Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejão Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers is one of the NBA’s most underrated performers. (Photo via Creative Commons)
The Cleveland Cavaliers signaled that their days of tanking were over when they signed a plethora of free agents signings — including the likes of Jarrett Jack and former NBA champion Andrew Bynum. However, among the signing of free agents and the drafting of two first-rounders in Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev remains a forgotten player. A player that — prior to injuries — was on course to be an All-Star.
I am, of course, talking about Brazilian center Anderson Varejão. The scraggy-haired hustler was leading the league in rebounds, averaging 14.4 boards a game, while also scoring a career-high 14.1 points per game. His PER was at 21.7. To put it in some context: Kyrie Irving’s was lower. In fact, so was Stephen Curry’s. Oh, and other players like Deron Williams and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The caveat with that statistic is the small sample size. As I mentioned earlier, it was only prior to injuries that Varejão looked like an All-Star caliber center. A sample size of 25 games probably isn’t enough to suggest that Varejão will be an All-Star center for years to come. But it shows he has the ability.
Dispelling the negatives
‘’BUT ALL HE CAN DO IS HUSTLE!’’
Not true. Sure, Andy can hustle with the best of them, but the way in which he has just improved his all-round game season-after-season is truly inspiring. Take the 2012-13 season, for example. Varejão turned into a reliable pick-and-pop option, making 41 percent of his jumpshots from 16 to 23 feet. This will only improve with time and will help spread the floor for a certain Mr. Kyrie Irving to wreak havoc in the paint.
‘‘ANDREW BYNUM IS SO MUCH BETTER’’
Sure, Andrew Bynum has silkier post moves. I get that. I really do. As a follower of the 76ers, I was relishing watching the former Laker dominate in the paint. But Andrew Bynum doesn’t put in the work that Big Andy does. He isn’t half the hustler on both ends of the floor. He isn’t someone you can trust will put their bodies on the line for, night in and night out. Varejão is that. And more. Just because he has a funny hairstyle and works very hard shouldn’t mean that his skill set should be overlooked. On the defensive end, he is a nightmare for opposing offenses. His hands are constantly disrupting opposition pick-and-rolls and his nimble footwork means he can adjust quickly to the play. He reads the game very, very quickly and provides sterling help defense. Varejão is someone that just won’t let you down. And when he is injured, he’ll be busting his gut to get back. The same can’t be said for Andrew Bynum.
‘‘HE’S SO INJURY PRONE’’
I fear I’m fighting a losing battle with this one. Anderson Varejão has picked up his fair share of injuries in the last few years. When I say fair share, I mean, he’s NEVER played 82 games of a season. It’s hard to argue with this, but what I will say is this — last season’s injury was a blood clot. It’s very hard to suggest that this is due to his injury-proneness. Let’s hope for his — and the Cavs’ — sake that he comes back ready to compete for a starting berth. There’s one thing he won’t lack: effort.
Final Thoughts
Hey, it’s September. We’re struggling to find things to write. But after looking through some of Anderson Varejão’s statistics, I felt that not enough people were talking about him. Yes, the Cavs landed Bynum, but Varejão is a much more reliable commodity. He also knows Mike Brown’s system inside-out. Expect Andy — if healthy — to be a genuine double-double threat night in and night out. I’d describe him as a poor man’s Joakim Noah, but he probably isn’t as far off as most people think. Let’s settle for Joakim Noah 2.0: The slightly worse version that sometimes breaks down.
[slider_pro id=”6″]