepped on a nail. Spoelstra said the infection worsened because it wasn't treated immediately. He said it was something"
November 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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For weeks, Erik Spoelstra's mantra with the Miami Heat has been to give his team some time. What Spoelstra's team actually needed was some space. Saturday's insertion of Zydrunas Ilgauskas into the starting lineup provided that space, with the veteran center opening the court for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with the threat of his silky midrange shot. In shooting 6 of 7 for 12 points in Saturday's 109-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors, Ilgauskas not only improved his shooting percentage to a career-best .627 but also scored eight more points than previous starting center Joel Anthony had scored in any game this season. In essence, the Heat, for the first time this season, weren't"
November 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Chad Pennington apparently wasn't available. So Erik Spoelstra instead turned to Zydrunas Ilgauskas as his starting center Saturday night. In a move as uninspiring as the Dolphins' Chad-for-Chad quarterback makeover, the third-year Miami Heat coach removed Joel Anthony as his starting center for Saturday's 109-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The upshot? Same as it ever was. Against an overmatched opponent, big efforts from Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were more than enough, with Wade closing with 31 points and James with 23. It was a victory that meant little more than an opportunity to exhale. Nothing this season can be proven against the Raptors, except a limited attention span"
July 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Three weeks ago, the Miami Heat had exactly one player under contract, second-year reserve point guard Mario Chalmers. Soon, the "No Vacancy" sign is about to start flashing at AmericanAirlines Arena. The land grab to become part of the ritzy new neighborhood of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh continued Saturday. The latest to formally put pen to paper was Cleveland Cavaliers free-agent center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who signed off on a two-year, $2.8 million deal Saturday, with a player option on that second season. By the end of the weekend, there is hope to also have Heat free-agent center Jamaal Magloire under contract. Expected to follow in short order are Portland Trail Blazers"
July 14
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
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Have you watched the gravitational pull of greatness help the Heat the past few days? It didn't just lure season-ticket buyers overnight. It isn't just bringing a worldwide media buzz to the point that exhibition games are being mentioned in Europe and Asia. It goes beyond how this team instantly became an easy team to love in South Florida and hate in any other NBA city. It's the players lining up outside the arena. The veteran players. The role players basketball analysts said would be hard to find. The thirtysomethings who want to rub against greatness just once in their careers. LeBron James called former Cleveland teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas and says how much the Heat wants him. So"
July 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Heat's supporting cast is turning out to be anything but a second-rate cast. Count Cleveland Cavaliers free-agent center Zydrunas Ilgauskas as the latest to sign up alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Agent Herb Rudoy confirmed Tuesday to the Sun Sentinel that Ilgauskas will sign with the Heat, with the only issue whether it will be a one-year deal, or one year plus a player option. "Once LeBron signed there," Rudoy said, "LeBron started recruiting him." Rudoy said the Heat also pushed for Ilgauskas at midseason, after the center received a buyout from the Washington Wizards. Ilgausksas then re-signed with Cleveland for the balance of the season. "The Heat was"
March 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Coach Mike Woodson was disappointed, but not surprised, by the news that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas intends to re-sign with Cleveland. The Hawks pursued Ilgauskas after Cleveland traded him to Washington and he reached a buyout agreement to become a free agent."