Zadrunas to his friends and family: "Yeah my coach decided not to play me on my big night because I might of been a liability to the team. Can you guys come back next home game? I hope I can play then."
How meaningful is it to reach a milestone for most games played by getting into the game only as a token gesture from the coach? Its akin to continuing to give an over-the-hill player minutes just so he can continue a "consecutive games played" streak. The accomplishment becomes hollow. Ilgauskas will get his record, but I think it would mean more if he does it legitimately (i.e. he's playing because his coach thinks it gives his team a better chance to win, rather than simply to set the record).
It would have been very meaningful...the fans would have given him a standing ovation, and his family and friends would have participated. This was a pure brain fart. DD
Get the guy in the game. Its not like its keeping in a guy who wants 1 more cheap rebound to get a triple double. Its not like its allowing Nykesha Sales hopping on 1 leg to get a completely staged free basket to become UConn's all time leading scorer. You can gameplan 2 minutes for Ilgauskas. Rockets start a 6'-6" center.
Well how you would you feel if you're about to retire then your boss subtracts all the days you took a day off and tells you you're short by several days so you won't get your package until you work a few days more? Milestones are awesome because you consider the over-all body of work. I'm sure there were times in his career when Z was put in the game but he didn't help his team win. Does that mean he should go back in his game performance over the last ten years, cancel out the ones where he had a sucky game and only count the ones where he perfomed well? I don't think a single game invalidates your entire 10 game career, and I bet big Z doesn't think so as well. Besides, Skeets mentioned something about big Z getting his first DNP-CD in this game. How does that feel to have your first DNP-CD the day when you were supposed to reach your milestone? If I was Big Z I wouldn't talk to him until he apologized outright.
If its the over-all body of work that matters, then him missing one game shouldn't be a big deal. He'll get his milestone soon enough, anyhow. Coaches shouldn't be pressured into changing their gameplan just so individual players can reach a milestone or set some statistical record. Z may have been embarrassed, but he's a professional and he'll deal with it.
i had always believed Brown was a jackass. his go to play is give Lebron the ball and move out the way. thats how he got his coach of the year award. i don't want to hear that stuff that he was the only person in attendance that did not know. it was a dick move.
Its not the game that he missed, its the chance to celebrate his 10 year milestone on the night he was supposed to celebrate it. They play 80+ games a year, but unless Z can play for another 10 years, he won't experience that kind of milestone again. Brown basically ruined his kodak moment.
There is an implicit assumption there I don't agree with. Players don't determine when they are "supposed" to play. The coach does.
I think it's the type of record that shows big Z being a model and loyal employee who has worked with the company(CAVS) for many years. (It doesn't really have any significance outside of Cleveland or Hall of Fame worthy) It's not like the sack record for a season which Brett Farve gave Strahan (I think those kind are the bad ones.) I think it's just a respect issue. Instead of rewarding Z for his years of service and loyalty, he got his first ever DNP-CD with his friends and family in attendance.( I read that the Cavs were also playing videos of Z's career on their jumbotron as well.) What I don't get is why give him his first DNP-CD? Match ups? Who adjusts to the Rockets size and go small if the center is Chuck Hayes? I assume you want other teams to adjust to your teams size rather than other way around. Besides, Shaq isn't the quickest guy out there and they have let Z play against worst match ups I assume. That's what bugs me the most.
The coach has to decide what is in the best interest of the team,however it would have been nice to see Z getting some minutes when the outcome of the game had been decided.
I agree with that, that it shouldn't be assumed that you will have PT any night. But he averages 24mpg, and received none, presumably without warning. And going small means going with Shaq 100%? It's not like its some huge ingame adaption, Shaq's been starting for over half their games.
I understand your point and that was what I thought too. But, you have got to look at the context. Ilgauskas is not some end-of-the-bench player who seldom sees the floor. He's a regular rotation player who plays substantial minutes. And he was suddenly benched right at the game he was supposed to celebrate his contribution to the franchise. Plus, that game was not close down the stretch. Giving him garbage minutes shouldn't be too much to ask. Unless the coach was not aware of all this hoopla about the record, otherwise he came across like some really inconsiderate in-you-face kind of boss. It's like a guy asking his boss if he could get off work 15 minutes early to beat the traffic so he could give his wife a surprise 25th anniversary celebration. And the boss refused on the ground that it was the boss who determine his working hours. Well, the boss surely has the right. But that is plain inhuman.
^Exactly. The crazy thing was Brown benched him on account of going "small", but then Shaq got 25 mins of burn. So Shaq is a small guy now? Maybe "Big" Z should drop the big from his name. Benching Z makes as much sense as Skiles outlawing headbands. Just because you can doesn't mean you should, and I hope LBJ gave Brown an earful after that game
If the Rockets were playing a small-ball team the last couple years, would they play both Yao and Mutombo, or Yao and some smaller players (like Hayes)? Brown didn't want to commit more than 25 minutes of rotation time to a 7-footer. Its understandable. Ilgauskas has not played well this year, and he needs to realize that as a bench player his playing time will no longer be guaranteed.
If the Rockets were going small ball, we probably won't play Yao or Mutombo at all. We'd have Chuck Hayes, Scola and Landry rotating at the C and pf slots. Since when did giving a legit 7 footer significant pt count as "small ball"? Proving a point is fine, but don't do it on the man's special day.That's just mean and spiteful. Hell, Big Z has stayed at Cleveland longer than him. Its not understandable at all. You mean to say it was a good move for Brown to piss Big Z and LBJ off just for one game that they probably would have won anyway? Some things are bigger than a single game, and this was one of them.
Point out when the Rockets ever benched Yao an entire game to matchup against a small ball team. What'll typically happen is his minutes will go down some, and the backup rotation is what changes. It is a coach's job to win games. It is a player's job to respect his decision. I'm not going to side with any players who think their moment in the sun is bigger than the goals of the team.
He should have just gotten a minute or two out there just to get the record. The guy was with the team when they had Shawn Kemp for pete's sake. I find it funny that Durvasa is arguing the technical significance of it (or lack there of) when this issue has nothing to do with it. It was just one of those personal achievements where it's meaningful to the player.
How is it an achievement to get one or two token minutes just to set a record? Its an achievement if he sets the record because the coach wanted him in the game in order to win. I don't know what was said behind closed doors. But I understand his decision. The Mavs aren't a team you take lightly, and if you screw around with your rotations just to give a guy some record, then they can burn you. Rockets fans should know how explosive that team is on offense. And if Ilgauskas wasn't playing all game, would he really appreciate being put in during garbage time at the very end? Again, wouldn't his record mean more if he gets it by playing meaningful minutes?
