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Cleveland Cavaliers: 25 Best Players To Play For The Cavaliers

By Phil Watson

Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of a painting outside of Quicken Loans Arena prior to game six of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of a painting outside of Quicken Loans Arena prior to game six of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /
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UNITED STATES – MAY 10: Basketball: NBA Playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) in action vs Boston Celtics, Game 3, Cleveland, OH 5/10/2008 (Photo by John Biever/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X80263 TK1 R9 F22)
UNITED STATES – MAY 10: Basketball: NBA Playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) in action vs Boston Celtics, Game 3, Cleveland, OH 5/10/2008 (Photo by John Biever/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X80263 TK1 R9 F22) /

1997-99, 2000-10, 2010. Zydrunas Ilgauskas. 7. player. 156. <strong>How acquired:</strong> 20th overall pick from Atletas Kaunas (Lithuania), 1996 NBA Draft; Free agent, March 23, 2010.. C

The Cleveland Cavaliers went big with the 20th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, taking 7-foot-3 behemoth Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Lithuania.

And then watched it almost all blow up because of chronic foot problems.

CLE_07_ILGAUSKAS
CLE_07_ILGAUSKAS /

Ilgauskas missed all of the 1996-97 season before coming back to earn first team All-Rookie honors in 1997-98.

But the foot broke again in 1999, costing him 45 games of the lockout-shortened season, all of the 1999-2000 campaign and 58 games in 2000-01.

He was relatively healthy after that, enough to be named a two-time All-Star and help the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals.

Ilgauskas averaged 7.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game, shooting .351/—/5-for-6 as the San Antonio Spurs won the title in four straight games.

In February 2010, he was sent to the Washington Wizards with Emir Preldzic and a first-round pick in 2010 as part of a three-team trade in which Cleveland acquired Sebastian Telfair from the Los Angeles Clippers and Antawn Jamison from the Wizards.

Waived by Washington nine days later, Ilgauskas would return to the Cavaliers as a free agent in March.

In July 2010, he signed a deal with the Miami Heat.

In parts of 12 seasons in Cleveland, Ilgauskas averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game, shooting .475/.313/.780.

Ilgauskas retired after being waived by the Heat in December 2011.

He is 44th in NBA history with 1,327 blocked shots.

Next: Smaller Role Leads To Great Big Ring

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