The day the Cavaliers got Zydrunas Ilgauskas back from a bad sprain that caused a chipped bone, they learned guard Tarence Kinsey will be out 3-5 weeks with a severe ankle injury of his own.

Kinsey violently rolled his right ankle in the fourth quarter in Orlando on Thursday night, and MRI scans at the Cleveland Clinic on Friday revealed a moderate ankle sprain. In a way, it was good news the injury wasn't more severe. Kinsey was in intense pain and couldn't put weight on it.

Though he only averaged four minutes in 30 games, Kinsey's loss will be felt somewhat. He had carved out a role with Delonte West out when the Cavs played small lineups. At 6-7, coach Mike Brown went to him when opponents used an abundance of perimeter players.

Over the past four games, Kinsey had averaged 5.5 points on 8-of-14 shooting and played effective defense.

"We have one guy come back, and we have another guy go down," LeBron James said. "T.K. was giving us great minutes and starting to get comfortable with his role and knowing what he needed to do to stay on the court. Hopefully, somebody else will pick it up."

Z's odd return: Ilgauskas' return took an unusual path this week, and no one seemed to be giving complete answers about it.

On Monday, Ilgauskas said he wanted to come back against the Magic. Brown said it would be his decision when Ilgauskas came back, and Brown decided it would be Friday, ostensibly because he didn't want Ilgauskas to return right into a back-to-back situation. Not wanting to test the ankle against the likes of Dwight Howard is understandable, though that reasoning was not discussed publicly.

The option of playing against the powerhouse Magic and sitting out against one of the worst teams in the league, the Clippers, apparently was not considered.

"Once I start playing him, if I can help it, I don't want to sit him down," Brown said.

Yet, Ilgauskas still traveled to Orlando, making him take a late flight back with the team, not to play. He also was not on the sidelines during the game and watched the game in the locker room because he had not brought a jacket to meet NBA dress code standards. That indicated he wasn't planning on just watching.

"It wasn't my decision, but in the end it is probably the smart decision," Ilgauskas said. "It's hard to come back after missing a month, period, much less on a back-to-back. I don't think that makes sense. If you come back, you come back."

Goodfella ref: Brown had to be restrained in the third quarter Friday when official Bob Delaney gave him a technical foul.

The coach might have gotten a little more aggressive but realized who he was dealing with. Delaney used to be an undercover agent who infiltrated the New Jersey mob, a story he told in a book that came out last year.

"He's an ex-cop and knows people in the mob so, no, I wasn't really going after him," Brown said. "I don't mess with that."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166