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One can only wonder what Anderson Varejao's career would have been like had he not been hit by numerous injuries. The ebullient Brazilian has been limited to 31 or fewer games in four of the last five seasons. In 2015-16, a torn Achilles' tendon ended his season after just 26 games. He had been splitting time with Tristan Thompson and had averaged just 25 minutes. With all of the Cavaliers' offensive weapons, Varejao's numbers were modest. He provided 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He missed both of his three-point attempts and has only hit one long range shot in his career (in 2009-10). The 6-11 center hit 55.5 percent of his field goals, which was his highest mark since LeBron James left Cleveland. He also converted 73 percent from the free throw line. With Timofey Mozgov now on the squad, Varejao's role may return to his early career: that of an energetic defender off the bench. The Cavaliers signed him to an extension that runs through at least the next two seasons with a team option for a third, so he may be sticking around for a while (or possibly be trade bait to shore up other team needs).
Anderson Varejao is the only player on the Cavaliers' roster who is still in Cleveland from the last time LeBron James was in town. In the last four seasons, Varejao has put up some fine numbers when he has been on the court. The problem, of course, is that the Brazilian big man has been hurt again and again and only appeared in 81 games from 2010-11 through 2012-13. Last year, he managed to play in 65 games (starting 29). Varejao provided 8.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 28 minutes per game. He converted 50 percent of his field goals and 68 percent of his free throws. Varejao will be 32 years old in September, so coach David Blatt will likely need to ration his minutes throughout the season to keep him healthy. With Kevin Love on the team, Varejao will have another body down low to fight for all of the rebounds. Blatt should be able to give Varejao some rest when the Cavaliers go small and use Love as the center. Varejao's frenetic low-post defense will be very helpful to the team with their championship aspirations. He should provide good numbers in the rebound category and should have some, albeit limited, fantasy value.
Like his cartoon counterpart Sideshow Bob, Varejao seems to be restricted to cameo appearances each season. The talented but oft-injured big man has missed more than half the season each of the past three years, appearing in just 81 of 230 possible games. His 2012-13 season was cut short by a blood clot that limited him to 25 games. But when he was healthy in 2012-13, Varejao was performing at the highest level of his career. Varejao averaged 14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes per game last season – all career-high marks. He has already received clearance to take part in basketball activities and should be ready for the start of the season. Despite his apparent health, the injury concerns remain valid given his past struggles to stay out of street clothes. There could also be a minutes crunch in Cleveland's frontcourt this year with Varejao, Andrew Bynum, Anthony Bennett and Tristan Thompson all worthy of starting and battling for minutes at two positions. Even if he manages to stay healthy for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign, Varejao is bound to see his minutes, and as a result, his production drop from last year's rates. He remains a decent double-double option to target as frontcourt depth, but don't expect the career numbers he posted last season.
Prior to suffering a fractured wrist in February, Varejao was well on his way to putting together the best season of his career. Through 25 games, Varejao was a double-double machine, averaging career-highs in points (10.8) and rebounds (11.5). His percentages (51.4 FG, 67.2 FT) and block production (0.7) was pedestrian, but Varejao helped offset his mediocre categories by racking up 1.4 steals per game – an elite amount for a big man – and taking decent care of the ball (1.8 Turnovers). The Cavs have two young big men in Tyler Zeller and Tristan Thompson to build their frontcourt around in the future, but Varejao figures to still be one of the more prominent parts of the team for the 2012-13 season. His wrist injury is also no longer a concern, as Varejao played for Brazil in the Summer Olympics without any complications. While his skills don’t matchup to some of the more talented players at his position, Varejao is a smart player who often outhustles his opponents. He’ll play a prominent role on the Cavs again in 2012-13 and will be a good source of double-double production for fantasy squads.
Prior to suffering a season-ending torn tendon in his right leg, Varejao was quietly putting together a career year for the Cavs. In his 31 games, Varejao averaged personal bests in points (9.7), rebounds (9.1) and blocks (1.2). The main reason for his boost in production was an increase in playing time. After Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O’Neal both left town via free agency, Varejao was handed 32 minutes per game, which was easily the highest total of his career. Varjao underwent surgery to repair his torn tendon back in February. The original timetable for rehab was 3-4 months, so he should be back at full strength when training camps open. Cavs coach Byron Scott is a fan of Varejao’s high-energy play, and without any other legit center options on the roster, the 29-year-old Brazilian’s expanded role should carry over to the 2011-12 season. He’ll never be a big scorer, but with significant playing time in hand, Varejao is a nightly double-double threat while also providing serviceable defensive stats. Don’t hesitate to look his way late in drafts as you fill out your frontcourt.
The departures of LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas mean Cleveland's remaining frontcourt players will need to step up in a big way. That should mean an increased role for Varejao, though we're not absolutely certain that's a good thing. To date, Varejao has made his living as an energy player, grabbing boards, scoring on put-backs and harassing the opposition for around 28 minutes per night; it's not at all clear that he'll have the same impact if forced into playing starter's minutes.
Now that the contract issues are behind him and he has moved into the starting lineup, Varejao should improve on the nine double-doubles he logged last season. Varejao will contribute in four main categories; rebounds, steals, blocks and field-goal percentage, but he's no more than a role player for your fantasy team as any low-post offense will typically run through Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
After missing almost half the season from contract holdout and ankle injuries, he looks to play a more pivotal role in the Cavaliers rotation this season. He sat out the Olympics to ensure his body was ready for the long NBA season. Look for Varejao to continue his erratic defensive game, while being productive on the boards. In deeper leagues he is a player that won't necessarily hurt you, but he's not likely to be more than an occasional injury fill-in.
Varejao emerged last season as Mike Brown's go-to bench player, especially as a sub at center for older, slower Zydrunas Ilgauskas. In addition to providing a shot of energy that allowed the Cavs to quicken their tempo, Varejao impressed the defensive-minded Brown with his rebounding (6.7 per game) and willingness to take charges (99 on the season). Assuming the restricted free agent re-signs, Varejao will continue to figure heavily in the rotation, but the offensive numbers just aren't there for him to warrant serious fantasy consideration. Varejao is currently holding out for a contract extension.
After offseason shoulder surgery delayed his 2005-2006 season debut until January, Varejao finished the 2005-2006 season with an impressive showing against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Since then, it has been expected that coach Mike Brown would try to find a way to get Varejao more consistent minutes. Early indications are that the team would like to use him to run more high pick-and-rolls with LeBron James, the formula that enabled Varejao's postseason contributions, and have been installing plays to that effect. From January to April last season, his production increased in direct proportion to his playing time, until he finished the month of April having averaged 25.3 minutes, 7.9 points, and 8.6 total rebounds per game. The Cavs would like to see him improve his offensive production while playing him at least 20 minutes per game off the bench behind starter Drew Gooden. Newly-acquired PF/C Scot Pollard's minutes will likely come at someone else's expense because of the Cavaliers' hope in Varejao's potential.
Varejao is out five months after surgery for his dislocated shoulder. When he returns he will see very limited minutes for the suddenly deep Cavaliers.
The Cavs acquired the rights to Varejao along with Drew Gooden in a multi-player deal with Orlando over the summer. Gooden is expected to replace the departed Carlos Boozer at power forward and Varejao will serve as a backup. Bottom line: Varejao's main contribution this season will be keeping the bench warm.
Varejao is a very active, energetic forward who runs the floor, crashes the glass, dives for loose balls and is really all over the court. He's a good athlete, though not a great leaper. His offense is still pretty raw. He doesn't appear to be the type of guy who could ever average more than 10 ppg in the pros. He just doesn't have enough go to moves to score consistently in the league. The Spurs love Varejao and would probably take him with the 28th pick in the draft.
