Guard Delonte West got his tests at the Cleveland Clinic and his MRI confirmed the nondisplaced fracture in his right wrist he suffered Thursday in Chicago. He will not need surgery, but the Cavs will likely be without him for five to six weeks, or until after next month's All-Star break. Though not unexpected, that served as the bad news of the day.

Typically, wrist injuries like West's need about a month to heal before rehab work can begin, which is how the Cavs' doctors likely constructed the timeline. Earlier this season, Cavs rookie Darnell Jackson missed just over a month with a similar injury.

The good news came from Baltimore, where center Zydrunas Ilgauskas traveled to be seen at Mercy Medical Center by renowned foot specialist Dr. Mark Myerson. It was Myerson who saved Ilgauskas' career eight years ago by rebuilding his left foot after multiple breaks. After taking a look at a fresh MRI of Ilgauskas' left ankle fracture, Myerson cleared Ilgauskas to start rehabbing next week.

If there are no setbacks, there is a good chance Ilgauskas could be back by the end of the month. For the first time Friday he was out of his walking boot as he missed his seventh consecutive game and 10th overall since injuring the ankle Dec. 10.

Guard Sasha Pavlovic made his first start of the season in place of West against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night. Pavlovic has started for spurts in each of his five seasons with the Cavs and has been inconsistent. Cavs coach Mike Brown made the decision in part to keep his rotation in some order and keep guards Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak coming off the bench.

"I'm going to give [Pavlovic] an opportunity," Brown said. "He's started for us in the past."

Dribbles: Forward Ben Wallace returned against the Hornets after missing two games recovering from the flu. . . . The Cavs will not play at home again until Jan. 27 as they clear out for a four-game West Coast trip during the AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which will take over The Q. . . . The teams wore throwback uniforms Friday, the Cavs wearing their gold jerseys with wine trim from the 1970s and the Hornets wearing the jerseys of the New Orleans Buccaneers, who played in the ABA from 1967 to '70 before becoming the Memphis Pros.

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