[Foxs Sport]Top 10 free agents - Center

Look who is in there


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Ilgauskas is summer's center of attention
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Mike Kahn / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 6 hours ago



Rarely does anything begin with Z.

Then again, a look at the available centers in this season's NBA free agent class begins and ends with Z ... as in the 7-foot-3, 260-pound middleman with the silky touch, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
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Sure, there are the young bucks that have everybody foaming at the mouth over their potential growth like Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert, who improves every second he's on the floor. Or the tenacious rebounding and shot-blocking Tyson Chandler and his Chicago Bulls teammate Eddy Curry, who wows everyone with his gifted offensive post play.

But when it comes down to setting the market, whether or not "Z" returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the catalyst for everyone else's moves.

Over the past five months, that scenario has vacillated wildly. It began with Ilgauskas definitely staying as the interior yin to LeBron James' perimeter yang as the Cavs were competing for a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. Then as they began to falter under the pressure of new ownership, coach Paul Silas was fired and the word was that Ilgauskas was gone because he's too soft defensively and on the boards. And now, he appears to be the guy that will set the table for everything the Cavs do with their $28 million of cap space, especially since his good friend and former teammate Danny Ferry is the new general manager.

That's not to diminish the interest in Dalembert, Chandler or Curry, but they're all restricted free agents, so their teams can match any offer. Dalembert and Chandler are most assuredly going to stay put. However, Curry, with reportedly serious heart issues that have ironically overlapped a questionable work ethic, might get offered a deal the Bulls won't want to match. He's more likely than ever before to be involved in a sign-and-trade.

But once you get past the top four, there is a considerable drop off, with a slew of veterans who can trade places without a noticeable change to the team they leav or join.

Nevertheless, let's take a look at this free agent class of centers, which clearly begins with "Z."


1. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers



Status: Unrestricted, turned 30 on June 5 and is entering his ninth season (1998-2001 — totaled 29 games due to foot surgery).
The numbers from 2004-05: 78 games, 33.5 minutes, 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.12 blocks; .468 FG, .286 3-point, .799 FT.
Suitors: Cavs, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Final answer: The teams under the cap are all young, and the teams that are interested, besides the Cavs, only have the mid-level exception. That brings to mind a sign-and-trade, but it's only possible if the Cavs find a deal they like — which would be Chicago for Tyson Chandler and one of their young guards, or Philadelphia for Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver. In other words, he probably isn't going anywhere.

2. Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia 76ers



Status: Restricted, turned 24 on May 10 and is entering his fourth season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 72 games, 24.8 minutes, 8.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.68 blocks; .524 FG, .601 FT, 0 3-point attempts.
Suitors: 76ers, Atlanta, Seattle, New York and others.
Final answer: It's hard to fathom the 76ers allowing any team to touch him after he turned into a double-double machine in April and after their five-game playoff loss to the Pistons. A sign-and-trade is not impossible, just highly unlikely. They'll match anything.

3. Tyson Chandler, Chicago Bulls



Status: Restricted, turns 23 on Oct. 2 and is entering his fifth season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 80 games, 27.4 minutes, 8.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.76 blocks; .494 FG, .673 FT, and 0-2 3-point.
Suitors: Bulls, Seattle, Atlanta and Cleveland.
Final answer: He's a defensive and rebounding monster who works his tail off and were it not for his back problems, he'd already be signed to a maximum deal. That said, someone else might throw one at him anyway, just to see if the Bulls flinch. They will ?and then match it.

4. Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls



Status: Restricted, turns 23 on Dec. 5 and is entering his fifth season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 63 games, 28.7 minutes, 16.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, .92 blocks, .538 FG, .720 FT, and zero 3-point attempts.
Suitors: Bulls, Atlanta and Cleveland.
Final answer: Unlike Chandler, there has not been steady progress with Curry, and a heart problem surfaced this season that complicated matters even more. Whereas general manager John Paxson will unquestionably match anything thrown Chandler's way, it will be a tougher call in the case of Curry. A sign-and-trade is much more likely.

5. Jerome James, Seattle SuperSonics



Status: Unrestricted, turns 30 on Nov. 17, entering his sixth season. The Numbers from 2004-05: 80 games, 16.6 minutes, 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.39 blocks, .509 FG, .723 FT, 0-for-2 3-point attempts.
Suitors: Sonics, New York, Atlanta, Memphis and Phoenix.
Final answer: Once again J.J. has created a false perception with a masterful run — averaging 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the first round of the 2005 playoffs. In other words, know that he started 80 games during the regular season and understand that he earned only 16.6 minutes per contest. Somebody may bite with the mid-level exception, but the Sonics are done gnashing their teeth over him for that much money.

6. Dan Gadzuric, Milwaukee Bucks



Status: Restricted, turns 28 on Feb. 2 and is entering his fourth season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 81 games, 22 minutes, 7.3 points, 8.3 rebounds,1.31 blocks, .539 FG, .538 FT, zero 3-point attempts.
Suitors: Bucks, Orlando, Atlanta and Denver.
Final destination: He still hasn't played enough minutes to earn an offer sheet that would make the Bucks flinch. With Andrew Bogut coming in, the Bucks will make a decision between Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia based on who gets more money on the market. Gadzuric is an active big man, who is disruptive. He'll help some team.

7. Dikembe Mutombo, Houston Rockets



Status: Unrestricted, turned 39 on June 25 and is entering his 15th season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 80 games, 15.2 minutes, 4.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.26 blocks, .498 FG, .741 FT, zero 3-point attempts.
Suitors: Rockets and various contenders will inquire.
Final destination: Mount Mutombo has already said this is his last stop and he was better than anyone could have imagined last season. He frequently dominated the boards and was wagging his finger after just about every blocks. There aren't a lot of minutes left in that body, but the Rockets are thrilled with whatever he gives them in support of Yao Ming.

8. Vitaly Potapenko, Seattle SuperSonics



Status: Unrestricted, turned 30 on March 21, entering 10th season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 33 games, 10.2 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, .09 blocks, .517 FG, .871 FT, 0-1 3-point attempts.
Suitors: Sonics, Orlando, Atlanta and others.
Final destination: Began last season injured, and had a tough time earning minutes because the Sonics' rotation was so tight and there weren't any injuries until late in the season. But the Sonics would like to have him back at the right price.

9. Othella Harrington, Chicago Bulls



Status: Unrestricted, will be 32 on Jan. 31 and is entering his 10th season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 70 games, 18.2 minutes, 8.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, .26 blocks; .512 FG; .718 FT.
Suitors: Chicago, Cleveland, Washington and others
Final destination: He gave the Bulls some sanity in a spot where the youngsters weren't dependable, so they may very well just bring him back because of his versatility up front and at both ends of the floor.

10. Robert Traylor, Cleveland Cavaliers



Status: Unrestricted, turns 29 on Feb. 1 and is entering his eighth season.
The numbers from 2004-05: 74 games, 17.9 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, .68 blocks, .444 FG, .539 FT, 0-8 3-point.
Suitors: Cavs, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit and others.
Final destination: It's a tough call, but somebody will pick him up. He lost weight and played well for the Cavs last season. It was a surprise they didn't pick up his reasonable $1.76 million option, but they wanted to clear the decks completely. Maybe, after all is said and done, they'll bring him back.
Others centers of intrigue: Dale Davis, Elden Campbell, Theo Ratliff, Vlade Divac and Zaza Pachulia.

Veteran NBA writer Mike Kahn is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com