Cav's looking ... for Pervis?

[Kevin Lok <kevin.lok@lycosmail.com>]

Hi everybody,

Ike Austin seem to be the one Cavs are looking at.

Can i hope it's the time for Pervis to "really
contribute"? Think Cav's would buy
"never nervous, serviceable, injury-free (this
season so far), great locker presence, former No.
1 pick (pedigree line), free agent to be"?

kevin

No SOS, but Paxson searches for center
BY CHRIS TOMASSON
Beacon Journal staff writer
PHOENIX: The Cavaliers are without Z, but they're
not ready to send up an SOS.
Cavs general manager Jim Paxson said before last
night's game at Phoenix that he will look to bring
in a big man now that center Zydrunas Ilgauskas
will not return this season. But it will be a
conservative search.
``We'll be looking at anything that could help us,
but we're not going to sacrifice the future for
now,'' Paxson said. ``I'm not doing my job if I'm
not in the loop around the league. . . . It would
have to be the right situation. It would have to
be somebody who could be part of our eight-man
rotation or be an insurance policy for Zydrunas
down the road.''
The Cavs were hopeful of having Ilgauskas, who
hasn't played since breaking his left foot last
February, back for the final two months of the
season. But he will undergo surgery Wednesday.
The NBA trading deadline is Feb. 24. Expect Paxson
to be on the phone a lot until then. The problem
is there are not a lot of big men available, and
the Cavs also don't have a lot to trade.
``With Zydrunas ready to have surgery, we're not
coming from a point of strength right now,''
Paxson said.
One big man who could be available is Washington
center Ike Austin. His agent, Dwight Manley, said
one of Michael Jordan's first steps to clear cap
room will be to trade Austin, who is making just
under $5 million this season.
Paxson declined to comment directly on Austin.
Cavs forward Shawn Kemp, who desperately would
like another big man alongside him, doesn't think
Austin, who lost his job earlier this season to
Jahidi White, would work out.
``It's a tough call,'' Kemp said. ``We could use
some help, but I don't know if Ike would fit in
our system as much as we like to run.''
The Cavs have no true centers on the roster, as
power forwards Mark Bryant and Andrew DeClercq
have manned the position in Ilgauskas' absence.
Most of the Cavs' power forwards are undersized.
Two of those power forwards, Kornel David and Mark
Hendrickson, are under second 10-day contracts,
but it's not likely either will be signed for the
remainder of the season, since the Cavs want to
keep roster room available for bigger players.
David's deal expires Tuesday and Hendrickson's
Thursday.
``We've got to look at all possibilities,'' said
head coach Randy Wittman about the search for
another post player. ``We'll sit down, and we'll
look at those things and see what can be done.''
In the meantime, the Cavs must try not to let the
loss of Ilgauskas kill their spirits.
``We have to deal with the situation,'' Kemp said.
``We can't cry about it. I've got to remain
positive, because if I can't, that will bring the
rest of the team down.''
Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic will insert either
one or two screws into the navicular bone of
Ilgauskas' left foot. He also might have a bone
graft.
``My gut feeling is that the surgery will go well
and he'll be back next season,'' Paxson said.
But if the Cavs don't find another big man, this
season could be shot.