Ilgauskas has been thinking about Thursday night -- "of course, I know it has been coming" -- and all the personal and professional challenges it is going to bring.
View full sizeZydrunas Ilgauskas said this week that he knew that he would have to leave the Cavaliers if he wanted to continue his NBA career. Now the starting center for the injury-weakened Miami Heat, he's awaiting Thursday's emotional return to The Q. "The reality is that I'm playing for the Miami Heat right now and our team is going to get a harsh reception," he said.Brian Windhorst
Special to the Plain Dealer
MIAMI, Fla. – With his feet in another ice bath and a towel over his head inside a mostly silent locker room at TD Garden in Boston, Zydrunas Ilgauskas knew it was over.
LeBron James was at the next locker talking to friends in the moments after the Cavaliers were eliminated from last season's playoffs following a Game 6 loss to Boston. James would later say that, at that time, he didn't think that was the last night he'd wear a Cavs jersey.
But Ilgauskas knew it was the last time for himself.
"I knew my days as a Cav were over as soon as the Celtics series was over," Ilgauskas said last Friday as he was putting on his new uniform in a new home locker room in Miami."I felt if I was going to continue to play, and I wanted to, I needed a change."
This week Ilgauskas will be the other ex-Cav coming back when the Heat make their first visit to The Q Thursday. He's been thinking about that night -- "of course, I know it has been coming" -- and all the personal and professional challenges it is going to bring.
Ilgauskas isn't sure what to expect Thursday. He knows the crowd will be hostile to James. The franchise's all-time rebounds, blocks and games played leader expects to get some cheers himself, even if some fans might just cheer him in an effort to send a message to James.
But he also thinks he'll hear a few boos when he's introduced because of his ultimate choice to sign with the Heat along with James last summer.
"It is going to be a hard, emotional game," Ilgauskas said. "I know that."
Ilgauskas' departure came about a week after James', while the fan base was still in shock. There was no proper closure with the team he'd been with for 13 years, tied with Kobe Bryant for the longest tenure with any team in the league.
That probably won't come Thursday, either. Ilgauskas and the Heat will be in town less than 24 hours and he plans to treat it like any other road game. Even if that upsets some fans who may be expecting him to publicly acknowledge the expected support.
Ilgauskas feels he may not be able to accept being a hero if the same crowd treats a current teammate like villain.
"The reality is that I'm playing for the Miami Heat right now and our team is going to get a harsh reception," Ilgauskas said.
"I'm part of this team and I'm not separating myself from them. These are my guys now. I love playing with them. We're going through some tough times right now but I'm in the trenches with them."
Last summer, Ilgauskas had a number of options including re-signing with the Cavs after he became a free agent. But after a turbulent 2009-10 season in which he was traded by the Cavs for Antawn Jamison before getting a buyout and re-signing, Ilgauskas felt it was time to move on.
The Cavs, who showed only mild interest in keeping Ilgauskas, seemed to feel the same way.
"Last year was a hard year for me," Ilgauskas said.
"I always knew that basketball was a business, Nobody likes to get traded, but I tried to make the best of the situation. I was trying to learn how to come off the bench and then that stupid game [where he didn't break the franchise's games played record when coach Mike Brown didn't play him in a game against Dallas at home] happened. Then I got traded and when I came back I didn't play very much. Then we went out in the playoffs like we did.
"The interest from the Cavs was very minimal. I understood that, I didn't take it personally. They were going a different direction and that is fine by me. There were other offers but I felt like this was it. I felt I could compete for a championship in Miami and I'd have a role on this team."
Ilgauskas' role has been to take over the starting center position. He's playing relatively well for the Heat.
Under Cavs doctors' orders, Ilgauskas did minimal workouts most summers during his career to save the stress on his feet. But knowing he was going to have to prove himself to a new team, Ilgauskas did extensive workouts in the off-season and was in Miami for several months getting ready. He reported to training camp with a tan and in excellent shape.
Playing pick-and-roll with James and new teammate Dwyane Wade, his mid-range jumper is as solid as ever as he's shooting a team-best 56 percent. On defense he's struggled at times, as he has for years, with quicker opposing big men. Last week, the Heat signed veteran center Erick Dampier to help out after forward Udonis Haslem went down with a serious foot injury.
At 9-8, the Heat are struggling and James isn't meshing well on the floor with Wade. Meanwhile coach Erik Spoelstra is on the hot seat as the Heat deal with intense media scrutiny.
But Ilgauskas is renting a waterfront home, has enrolled his two sons at a local school, and is trying to get settled in Miami. It isn't Cleveland, of course. But for now, Ilgauskas is focused on making it home.
He looks at every Cavs box score and keeps in regular contact with close friend Anderson Varjeao and some other players and staffers. But he's yet to watch the new-look Cavaliers play a game.
For now and including Thursday night, Cleveland is in his past.
"I appreciate Cleveland, it will always been a home to me," Ilgauskas said. "The fans have meant so much to me over the years and that will never change. But we happen to be on a different side of the barricade this time."
Brian Windhorst writes for ESPN.com with a focus on the Miami Heat.