Cavaliers coach John Lucas said he wants center Zydrunas Ilgauskas next season to have an ``MVP-type year.'' As for this season, how about the NBA Sixth Man Award?

Lucas said yesterday that he might bring Ilgauskas, who played his first game Tuesday in nearly a year after recovering from yet another foot surgery, off the bench for an extended period.

``I'm not so certain I want to start Z,'' Lucas said. ``I'd like to back-load the number of minutes that I play him rather than front-load him.''

Lucas now is allowed to play Ilgauskas only about 24 minutes a game. Ilgauskas suffered a broken left foot last December not long after he had played games of 35, 36 and 37 minutes. Cavs officials can't say for sure that the extended minutes were the reason he broke down, but they're not in a hurry to find out whether it happens again.

After missing the first 17 games, Ilgauskas had a solid debut in a 100-88 win over Detroit. He scored 11 points and blocked two shots in 16 minutes. Lucas could have used Ilgauskas, who took a seat for good with 8:31 remaining, later in the game. But he wasn't needed, as the Cavs closed the game with a 17-4 run.

Lucas said on Monday, when Ilgauskas was activated, that he eventually would start this season. But after seeing how he looked off the bench against the Pistons, it's no longer a certainty.