The trainer's table giveth; the trainer's table taketh away.

On Friday night, the Cavaliers will once again be without the services of starting center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas - shelved for the second time this season with a sprained left ankle that he suffered contesting a Donyell Marshall three-point attempt on December 12.

Ilgauskas hasn't quite been himself since returning to the lineup. He came back with a bang - going off for 23 points in a December 19 win in Denver. But since then, his highest scoring output has been 11 points and he hasn't grabbed double-digit boards. The Large Lithuanian was being evaluated at the Clinic after Friday morning's shootaround. He is listed as day-to-day.

Ilgauskas' production has diminished recently, but it's not all the big man's doing. The Cavaliers have attempted 27 three-pointers per contest over the last three. Two of those games were wins, but all three were a struggle, and all against teams weaker than Cleveland in the post.

Anderson Varejao will get the start in place of Ilgauskas. The Wild Thing's been great this season, but he doesn't give the Cavaliers what Z does - especially in floor-spacing. Andy's jumper has improved, but he's not the perimeter threat that his favorite teammate is. And Varejao in the starting lineup obviously weakens Cleveland's bench.

On the positive side of the injury update, Wally Szczerbiak returns to the lineup after missing the home-and-home series with Miami. Szczerbiak had been suffering from knee contusions and needed a couple games off. His return doesn't cause a seismic shift in the rotation, but Coach Mike Brown is glad to get him back.

"When (Wally)'s playing, we have a nice little rhythm with our rotation," said Brown. "He's a guy that allows us to go small and still have a physical presence. Wally's a guy that plays very physical on both ends of the floor and it doesn't matter who he's guarding, he's going to stick his nose in and try to ruffle some feathers."

Mike Brown will have to adjust his rotation once again on Friday night and possibly on Sunday afternoon in the nation's capital. Of course, that shouldn't be a big problem for the reigning Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.

On Friday, for just the second time in his career - (how is that possible?) - Brown was named the East's top coach. In December, Brown led the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 12-2 (.857) record. The Cavaliers are off to their best start in franchise history and remain the only undefeated team at home this season.

During the month, Cleveland led the NBA in point differential (13.0) and held their opponents to an NBA-low 85.9 points per game while ranking second in opponent field goal percentage (42.6) and third in opponent rebounding (37.9).

Of course, Brown handled the award with his usual modesty and selflessness.

"(Awards) are nice to have, but I'm just fortunate to be with a terrific bunch of guys - a great coaching staff and a great team. So, although it may have my name on it - it's a team thing for me."