Wark works his magic and brings Z in. It’s unlikely but it would be soooo sweet.

“Z has not made up his mind where he will play,‘’ Rudoy wrote. "He is giving it a lot of thought.’’

The only thing Ric Bucher and Chris Broussard like to do more than report on the NBA is argue about the NBA. So we decided to combine those two skills in our weekly One-on-One series, in which they’ll debate the hottest topics in the Association. Today they deal with the 30-day rule, in which a traded player who is subsequently waived can re-sign with his old team after 30 days.

QUESTION: Is the 30-day rule fair?

Bucher: It doesn’t surprise me that our man from Cleveland and LeBron’s BFF would argue in favor of this rule, seeing as it allowed the Cavs to acquire Antawn Jamison from the Wizards for the 30th draft pick and a one-month vacation for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who will mostly likely come back to Cleveland ASAP now that the Wizards have bought him out. I don’t like that league rules have made it so arduous to make deals, but keeping this loophole is not the way to do it. This is a professional league, not a library. There are myriad rules about trading draft picks, cash, newly signed or excessively compensated players, all of them meant to protect the competitive balance of the league from the rich owners who would buy a title and the poor ones who would hock their fans’ dreams of one. Why have any rules if you’re going to allow one that undercuts all the others?

Broussard: All the hubbub about this rule was typical gamesmanship by Phil Jackson. Jackson called it "weird’ that Ilgauskas will be able to go back to Cleveland in 30 days and now much of the national media, including my gullible friend Mr. Bucher, have fallen for Jackson’s latest Zen mind-tease.

Bucher: It’s not gamesmanship unless there’s some advantage to be earned. What was to be gained by Phil complaining?

Broussard: There most certainly was a potential advantage to be earned: 1) The league could step in and deny Ilgauskas the right to return to Cleveland (I know it won’t happen, but that could have been Phil’s motivation); 2) The Wizards could have tired of hearing how they’re giving the Cavs a championship and decided not to buy out Ilgauskas; and 3) The league gets rid of the rule in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Bucher: There isn’t anything in the rules to prevent Z from going back to Cleveland — but there should be. It’s cap circumvention, plain and simple, a deep-pockets team taking advantage of a team in the midst of an ownership change and a front office trying to create a blank slate for the new guy. Why not just allow playoff teams to buy players outright from lottery teams looking to make a buck? This is basically the same thing. All the league’s trade rules were created to assure equitable trades and I know you’re not such a Cavs homer that you’d suggest the 30th pick for Antawn is an even exchange.

Broussard: Where was the outcry when Detroit traded Antonio McDyess to Denver last season only to re-sign him in 30 days? You hardly heard a peep about it then. It’s not surprising that the two teams that have cried about the rule — Boston and the Lakers — are among those with the most to lose by an Ilgauskas return to Cleveland. Let’s face it: Loopholes are as American as apple pie, and sometimes even the "Mistake on the Lake’’ gets to benefit from them.

Bucher: I’m pretty sure the Cavs weren’t happy that Detroit could trade McDyess to Denver and get him back despite the fact that Cleveland offered him more money and was rejected. Besides, there’s a rule against trading a player back to the same team that already traded him in a season. This is a direct contradiction to that rule. How can that be OK? I’ve talked to a team not even in the playoffs that is angry because the league assured everyone it wouldn’t allow such deals to take place anymore. Fact is, the league legally can’t stop such moves now. But I guarantee you it will in the next collective bargaining agreement. And then owner Dan Gilbert, whether he likes it or not, will take his place right next to one of his predecessors, Ted Stepien, who had a loophole closed in his honor as well.

Broussard: I agree with you, the league will definitely kill this loophole in the new CBA. But what people are overlooking is that it’s not as cut and dried as it seems. While the Cavs certainly hoped the Wizards would buy out Z, we know there was no agreement made prior to the trade because the league hasn’t found evidence of one and because these two teams aren’t exactly the best of friends. That being the case, even thought Washington cut Z, it doesn’t mean he’ll automatically land with the Cavs. Another club could swoop in and offer Z more money than Cleveland can. Seeing that three of the teams with reported interest in Z are all conference contenders (Dallas, Denver, Atlanta), there’s the chance of his going to one of them. Also, even before he gets to sign elsewhere, he could be claimed off waivers.

Bucher: Talk about gullible. Zydrunas spent a couple hours in Washington and then flew back to his home in Cleveland. The buyout was done before this debate was even finished. He can’t be claimed off waivers because no one has $11 million in cap room to take his contract. He has no more chance of going anywhere other than Cleveland than McDyess had of going anywhere other than back to the Motor City, even though the same talk about “other suitors” and McDyess being “upset” was floated. That charade has to be acted out or the league would potentially have evidence of a pre-existing deal to squash him going back — and that, not Phil squawking, is what it would take to stop it.

Broussard: I realize that all of those scenarios are unlikely, but that’s largely because of Z’s affinity for Cleveland. In the likely event that Z winds up back with the Cavs, this was kind of like the perfect storm for them. I mean, how often is a guy with such a huge expiring contract, who has been with the franchise his entire career, who is completely committed to the team and city, able to be traded for an All-Star who could put the team over the top? As unfair as the rule may seem in this case, it’s not very often that it happens to this degree (where it could have title implications).

Bucher: That’s just not true. It happened with McDyess, Brent Barry and now Z — all going back to title-contending teams at the time. The dichotomy between the haves and have-nots in the league is greater than ever, and with a struggling economy, your perfect storm is set up to be an unabated monsoon.

Broussard: This particular trade has more impact than the ones you mentioned. Detroit "risked’’ losing McDyess to get Allen Iverson. That move had no championship implications for Detroit (though it certainly helped Denver), and San Antonio got Kurt Thomas for Barry. Neither of those moves can be equated to the Cavs getting a 20-point, 8-rebound guy like Jamison.

And finally, the team in the Cavs’ position also risks disrupting chemistry. It will take Cleveland coach Mike Brown a while to figure out his rotation now that Jamison is aboard. Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson are seeing their minutes decline. Then, once Brown gets his club fully acclimated to having Jamison, Ilgauskas will be back, once again throwing the rotation into question with just about a month left before the playoffs begin. So, while this was clearly a coup for Cleveland, there are potential hazards along the way.

But i wouldn’t turn down “Big Z”! I doubt he will leave Cleveland, BUT seeing how they did him in a trade, i hope he sees how loyal they really are to him. He wants to win a championship. He wants more valuable minutes. He plays D, he is huge on the boards… Why is he not here already! A smarter, but slower Camby!

historically against Pao and Dirk? Have Pao and Dirk struggled in the past when playing the Cavs?

I don’t see Z coming to Denver, a team that has beaten the Cavs several times and surely isn’t liked much by the Cavs players/fans…. though if it really just comes down to $$ then who knows… maybe we can offer him more than Clev. can, but i’d imagine Cuban would be more willing to spend than Stan would…

IF denver lands the Z man i can see wark winning the executive of the year award again.

That he’s going to sign with Cleveland…. again…

ugh…