HoopsHype.com Rumors

Brian Windhorst: Despite report out of Lithuania, Zydrunas Ilgauskas said he has not decided to retire. Will evaluate after the season. Twitter

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Ira Winderman: Zydrunas Ilgauskas reportedly tells Lithuanian outlet he is retiring after the season, which also is what he has told those inside the team. Twitter

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

It looks like Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ career in the NBA is closing to a slow halt. The 35-year-old Lithuanian big man has been receiving less and less playing time as seasons went by with time definitely having its toll on Big Z’s game and the player’s body in general. Ilgauskas joined the Miami Heat in the summer together with fellow ex-Cavalier LeBron James with silverware on his mind. However, the star-studded Heat hasn’t been playing well and the center’s playing time has reached a career low of 16.8 minutes per game having been on a steady decline for the last three seasons. “I think I’ve had enough of this game. I’ve played enough. Sitting on the bench doing nothing is not what I want to do. The long trips and the intensive schedule have taken its toll – I’m not a 20-year-old anymore and my body is telling me that it would be the right time to retire from NBA after this season. I have given everything I could to basketball and now I’d like to spend more time with my family,” Ilgauskas told alietuvis.com after the Heat lost to the Chicago Bulls, led by the super-athletic point guard Derrick Rose. lithuaniabasketball.com

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Having come to Miami in hopes of finally winning the NBA rings, Big Z is looking at things as simply as possible and trying to help his teammates reach the path to victory every way that he can. “If I was younger, I might have had a problem with not playing, but with fewer minutes, I can keep my body rested. I’m just doing my job and doing what’s best for my team. I need to take care of my health and I can do that with less playing time. There are younger guys in our team, who can bring some energy. As a player, I just need to be ready to play and help my teammates and that’s really all I can do,” said Ilgauskas. lithuaniabasketball.com

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Bruce Arthur: Ilgauskas: "For some reason this team has become like a garbage can. Every time somebody has some kind of garbage they just throw at us." Twitter

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Surya Fernandez: Big Z: "It's weird to play against a team that you've been part of for 14 years. It's emotional. It's never just another game." Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Ethan J. Skolnick: Zydrunas Ilgauskas on whether he'd wear goggles as a show of solidarity for Wade: "Hell no, he's on his own." Gotta love Z. Twitter

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Injuries 

Courtney Love is back on the prowl for a townhouse rental — not far from her former Mercer Hotel lair. This time, our spies spotted the rocker mom at 24 Thompson St., owned by Miami Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his wife, Jennifer. The couple bought the SoHo townhouse in 2006 and spent three years renovating the five-story home, which was built by Bob and Cortney Novogratz of Bravo’s “9 By Design” show. The residence has a garage, elevator and roof deck. The $37,050-per-month townhouse is listed by Spire Group, run by Kevin Kurland and Bianka Yankov, which opened this month and bills itself as the only New York brokerage firm where brokers keep 100 percent of their commission in exchange for $495 in monthly “agent dues.” Listing broker Josh Fields declined to comment. New York Post

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, New York 

What hasn't been particularly easy is watching the Cleveland Cavaliers' demise in the wake of losing both players—something Ilgauskas says has been painful. "I feel bad for some of the guys who are still there," Ilgauskas told HOOPSWORLD. "It's got to be very hard mentally to go from top to bottom so fast, but they have great fans, passionate fans. They've got good people in that organization, so hopefully they'll be able to turn it around." HoopsWorld

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

As for why he'd leave the only team he ever played for despite the allegiance he feels, the answer isn't a particularly mysterious one. "I've been through a lot of losing seasons in Cleveland, and while I didn't think they'd have the record that they did now, I didn't want to go back there. I wanted to go somewhere that I'd have a chance," Ilgauskas explained. "It was a basketball decision," he said. "I felt like this would give me the best chance to compete and win a championship. It was tough to leave Cleveland after so many years, but I felt that it was time." HoopsWorld

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

"It's great. We don't have one bad seed on this team, and we police ourselves. We've got a bunch of good veteran guys that know how to play the game, know exactly what they're here for, and do their job. I think all the hatred outside for us helped to mold us into the cohesive unit that we've become because we don't have anybody to turn to but ourselves." HoopsWorld

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

"Obviously you can't block it out completely," Ilgauskas said this past week, interrupting the interview to himself ask where the Anthony deal stood. "In my case, that's what everybody was talking about. You try to put your mind at ease, tell yourself, when it happens, you're going to deal with it." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, Trade, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Ilgauskas says that although the locker room is filled with guys he's never played with before, this is the most cohesive team he's ever been on. "The only explanation I can come up with is that there's so much hatred, and everybody wants us to fail," Ilgauskas said. "Maybe not everybody. But the majority of people in this country wants us to fail. So we can't turn to anybody outside and look for comfort. All we have is these guys. It made us really come together and help each other out ... We will not face more hostile crowds, even if we make it to the Finals (than Cleveland). I played in that place for 14 years, played in the Finals, played in the big playoff games, and I have never seen a crowd like that. What was it, the 20th regular season game? For us to come in and just take the air out of place, and get a win, it helped a lot, our confidence." NBA.com

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

The same surgery alleviated similar issues for Miami Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who has since played more than 700 games without a recurrence. But Ilgauskas is also at least 50 pounds lighter than Yao and was in his early 20s when he had the surgery. Yao turned 30 in September. "The doctor told me there was no guarantee it would work, so I never put myself where I was expecting the best," Yao said. "I was always prepared for the worst." ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Yao Ming, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Injuries 

In a surprising twist, former Cav Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the one who said he has no sympathy for his old team. “I do not feel bad for anybody. Why should I? It’s a business,” Ilgauskas said. “They want to beat us just as badly as we want to beat them. Everybody is competitive.” Akron Beacon Journal

Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Erick Dampier, in just his second week with the Heat, got the closing minutes in Milwaukee. But Zydrunas Ilgauskas, in a shooting slump, is still likely to start at center Wednesday in Utah. “You can see, he’s not playing instinctually yet,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dampier. “He’s looking over to the bench, to see what our calls are, our defensive assignments. As he gets more comfortable, his role might grow.” Dampier acknowledged that he’s still learning the plays, but that’s “getting there” and “obviously, I’m a lot better than I was two weeks ago.” “When in doubt, when you can’t remember, just pick-and-roll with somebody,” Dampier said. “You can’t go wrong with a pick-and-roll.” Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra, Erick Dampier, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

If the Heat can remember what this felt like, to focus completely on an opponent as a team, to play the kind of defense that leads to easy baskets -- privately, Miami knows it needs 25 fast-break points per game -- and, most importantly, to defensive rebound, the Heat could become the team everyone expected it to be. For 48 minutes, in the midst of a hostile, angry, loud crowd, they bonded as they haven't bonded all season. "They want to win this for him," a Heat official said before tipoff. "They want to do it for Z [center Zydrunas Ilgauskas], too. But they really want to win it for him." NBA.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Bill Reiter: Big Z before game, surrounded by reporters: "I feel important again. I should come back here more often." LBJ sat by himself, didn't talk Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Ilgauskas said the Cavs organization has not told him they plan to do anything special for his return. "The reality is that I'm playing for the Miami Heat right now and our team is going to get a harsh reception," Ilgauskas said. "I'm part of this team and I'm not separating myself from them. These are my guys now. I love playing with them. We're going through some tough times right now but I'm in the trenches with them." ESPN.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

Ilgauskas said that on Thursday, he'll have to put his relationship with the Cavs fans behind his support for his team. "I appreciate Cleveland, it will always be a home to me," Ilgauskas said. "The fans have meant so much to me over the years and that will never change. But we happen to be on a different side of the barricade this time." ESPN.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Zydrunas Ilgauskas