Q: How many years would you say Zydrunas Ilgauskas has left with the Cavaliers? He seems to be aging and the Cavs don’t have a dominant center to follow when Big Z leaves town. Do you see Cleveland picking up a big man this offseason?
— Kurtis Mills, Keene, N.H.

A: Zydrunas has one year left, which is how much time he has left on his contract, at $11.5 million.

Then common sense says he retires, because his lack of mobility essentially mitigates any advantage he provides with his height.

The Cavaliers don't have a dominant center even with Zydrunas in the lineup. Dwight Howard clearly displayed the difference.

If Ben Wallace follows through on talk of retiring (although a buyout is the most likely outcome), then Cleveland will have no choice but to go to market for a center. That could be exacerbated if Anderson Varejao opts out and seeks greater riches in the free-agent market.

Foremost, Danny Ferry might regret not throwing Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract into last February's discussions with the Suns regarding Shaquille O'Neal. Now Szczerbiak is a free agent and the Suns have little need to match money, with O'Neal heading into the final year of his Phoenix contract.

O'Neal, however, has a way of getting what he wants, and if there can't be a union with Mark Cuban in Dallas, then he could push to ride LeBron's coattails next season as he did with Dwyane Wade in winning the 2006 championship with the Heat.

The problem for the Cavaliers is that to be a player in the 2010 free-agent market, when it is clear that LeBron will opt out, they can't take on much money this summer that extends beyond next summer.

Q: I can’t remember anyone becoming more irrelevant after a trade than what happened with Allen Iverson this season. Is A.I. finished?
— Marc E., Princeton, N.J.

A: Good, insightful point, Marc. The fade has been rapid and dramatic.

The problem is Iverson is as unique a fit as there is in the NBA. He is a point guard who thinks shot first and who needs to shoot often.

When Iverson drove the 76ers to the NBA finals, in his finest NBA moment, Larry Brown surrounded him with offensive rebounders such as Dikembe Mutombo, Ty Hill and George Lynch, who would crash the boards and clean up Iverson's misses.

The issue, as Denver and Detroit have come to learn, is you can't fit Allen into a system. He is the system.

But at 34, Iverson no longer is a franchise player.

Joe Dumars thought he could buy a year with Iverson's expiring contract last season in Detroit, but Iverson couldn't deal with the reality that Rodney Stuckey meant more to the Pistons' future.

So what's next for Iverson? Probably a small, one-year deal with a really bad team looking to sell tickets. Welcome to Sacramento, A.I. Or welcome to the Clippers. Or welcome to New Jersey to serve as a carnival act after the Nets unload Vince Carter's onerous deal and buy time until Brooklyn becomes a reality.

The chances of Iverson being a difference-maker at this point of his career are minimal.

Q: Last week you talked about the Kings' chances of improvement in the near future. What's your take on the Pacers?
— SFA51, Indianapolis.

A: As I pointed out a few weeks back, I don't see much in the way of the future for the Pacers as presently constituted.

In fact, it has been interesting in recent days how there is a sense than even coach Jim O'Brien doesn't exactly have a complete sense of security.

Beyond Danny Granger, who is the second best Pacer? If it's Troy Murphy or Mike Dunleavy Jr. or T.J. Ford or Marquis Daniels, then you're not a very good team.

And it's not as if the lottery is going to provide anything close to instant answers.

It would be very difficult to envision a climb back into the playoffs next season, what with Washington and Charlotte expected to make strides to potentially crash that group.

Even more humbling is the reality that there is practically no way to clear space to become a player in 2010 free agency. That's when New York and Toronto can make their strides.

The Pacers currently stand as an early candidate for worst in the East in 2009-10, and possibly beyond.

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