Red Sox Patriots Celtics Bruins ... Basketball Cavaliers pleased with trio of free agents Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry, left, and coach Mike Brown discuss player, team and free agent issues Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2005, at Gund Arena in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Scott R. Galvin) August 2, 2005 CLEVELAND The Cleveland Cavaliers really wanted to make an impression on free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas. So, owner Dan Gilbert and coach Mike Brown traveled to Los Angeles International Airport just to see Ilgauskas and his wife off as the couple left for a long trip through Asia. Apparently it worked. The Cavaliers announced contract agreements Tuesday with Ilgauskas and free agents Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall. It was general manager Danny Ferry's idea to have Gilbert and Brown, who were attending the NBA's summer league in Las Vegas, travel to Los Angeles to meet with Ilgauskas. Brown said Gilbert was stopped for extra screening at a security checkpoint, and the two purchased one-way, first-class tickets just to get to the terminal where Ilgauskas was departing. "He was stunned to see myself and majority owner Dan Gilbert walking up with a balloon and roses," Brown said. "It showed him we all cared about him being a Cleveland Cavalier next year." | |
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