Read the opposing argument from Bleacher Fan.
There are some things in life that are not fair. Like, for example, the jerk seemingly getting the girl while the nice guy watches from afar. Perhaps you were passed over for a promotion at the office even though you have more than paid your dues.
Sports are not fair either. Maybe your team gets hosed on some calls that cost them the game. Maybe your star quarterback gets hurt in the first quarter of the national championship (see Colt McCoy). Maybe Jeffrey Maier or Steve Bartman shows up at the game. Yes I know, go ahead and say it before someone else does. LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Well, guess what? Neither is the situation involving Zydrunas Ilgauskus, as highlighted by Babe Ruthless in the intro to this debate. I told Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek this about a month ago when we all saw Big Z was likely going to resign with Cleveland after being bought out by Washington (much to their laughter). But it just really chaps my behind that this whole situation was allowed to happen in the first place.
You can throw all the parameters into the situation out the window. I don’t care that Washington bought him out. I don’t care that Ilgauskus lost money in the deal. I don’t care that Cleveland gave up a 2010 first round pick, which figures to be a LATE first round pick anyway. If I am a fan of an Eastern Conference team (which I am) that will be trying to bring down the Cavs in the postseason, I am livid – which I am. Make no bones about it, the Cleveland Cavaliers essentially got Antawn Jamison for NOTHING. The best team in the East has gotten better with addition BY addition (as opposed to addition by subtraction). Big Z certainly is not the player he used to be, but he is a warm, BIG body. His presence could be key to the team’s success in the playoffs, especially if the Cavs face the Orlando Magic. If nothing else, Ilgauskus would have his six fouls to offer. Those would come in handy since, as we all know, Dwight Howard is less than stellar at the charity stripe (he stands at 60 percent through Monday’s action).
The Cavs, and I am not really blaming them because they are well within the rules to do so, are not the first team to do this. Back in 2005, the Celtics traded Gary Payton to the Atlanta Hawks, only to waive him so he could eventually resign with Boston. On a less grand scale, the Magic traded Adonal Foyle last year, only to resign him after the Grizzlies waived him. I know that publicly, no underhanded deals are made as far as making arrangements to resign before the completion of the original deal, but one sure has to wonder. Even coaches like Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers have publicly stated that something is wrong with how the system is currently set up.
Teams are going to continue to take advantage of the loophole in the system as long as it is there. It is up to the NBA to eliminate it, and good luck in getting the union to help seal that loophole. The loophole makes it possible for the best teams to get better without having to give anything up. In the interest of the fairness in the league, this loophole must close.
