Anderson Varejao will undergo surgery on his right leg and is expected to miss six to eight more weeks, the Cavaliers announced today in a press release. The injury, initially diagnosed as a knee contusion, is now believed to require surgical intervention, as detailed by the Cavs in the release:
An MRI revealed the contused area included a small longitudinal split in the vastus medialis. Despite continued, gradual recovery of the contusion, symptoms also continued in the specific area of the split. Another MRI revealed an increase in the split and symptoms persisted. Dynamic ultrasound imaging also revealed tissue from underneath the split was herniating and pinching with knee flexion.
The extent of the injury is not only a blow to the Cavs on the court, but will also affect the team's ability to explore trades for Varejao this season. The February 21st trade deadline is only six weeks away as of tomorrow, which is when Varejao is scheduled to undergo the procedure. As such, it's very possible that the big man won't return to the lineup in time to show that he's healthy, making it hard for Cleveland to extract fair value in any deal.
Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Varejao as a trade candidate back in December, noting at the end of the piece that the 30-year-old's health figured to be the biggest factor affecting his trade value.
Ha… my brother just traded for him a couple of days ago in our fantasy league… oops