Solutions for NBA tanking and Jim Thome wants to play: While We’re Waiting
March 6, 2014D’Qwell Jackson follows Chud, T-Rich to Indianapolis Colts
March 6, 2014The date was July 8, 2004. It was a Thursday night, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were reeling. It seemed impossible, yet the outcome was simultaneously probable. Some would argue even likely. The Cavaliers took a major risk, and they were burned in a big way.
It was that Thursday night when restricted free agent Carlos Boozer informed the Cavaliers that despite their wink-wink arrangement, he had verbally agreed to an offer sheet with the Utah Jazz. To this day there remains plenty of blame to go around to everyone involved, but the simple fact is that Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson didnât have to let it come to this.
It was a move that GMs around the league shook their heads at, one of the dumbest gambles you could ever make. Paxson put his job on the line to vouch that Carlos Boozer was an honorable man of his word. Unfortunately for the GM, Boozer wasnât and the rest is history.
The moment Jim Paxson let Carlos Boozer out of his contract, a chain of events had been set in motion that would lead to the Cavaliers acquiring one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Once Boozer left, the Cavaliers were desperate for a quality power forward. Remember, this was the first offseason after the LeBron James draft. Despite LeBron and Boozerâs promising play in 2003-04, the Cavaliers were a mess of a team and the Cavs knew the clock was running. They had to turn the team around quickly to subdue the pressure of LeBronâs advertising partners who would have preferred LeBron as a New York Knick.
Those turn around plans would be tricky with the issues Paxson had created. He had traded a 2007 first round draft pick for Sasha Pavlovic, Jason Kapono was lost to the Bobcats in the expansion draft, and Luke Jackson was selected with the 10th overall pick. Those were the offseason moves that pre-dated Boozerâs betrayal. Paxson knew the team needed to try to replace as much of Boozerâs production as they could, so on July 23, they sent Tony Battie and two future second-round draft picks to the Orlando Magic. In return, they acquired Drew Gooden and Steven Hunter. And oh yeah, they also secured the rights to Anderson Varejao, an unknown 22-year-old prospect from Brazil who was taken in the second round by the Magic in that yearâs draft.
*****
Itâs hard to remember much of Anderson Varejaoâs first season in Cleveland. His first game as a Cavalier came in the teamâs second game of the 2004-05 season. With 11 minutes left in the second quarter, he subbed into the game for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He played 10 minutes that night and scored seven  points while pulling down for rebounds. At that point, nobody knew what kind of player the Cavaliers had.
His first season he would play just 16 minutes per game, averaging 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. To look at those numbers, youâd think he had no impact on the team. But something kept happening every time the Cavs went to the bench and had the floppy haired Brazilian guy step on the court. Varejao played with a reckless abandon. He was pure energy, a guy disrupting opponents on offense with a penchant for drawing offensive fouls on opponents.
If you looked a little deeper than just the box score stats, you would see that already Varejao was putting a stamp on the team and making the team better whenever he was on the floor. His 101 Defensive Rating was the best on the team. Despite his limited minutes, he was still fifth on the team in Defensive Win Shares. He was second only to LeBron James that year in Win Shares per 48 minutes. The Cavaliers were a net +4.7 in points per 100 possessions with Varejao on the court, and -0.4 with him on the bench. Again, his net +5.1 was second on the team, again only to James.
At that point, Varejao was a mere curiosity. Itâs hard to pinpoint when exactly it started happening, but Cavs fans quickly began to take to Varejao. Andy brought the energy on the floor, but there was a tangible energy among fans when Varejao was in the game as well. Cleveland fans often identify themselves as a blue collar fanbase, one that puts an emphasis on cheering for players who do the dirty work. Brazil had to seem like a world away to Varejao in his first season in the NBA, but to Cavs fans, he was already one of us.
*****
Anderson Varejao shares a distinction with LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Those three players were the only men to play for the Cavs in all five playoff appearances in that era. When the idea of #CavsRank was proposed, the criteria in how to vote was left to each individual voterâthere were no ground rules other than to consider the time each player spent in a Cavs uniform.
Sure, there were Cavs who filled up box scores a lot more than Andy did. Especially in those playoff years. But Andy was always a player who was about something more than just what you saw in the scoring and rebounding columns. His value to this franchise to this day continues to exist in a fluid orb, unquantifiable by most known metrics. But to watch Anderson Varejao play basketball is about something pure, almost spiritual in nature.
Thatâs not to say itâs pretty. In fact, itâs quite the opposite, that tangled mess of hair and limbs, flailing about the court. Cavs fans had the pleasure of watching LeBron James play for seven seasons. So we know a thing or two about beauty. Thatâs not Andy. But thereâs a primal energy to Andyâs game that gave Cavs fans something else unique to watch. Thereâs really never been another player, certainly not in a Cavs uniform anyway, quite like Varejao.
Itâs easy to see why Varejao earned the nickname âThe Wild Thingâ. Iâm not sure when, exactly, he was ordained with the sacred Cleveland nickname, but in a Cleveland Scene profile dating February 16, 2005, the nickname was already in place. You see, in Cleveland, the nickname Wild Thing runs deeper than just a reference to his style of play on the court. The nickname is a throwback to Ricky Vaughn, the fictional hero who led the fictional version of the Cleveland Indians to a fictional pennant in 1989âs âMajor Leagueâ. Ricky Vaughn was a Cleveland kind of guy. Fictional or not, Cleveland fans have always had a soft spot for his rough edges and gritty play. Itâs why the nickname was always perfect for a player like Anderson Varejao.
*****
Thereâs another reason why Anderson Varejao will always hold a special place in many Cavs fansâ hearts: In 2009, Varejao was an unrestricted free agent. This was during a strange, uneasy time in Cavs history. LeBronâs impending free agency was rapidly approaching. The Cavaliers were furiously trying to bring players to Cleveland, but there was a general hesitation on the playersâ part. Many of them wanted assurances from LeBron that he was going to stay in Cleveland before they would consider signing.
Players like Trevor Ariza and Metta World Peace (or Ron Artest, as he was named at the time), contemplated joining the Cavaliers, but ultimately decided to sign elsewhere. LeBronâs unwillingness to commit to Cleveland was a big part of that. When it came to Anderson Varejao, though, he didnât hesitate to sign a 6 year contract, signing on with Cleveland for the future. With or without LeBron.
The cynic in all of us will point to that six-year deal as reason enough for Andy to sign. Six years is a lot of security, especially for a role player as Andy was at that time. But itâs important to remember that no matter how we view it in hindsight, in that moment, LeBronâs future was a big deal in the free agent market. LeBronâs half hearted recruiting of players and his unwillingness to commit to Cleveland was scaring players away. Anderson Varejao stayed, though. Cleveland is a city that has seen plenty of its heroes sign elsewhere. Anderson Varejao could have gone anywhere, could have tried to spare himself the years of losing Cleveland was facing if LeBron left. But he stayed, and in Cleveland, thatâs meaningful.
As important as Andy was to those LeBron-era Cavs teams, it wasnât until LeBron left that Andy really elevated his game to the next level. The Cavaliers needed someone to step up. Nobody could fill the void, but in an era of a lot of really unwatchable basketball, Andyâs ever-improving game was always a source of pride and hope. Andy never averaged double digit points or rebounds from 2004 to 2010. But in 2011-12, he put up 10.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per night. Last season he was putting up incredible numbers, averaging 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game before injuries ended his season.
Thereâs an unfortunate irony in the fact that as Andyâs game began to improve by huge margins the last few years, injuries began to catch up to him. It would be easy to just say all those years of playing so hard and giving up every part of his body night in and night out to the Cavs were starting to catch up to him. Maybe thereâs some truth there. But the reality is that Andyâs injuries have been a string of unfortunate fluke injuries, each one unconnected to the next. This wasnât a recurring knee or something like that. It was a lot of bad luck.
But even still, here we sit once again, Anderson Varejao is currently unable to play, sidelined with an injury. Itâs really a shame that itâs become such a big part of his story, but itâs reality. Trade rumors have followed Andy everywhere the last 3 seasons as well as the Cavaliers endured a rebuilding phase.
But through it all, Varejao has never complained. Heâs never demanded a trade (that we know of, at least), heâs never sulked, heâs never been willing to give less than 100%. He has simply shown up, put his head down, and gone to work whenever his body would allow it. Ten years after the Cavaliers secured Varejaoâs services as a throw-in to the Drew Gooden trade, Andy is still here, winning Cavs fans over every single time he steps on the court and makes his presence felt. He was the heart and soul of the Cavs during the contending seasons, and now heâs the heart and soul of a Cavs team that continues to search for a new identity.
Andyâs contract is only partially guaranteed next season. He could be traded in the offseason. The Cavs could just cut him and eat the $4 million guaranteed portion of his contract. But if heâs back, Varejao will have an excellent chance to pass LeBron James and Brad Daugherty to move into seventh in team history in games played. Heâs already third all-time in Offensive Rebounds and fourth in Total Rebounds. Heâs eighth in Steals, eighth in Blocks, fifth in Offensive Rating, seventh in Total Win Shares, and sixth in Win Shares per 48 Minutes.
He doesnât have the All Star appearances, the MVP awards, the top-five spot in scoring that some other players on #CavsRank have. He may not have his jersey retired someday (although, if it were up to this writer and fan, he would). But itâs never been about accolades with The Wild Thing. Itâs always been about the intangibles. So itâs fitting that thereâs something intangible about figuring out where he belongs on a list of the greatest Cavaliers of all time.
The best we can do is to look beyond the numbers and instead focus on his relationship with the Cavaliers. I donât just mean the team. It extends further than just the franchise itself. Itâs about a relationship with the fans, with the community. Anderson Varejao has meant something profound to so many Cavs fans. Thereâs a genuine love between the two sides and a certain purity in all of it. Whatever the future holds for Andy, his time as a Cavalier will never, ever be forgotten. And for as long as it continues, it will be cherished by all of us to whom Anderson Varejao has meant something special.
30 Comments
Andrew,I don’t care where you’ve ranked Andy since your analysis is so complete and placed in an accurate context. A lot of the judgements in this series about Cavs from previous eras have read like someone ranking a book based on someone else’s book review rather than their reading the book itself. They’ve missed much of the essence of the player and what he meant to his team. Andy isn’t fully captured by his rebounds per game so much as his floor burns, consistent effort and his injury absences at the midpoint of so many seasons in the latter part of his career. World Free’s contributions aren’t captured by his fabulous total career points as much as the attitudes, often good and often toxic, he brought to this and every other org he played for.
I refuse to repeat the cliche that Jim Brown is the NFL’s greatest player ever because I never saw him play. Not sure how others who didn’t see him can proclaim that so confidently. Thanks for a full portrait.
Thanks Harv, I truly appreciate that.
But to be fair to others, the Cavs blogging/writing community is awfully young. Finding bloggers who saw some of those guys actually play was always going to be tough. I had the luxury of writing a guy that I have been watching and covering from day one.
I love Andy, but to me he will forever be…
yes, I get it, but that makes it only fun for the similarly ignorant. Imagine someone ranking players you watched multiple seasons and clearly not knowing what they’re talking about. So next you’ll say it’s my prob, don’t read it. Then I’ll reply WFNY is too good a site to promote compounded ignorance – they don’t know that they don’t know, Then you’ll say cripes, whatsa a matter with you, Cranky McBuzzkill, isn’t it cool that newbies are into old players? Must you crush everything with quality control complaints? Then I’ll say .. Fine. As you were.
allow me:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YWT7uGfZ0d0/RmXFAD5_ATI/AAAAAAAAANs/uPXPpcJus0A/s1600/sideshowvarejaojw6.jpg
One interesting note: if the draft & free agency was setup like the NFL (w/ FA first), then we would have gone into that draft knowing that we needed a PF/C type guy. 4 of the 5 picks after Luke Jackson fit that mold. Biedrins, Swift, Kris Humphries, and Al Jefferson.
of course, despite having 75% odds of landing a good NBA player there, we all know that Paxson would have taken Swift.
Thank you
Great article, Andrew. It’s Kevin from Cavs:the Blog.
Harv21,
I am biased, but think our blogging collective is doing a solid job with this task. I think Chones and Campy should have been higher than Kemp or Free, but meh…what’s done is done. Hopefully this exercise is not only improving Cavs blogging’s knowledge of Cavs history, but also doing the same for our readers.
Finding a crew of 60 year old bloggers was going to be a difficult endeavour anyways.
yes, I echo Harv’s sentiments on how you captured Andy in this article. the only thing you didn’t include was the fact that Andy’s name has constantly been mentioned in trade rumors (both on the LeBron teams & afterwards) and yet he has never let it affect him nor has he complained about it. just another nugget on the Andy good guy ledger.
full disclosure: I did not create it, I merely found it awhile back and have linked to it from time to time since.
I was going to try to bestow the praise on this article that it deserves, but Harv said it way better than I ever could have, so I’ll just say “Ditto.”
What Harv said re: Andy. Amen.
It’s really interesting to look back at that Boozer fiasco. The What Ifs on that are really incredible – Boozer obviously made money on it, but was it all worth it? With him and LeBron coupled with the moves they may have been able to make and would not have had to make, it would have been interesting to see how it would have all played out. Sigh.
You make a fair point. If someone tried judging/ranking Andy on a list and they had never seen him actually play, you’re right, I probably would have been a little upset about it. Actually, knowing me, I would have been very upset about it. But still, I’ve enjoyed reading all of these #CavsRank pieces, and I just wanted to defend the effort that I’m sure everyone put into it.
Yeah, I probably should have mentioned more of the trade rumor stuff. It all really started with Andy’s hold out in 2007 and then him signing the Bobcats’ offer sheet. It was that 2 year deal that made him an expiring contract the following season, so he’s basically been the subject of trade rumors from the 2008-09 season to the present.
Thank you kind sir.
I truly think had Boozer stayed, the Cavaliers would have won a Championship with him and LeBron. I really do. Their games complemented one another really well. Plus a relatively healthy Z…A LeBron/Boozer/Z frontcourt would have been great.
Also, then we would have just been one of the 29 teams who got annoyed whenever they had to play against Andy.
Thanks Kevin. And I concur, I feel like I’ve learned way more about Chones and Campy as players than I previously knew. I feel like #CavsRank has been nothing but a positive experience.
yeah I know it’s an overall positive, just playin’ my role on this site.
Here’s something about Chones you will never glean from a stat sheet: made the whiniest baby face every single time he was called for a foul, even blatant ones. Must have been Danny Ainge’s role model. Hearing him blast whiny players now is as ironic as Rick Manning chastising a guy for not running out a routine grounder.
to note: it is a very minor quibble with an overall excellent piece.
Wait a second…..Rick Manning played baseball????? đ
Ugh, just thinking about the Paxson/Boozer debacle makes me sick. Right up there with the worst Cleveland FO moves ever, any sport. To luck into Boozer in the second round and then fumble him out the door as he entered his prime for nothing when he was poised to be Robin to Batman … If we’re brutally honest, this org has generally been a disaster since the very first years of Wayne Embry’s tenure.
with a career OPS+ less than that of Matt LaPorta, I think that statement is debateable đ
can call it Curse of the Ron Harper Trade
Haha, true. Well, at least I know that Danny Ainge didn’t play baseball……….
At the time, I wonder if Boozer would have been okay with being the known second banana to LeBron. I seem to remember that being mentioned as part of the reason that he wanted to go to Utah… to be the star (although they drafted Deron Williams after Boozer’s first year there and he fell back to being the #2 guy on that team anyway). There’s no doubt though… the limited player that Boozer is for the Bulls is not the guy who was tearing up the league for the Jazz… that player would have been an amazing complement to LeBron if he could accept #2 status.
Swoon. There’s so much to like about Andy Varejao and so little to dislike. If only the injury bug would leave him alone to be the awesome player that he is when healthy.
I wonder if Andy would be appreciated a lot more if he was just now coming into regular playing time in the NBA. I’m sure most of the advanced stats were around back then, but I sure didn’t know much about them and I don’t think many NBA teams did either. His hustle is a lot more quantifiable now, at least as to how it impacts a team’s ability to score, defend, and win games.
I remember the same thing: he was reportedly getting a little petulant about star status. But Boozer is ultimately all about the Benjamins, and had Paxson/Gund not fallen for that Fargo-level scam the Cavs could have paid him more than everyone. I also remember that for about a solid year the locals only demonized Carlos and his wife Yoko. Never the bumbling nincompoops in the FO.
Well-remembered. I remember that too… Paxson and company should have gotten a lot more of the blame than they did, even though Boozer was a total rat.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQfYsdOF3zOUC9JIGzQ0bn3EBIRkZo-g-UYeQh4W9Emnn_ZC54ioQ
I fell in love with Andy when I was at the Gund, watching an early-LeBron game against the T-wolves (of the KG era). Garnett had the ball just past half-court, and Andy came out to challenge him. Andy plain jacked the ball from Garnett and took it coast to coast,splitting defenders, carrying the ball behind his back, to put in a left-hand layup. It was beautiful.