Bench Player Sports’  Columnist Jake Doerr talks about the events surrounding the National Basketball Association.

The NBA has turned the City of Cleveland into a “Soap Opera”. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was traded to the Washington Wizards before the trade deadline in order to get Antawn Jamison.  Everyone knew the underlining intent, the Wizards were going to buyout Big Z’s contract, which they did, and then after 30 days of rest he would return to the team he has been on for 12 years the Cavaliers. But now courtesy of his agent we find out that Ilgauskas’ “Feelings are hurt”.  It’s not like the Cavs didn’t want him and now they desperately need him, he should stop his whining and realize that the same business that has given you over $100 million over the last 12 years is the same one that traded you.

In a Yahoo! article Big Z’s agent had this to say:

Ilgauskas has drawn interest from several other teams, including the Atlanta Hawks. (Big Z’s agent Herb) Rudoy said Ilgauskas is weighing his options and that the 34-year-old has mixed feelings.
“He’s got a big emotional investment in Cleveland, in the city and the team,” Rudoy said. “On the other hand, he was not happy to be used as a pawn in the trade…”
“He loves the fans of Cleveland and I know how much the Cavaliers mean to him. But again, he was not happy to be a pawn. It was really disappointing.”

Look for Big Z to fill the empty spot at center for the Cavs. There was never any other thought in my mind that he would go anywhere else.

In other news LeBron James actually played last night verse the Nets, yeah your probably wondering why would he do such a thing? He could have rested his legs but he wanted to make this highlight.

James never  stops amazing me. If he could sure up his long jump shot he would be fantastic.  You have to love when James plays point guard because well he demands so much attention it helps clear up shots for his teammates. James is fantastic and he will look even better in a jersey that has #6 on it. The fact is Cleveland fans should be excited because the only reason to submit the  number change is if you are going to stay on your current team.

Did you see the brutal incident when Dallas Mavericks’ Jason  Terry caught and elbow to the face from the Timberwolves Corey Brewer. It happened in the 3rd quarter of last nights game. It was the Mavericks 9th win in a row but losing Terry to a fractured orbital bone is a big blow to a team that has finally became elite.

The best part about the injury is that Terry returned to the game to finish with a game high 26 points. The injury did seem to cause Terry some troubles because he shot 2-7 from the court after it. Terry is a fantastic man of the bench and is an instant spark off the bench.

I cannot believe that the “Old” Celtics decided to go out and get “Older”. Micheal Finley is a good player, well he was three years ago.  He lost his minutes on an older San Antonio team and then they met his demands so that of course he could go to the old Celtics. Lets hope he can find his legs again and become a dangerous shooter. I don’t see this happening and I will through my head back in laughter when the Celtics get embarrassed in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.