Dein erstes Forum » join Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Lakers we

CLEVELAND -- At 7-foot-3, Zydrunas Ilgauskas towered over everyone yet stayed completely down to earth. Soft-spoken and doggedly determined, Ilgauskas, who overcame serious injuries and personal tragedy to become one of Clevelands best and most beloved players, will have his No. 11 jersey retired Saturday night during an elaborate halftime ceremony certain to be emotionally poignant. The seventh player in team history to receive the honour, Ilgauskas joins Austin Carr, Nate Thurmond, Bobby "Bingo" Smith, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty and Mark Price in having his number raised to the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena. All of them have career credentials worthy of the tribute, but the celebration for Ilgauskas goes far beyond any statistics. "Throw basketball stuff out the window," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Hes a terrific human being." Ilgauskas will be joined at the celebration by his wife, Jennifer, and their adopted sons, Deividas and Povilas. Hell be surrounded by family members, friends, former coaches and teammates, including LeBron James, who was invited by Ilgauskas and wanted to support the player known simply as "Z." "Probably one of the most talented guys I ever played with," James said. Ilgauskas conquered career-threatening foot injuries to become a two-time NBA All-Star as well as the Cavs career leader in rebounds (5,904), games played (771) and blocks (1,269). Hes second on the scoring list, behind only James. A gentle giant off the floor, Ilgauskas accomplished it all through hard work, enduring endless hours of grueling rehab and treatment to fulfil a dream that began as a small boy playing soccer and volleyball in Lithuania. Ilgauskas spent 12 seasons with the Cavs, and for a long stretch of his tenure he was the only good thing about the franchise. That all changed when James arrived in 2003, and along with Ilgauskas -- an odd couple if there ever was one -- they led the Cavs to their only NBA finals appearance in 2007. One of the enduring moments in Cleveland sports over the last 30 years was James and Ilgauskas wrapping their arms around each other to celebrate the Cavs win over Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. After being traded, Ilgauskas followed James to Miami and played one season with the Heat. Ilgauskas retired in 2011, but returned to the Cavs the following year and has been working as a special assistant to the general manager. Hes always been special. Ilgauskas connected with Cleveland fans like few pro athletes. Big Z endeared himself with his perseverance, resilience, loyalty and a dry, self-deprecating sense of humour. Shortly after undergoing his second major foot surgery, Ilgauskas quipped he "had as much hardware as Home Depot" in his feet. The Cavs selected Ilgauskas with the 20th overall pick in 1996, and after a promising rookie season in 1997-98, he encountered the first of many medical obstacles. Shortly after signing a six-year, $71 million contract, he broke his left foot just five games into the 1998-99 season. It didnt heal properly and Ilgauskas sat out the entire 1999-2000 season. Ilgauskas seemed poised to become one of the leagues top centres, but felt a sharp pain in his left foot during a game in Miami. Ilgauskas took himself out, and broke down in the locker room after, knowing his playing days might be over at 25. After visiting foot specialists across the country, Ilgauskas underwent a risky operation to have his left foot radically reconstructed. He tortured himself during workouts to get back, and spent countless hours getting treatment on his feet, which required extensive icing before and after he played. It all paid off when Ilgauskas was named an All-Star reserve in 2003. There were other hardships, the most challenging in 2007 when he and Jennifer lost the twins she was carrying. Through it all, Ilgauskas was the consummate teammate. "Zs like a big brother to me," Cavs centre Anderson Varejao said. "He helped me a lot in this league, with everything, basketball, on the road. When I got here I didnt speak any English. He put me under his wing and took care of me. Hes a big part of my life." And in Cleveland, Ilgauskas has always been so much more than big. Omar Vizquel Jersey . Bach, a 59-year-old German lawyer, was elected Tuesday as president of the International Olympic Committee. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years. Bach, the longtime favourite, defeated five candidates in a secret ballot for the most influential job in international sports, keeping the presidency in European hands. J. P. Crawford Jersey .C. Lions 35-14, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday. Sheets recorded his ninth 100-yard rushing performance of the season to tie the Riders club record. https://www.cheapmariners.com/1405k-jake-fraley-jersey-mariners.html . - Alex Dostie scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Gatineau Olympiques to a 5-3 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action on Sunday. Jim Presley Mariners Jersey . -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. Art Warren Jersey . A police inspector told The Associated Press the crane operator is not yet suspected of any wrongdoing but is considered a key witness to the accident at the Arena Corinthians. Jeremy Lin is still on his way to the Los Angeles Lakers, even after the Houston Rockets failed to land coveted forward Chris Bosh in free agency. The Rockets still plan to execute the trade that will send the point guard to Los Angeles for cash, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday. The people requested anonymity because the trade has not been officially announced. Rockets GM Daryl Morey plunged into the free agent market with designs on adding a third star to play with James Harden and Dwight Howard. He made a brief overture to LeBron James and hosted Carmelo Anthony for a visit, but both of those efforts were rebuffed. While James mulled his future this week, Morey swung for the fences with a four-year max offer to Bosh, the versatile forward who was credited with being the defensive backbone during the Heats run to four straight NBA Finals. To create the salary cap room to make the offer, Morey reached an agreement to trade Lin, who will make about $15 million this season in the last year of a deal that counts only $8 million against the cap, to the Lakers, who have the cap room to absorb Lins contract without sending much back in return. When James chose to return to Cleveland on Friday, the path appeared to be clearing for the Texas-born Bosh to join up with the Rockets and vault them into contender status in the powerful Western Conference. But Heat President Pat Riley quickly recovered from James rejection and convinced Bosh to stay in Miami with a whopping five-year, $118 million offer. The bold move left the Rockets on the outside looking in again, but Morey had no second thoughts aboutt dumping Lin, who didnt mesh well playing in the same backcourt with the equally aggressive Harden.dddddddddddd The deal allows Morey to stay in the hunt for other stars on the market, like Cleveland free agent Luol Deng. He also could use the extra room because valuable small forward Chandler Parsons has signed a three-year, $46 million offer sheet to join the Dallas Mavericks. Morey has until Sunday night to decide if he will match the offer to keep Parsons in Houston or allow him to join Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Lakers were able to get their hands on a talented point guard who gives them a different dimension at the position and could help ease the scoring burden on Bryant, who only played in six games last year because of injury. Lin earned his big contract with the Rockets thanks to a fantastic midseason run with the New York Knicks in 2012, when the "Linsanity" phenomenon was born. Hes the kind of dynamic, shoot-first point guard that has become more and more popular in the league over the last few seasons, which should help the Lakers, who have pass-first Kendall Marshall and the oft-injured Steve Nash on the roster as well. Lin averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists last season, but he lost his starting job alongside the defensively deficient Harden because coach Kevin McHale preferred Patrick Beverleys tenacity on that end of the floor. But with Bryant likely needing some time to ease back into things after missing almost all of last season and gifted offensive big man Pau Gasol likely on his way out, Lin will provide some much-needed offensive punch to a rebuilding Lakers roster. ' ' '