LeBron James

LeBron James will be back in the lineup Friday night in Philadelphia after missing two games to heal his body.

James said he is looking forward to coming back and is glad he was able to get a week of rest.

“I’m always a guy who wants to play every game, but I think now looking back it was definitely the right decision to give the injuries I had some rest,” James said.

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Antawn Jamison

Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison has left Cleveland’s game against San Antonio in the third quarter with stiffness behind his left knee.

The Cavaliers provided a vague update on Jamison, who was recently acquired in a trade with Washington.

Jamison did not appear to injure himself but walked gingerly to the locker room before being evaluated by Cleveland’s medical staff.

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Photo by Keith Allison

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has announced his intentions to rejoin the Cavaliers and has asked agent Herb Rudoy to begin negotiations with the Cavs on March 22, the first date he can do so.

“It is Zydrunas’ desire to return to the Cavaliers if a suitable contract can be agreed upon,” Rudoy said in an e-mail sent to reporters.

“He has been overwhelmed and deeply touched by the outpouring of support and affection by the fans and by his teammates. He hopes to return to bring a championship to the Cavaliers and to the city of Cleveland.”

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A few days old, but one can not help but watch this clip over and over again…

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LeBron James

LeBron James told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he has filed the necessary paperwork with the NBA to change his jersey number from 23 to 6 next season.

“I’ve done it,” James said. “I already sent it in. I’m going to be number 6.”

James’ decision may prompt another round of speculation about the superstar’s impending free-agency. The number on his jersey may be different but what about the city name?

If James were to sign with a team other than the Cavs this off-season, he would not need to submit an application to switch jersey numbers. The request James filed is only needed if he remains in Cleveland next season.

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Shaquille O'Neal

Suddenly, the possibility of LeBron James leaving at the end of the season is not the Cavaliers’ only problem.

Shaquille O’Neal will undergo surgery Monday to repair his injured right thumb and could miss the rest of the season.

The Cavs will have to adjust to life without their big man starting tonight against the Knicks.

O’Neal was diagnosed yesterday at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, where he learned he will need the surgery.

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Zydrunas Ilgauskas

A Mavericks representative said on Sunday that agent Herb Rudoy informed the team that Zydrunas Ilgauskas intends to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

Rudoy has repeatedly insisted that Ilgauskas will not make a firm decision until next week.

NBA rules dictate that Ilgauskas must wait 30 days before re-signing with Cleveland, who traded him to Washington for Antawn Jamison earlier this month.

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Zydrunas Ilgauskas

The Wizards and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas completed a buyout agreement on Thursday and the Hawks wasted no time making a pitch to sign the soon-to-be free agent.

“Once he clears waivers and becomes a free agent [on Monday], hopefully he will consider us,” Hawks general manager Rick Sund said. “We talked to his agent [Herb Rudoy]. He knows we are interested, as are a couple other teams.”

Ilgauskas has long been expected to re-sign with the Cavaliers, who traded him to the Wizards last week.

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Darnell Jackson

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Danny Green and forward Darnell Jackson to the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League.

Green has played in 13 games for the Cavaliers this season and has averaged 2.5 points on .480 shooting and 0.7 rebounds in 5.2 minutes per game.

Jackson has averaged 0.8 points on .348 shooting and 0.8 rebounds in 4.0 minutes per game in 23 games.

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Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the Washington Wizards agreed to a buyout Wednesday evening, according to a league source. The buyout will save the Wizards just over $1M.

Ilgauskas is expected to sign with the Cavaliers 30 days after the date he was traded, but he will also receive offers from Atlanta, Denver and Dallas.

Reports claim that he will especially listen to offers from the Nuggets and Mavericks.

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