Espn’s John Hollinger tracks his own stats, and his efficiency rating lists Ilgauskas as the fifth best center in the NBA (after Ming, Bosh, Gasol, and Duncan). Zig plays easily the fewest miutes per game of any of them.

ESPN.com has its own rating system, and it rates Ilgauskas as the 53rd best player (not center) in the NBA, and the best who averages fewer than 30 minutes a game.

82games.com’s Roland Ratings has Ilgauskas as the 26th best NBA player (not center) with a +7.2 rating (through 3/27). His PER difference would rank him the 24th best NBA player this season (again, through March 27th).

Simply using the core stats, ESPN.com rates Ilgauskas as the NBA’s 5th best center by points per game, the tenth best center in the NBA by field goal percentage, the second best by free throw percentage, the 12th best rebounder, the fifth best offensive rebounder, the 13th best passer, the 14th WORST at turnovers, the 12th best shot blocker, the sixth WORST at fouls, and the 20th best at steals per game.

He is a two-time All Star (most recently last year).

Second, much like the 17-65 team, this team doesn’t require a “top-5 center.” No, what it requires is a point guard and some bench players that can actually play. I don’t see how the four years and $50 million remaining on Ilgauskas’ contract, or whatever it is, lend much assistance in that regard.

About the only similarities between AV and Z are that they both accumulate fouls quicker than the Knicks accumulate losses.

In almost every way, Z is better than AV. And there is no one available to replace Z’s offensive production. Go back and look at the list Mike typed out. There are no slouches at the 4/5 spot. AV, at least right now, is a slouch. Z, at the worst, is less of a slouch than AV.

I have always been frustrated watching Z, because he’ll bring a great game for 3-4 games, and then go AWOL for 3-4 after that, and he fouls too much, and he plays small instead of big, etc. But he’s still a top-5 center.

Don’t you understand this?

I bet you are.

You are just plain foolish if you can’t see how good LeBron is and what he does for the team. So he threw a pass to an open man for the game winner and the open man missed the shot. What’s he supposed to do, force a shot at MSG where even Alan Tucker knows Bron won’t get a call (not in the final seconds of a one possession game)?

Do you think Dwayne Wade is better? Did you check out the epic contest a few Saturday’s ago? See whose team won? LeBron deserves the MVP. Not giving it to him would be a joke. Just like giving Jamal Crawford the Eastern Conference Player of the week this week over James was. As for Iveson’s mama, she might not have had a run-in with the cops, but she has spent up all of her baby’s money. At one point her spending sprees were costing Iverson 250 grr a month before Iverson’s agent at the time, David Faulk, stepped in to stop the madness Why else to you think the Iverson is hosting lame parties for Budweiser in every city he goes?

- I was mistaken on Marion’s height. I thought he was bigger. I also called Brian Cook Brian Grant. Definitely a slip up.

- I called Ben Wallace a good player. I didn’t spend too much time on him because I was grouping him with Shaq there, an elite center on an elite team. I brought up Rasheed Wallace just to show how a very good power forward can even cover up some weaknesses in a very good center’s game, not to group Ben Wallace with Nazr Mohammed.

- The problem is, Ben Wallace is not leaving Detroit. He fired his agent, because he didn’t want to pay a guy 4 percent to work out his contract when he already knew where he was going to be playing. Even if the Cavs had money to burn, Wallace isn’t leaving Detroit.

- Just like Shaq isn’t leaving Miami. Just like Duncan isn’t leaving San Antonio, Brand isn’t leaving the Clippers, Gasol isn’t leaving Memphis, and Howard isn’t leaving Orlando.

- Jermaine O’Neal and Kevin Garnett may be available, but I don’t think the Cavs have the package to bring them here.

- That’s two more comments, with not a single player suggested to fill Z’s role on the team. This mythical available player that can come in and fit perfectly with this team doesn’t exist. And that was always my point.

And again, Larry is right. Ilgauskas’ offensive game operates in a vacuum. It’s why his stats remain the same no matter if it’s on a 17-game winner, or it’s on a 48-game winner. He operates alone. He is not a player that makes the other individuals on the team better. Defenses collapse on Ilgauskas, and if he doesn’t force a shot, he’ll get a turnover. Thus, in a playoff series, where teams can recognize and focus upon this fatal weakness time and time again, there is no way for Brown to adjust. The only viable option is to not pass to him, or, in the alternative, to simply sit him. But the playoffs are the entire reason for playing the regular season, isn’t it?

Having a presence in the post is crucial in the playoffs, as you note. When defenses tighten up, nothing opens up the floor more than a guy who can draw double teams near the rim then pass to a cutter or three point shooter. The Rockets built a two time championship club with that as pretty much their only play.

But that’s where the important differences come in between Illgauskus and the championship players you list. While Shaq and Duncan are very good at finding an open man when the defense collapses on them, Illgauskus is not, as Alan points out quite often. Z is more likely to toss up a crazy looking hook or scoop shot.

It’s true that good post players are hard to come by and Gooden wouldn’t draw the attention or pass out of double teams like Shaq, Duncan or Olajuwon. LeBron, however, would be exceptional in that role.

I can’t help but point out that you’re also playing a little fast and loose with some of your player characterizations. For example, I wouldn’t call guys like Chris Mihm and Brendan Haywood “run, rebound and defense” types, Dirk Nowitzki a great post player, Ben Wallace “not very good” or Shawn Marion 6′10″.

First off, Z did take a pay cut, because he was making over $15 Million last year, and this year he’s making no more than $12 Million (5 years, $60 Million). Any way you look at it, he’s making less money this year than last, and that’s a pay cut. You can make a case that he didn’t take “less money” to stay with the Cavs, but you can’t argue with the fact that he took a pay cut.

And I find it funny that everyone says “Any decent center can play the role of center on this team. If that center can run, rebound and play defense, then it’s a definite upgrade. Particularly run.” It’s funny because no one ever floats out a name to fill that description. Do you want Nazr Mohammed, he of the career 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game? Jamaal Magloire, at 9.5 and 7.8?

Bear with me, because I’m making a point. Let’s look at the teams with a viable chance of winning the championship this year, and their centers. That would be:

EAST

Detroit: Ben Wallace

Miami: Shaquille O’Neal

New Jersey: Nenad Krstic

Cleveland: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

WEST

San Antonio: Nazr Mohammed

Phoenix: Tim Thomas

Dallas: Eric Dampier

Denver: Marcus Camby

Look at that list. On it is one Hall-of-Famer (O’Neal), one good “run, rebound and play defense” guy (Wallace), three really mediocre “run, rebound and play defense” guys in Thomas, Dampier, and Mohammed, a guy that is slower and softer than Z in Krstic, and a guy too small to play center in Camby (who is constantly hurt and weights 20 pounds less than LeBron James). The point is, there are not a lot of quality big men in the league, and the Cavs have one of the better ones.

Someone might be wonder, however, how teams with these inferior centers are still able to be legitimate championship contenders. The answer is simple: they play with superior power forwards, guys that are big enough to post up and be effective on the offensive end, and are still able to provide good help defense. Mohammed has Tim Duncan, Dampier has Dirk Nowitzki, and Thomas had (for 2 games) Amare Stoudemire, and still has 6-10 Shawn Marion picking up his slack. Even Ben Wallace has Rasheed Wallace to cover up for his offensive ineptitude. These great power forwards cover up the fact that the centers aren’t very good.

And if the Cavs had a great power forward, maybe I would think of moving Z. But they don’t. They have some really average power forwards. What happens when one of these “run, rebound and play defense” centers is on a team without a good inside presence? Look no further than the Milwaukee Bucks, with the aforementioned Jamaal Magloire. He is having a good year, averaging 9.4 points and 9.6 rebounds a game. His numbers are actually better than guys like Mohammed and Thomas. So, if that kind of center is all you need, the Bucks should be a pretty good team right? They’re not. While they may end up the as 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, they are currently 37-40, and need to win the rest of their games to finish above .500.

And it’s not just the Bucks. The Lakers have “run, rebound and play defense” guys in Chris Mihm and Brian Grant. The NO/OK Hornets have one in P.J. Brown. The Wizards have Brendan Haywood. These guys are not carrying their teams to the next level, and they wouldn’t be helping Cleveland win any championships, unless they’re bringing Dwight Howard with them.

Okay, last part, let’s look at the teams that have won the NBA championships for the last decade, and the post presence on that team. We have:

2005: San Antonio - Tim Duncan

2004: Detroit - Ben and Rasheed Wallace

2003: San Antonio - Duncan and David Robinson

2002: LA Lakers - Shaquille O’Neal

2001: LA Lakers - O’Neal

2000: LA Lakers - O’Neal

1999: San Antonio - Duncan and Robinson

1998: Chicago - Dennis Rodman

1997: Chicago - Rodman

1996: Chicago - Rodman

Lets see here. Five of the last ten Champions were teams that had one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in the post (Robinson and O’Neal). Three of them had the best rebounder of the modern era (Rodman), not mention the greatest player in the history of the game in Michael Jordan, and another top 50 player in Scottie Pippen. And the other two still had the Wallaces and Duncan. Sounds like a trend to me. And while I like Drew Gooden, he doesn’t exactly fit this mold. Maybe Z doesn’t either, but the implication that the Cavs will be successful with a Drew Gooden-level player as their primary post option doesn’t hold water. You need to have an exceptional post presence to win the NBA Championship. In re-signing Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavs did the best they could to keep that All-Star caliber post player.

So there it is. You need a very good post presence to win an NBA Championship. You probably need a great one. Maybe Z is good enough, maybe he’s not. But for the last time, anyone who suggests that the Cavs would be a better team with a “run, rebound and defend” center, without also upgrading the power forward position to an All-Star caliber player, is speaking from ignorance.

Z is the best post player that the Cavs could get. Great post players just don’t change teams. I think he’s a very good, hardworking player, and I love cheering for him. I just hope, like all of us, that he’s good enough to help LeBron James finally bring that championship to Cleveland. Because a better one is not likely to be coming around any time soon.