Zydrunas Ilgauskas calls it quits: Was signing with Miami heat a blunder? NBA Feature
NBA lockout has already led to cancellation of first two weeks of regular season and with every passing day, the probability of whole season getting terminated is aggrandizing. Players, one by one are departing to pursue overseas
opportunity and fate of thousands of people linked to NBA is still undecided
Last Friday, yet another consequence of the NBA lockout surfaced in the form of Zydrunas Ilgauskas’s retirement.
Zydrunas, who last played for Miami Heat turned 36 this June and this season would probably have been his last season. But, because chances of season died down courtesy of the lockout, he decided to call it quits.
After being with Cleveland Cavaliers for 12 years, he moved to Miami Heat last season on insistence of his long-time team mate LeBron James and also to give himself one last shot at the NBA championship.
A mild animosity developed in the fans of Cleveland Cavaliers when he decided to be the part of the most loathed team in the league just to grab a championship title but I think it was a totally justified move. A 15 years career
and not having won a single championship would have frustrated him so it was worth a shot at a title at the cost of divorcing devotees that had admired him for one and a half decade.
I am sure most Cleveland will not agree with me but then its only an opinion and I am completely entitled to have one.
It would have been nice if he had retired with the same team that drafted him in 1996 but you can absolutely not accuse a man for trying to grab a championship title when he is at the end of his days.
After being selfless and giving the team so much for 15 years, how could he loathed all of a sudden for a routine move?
In 1999, despite the injuries, Zydrunas kept fighting hard and when he could have easily spent the time on bench, he proffered playing for the team. Then in 2005, when he was at his peak and could have easily signed with any other
team, he still did not abandon Cleveland
In 2010, after becoming a free agent, he again could have signed with any team but because of his unconditional love for Cleveland, he waited a month just to resign with the team who had earlier traded him away.
There is no shortage of excellent sportsmen in this world but such loyal sportsmen are rare to find anywhere.
Yes it was heartbreaking initially when he moved to Miami but again, did it overshadow all his achievements in Cleveland? These are the things every should think
He was a Cavalier and despite his short term affair with Miami, he will still always be a Cavalier.
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