Poll: Should The Cavs Move Varejao?
Anderson Varejao is having an outstanding season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 15.1 PPG and 15.3 RPG. It has been reported that, should the Cavs decide to move the 30-year-old Brazilian, he would likely be the most sought-after player on the trade market. The return the Cavs could get for Varejao could be substantial, meaning there may be a major incentive to move him if they can surround Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters with more young talent. However, some believe he is valued too highly within the Cleveland organization to move at this time.
What do you think? Would it be smart for the Cavs to look into a Varejao trade? Vote in the poll and weigh in with what you think a package could look like in the comments.
Should The Cavs Trade Anderson Varejao?
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Yes 69% (568)
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No 31% (250)
Total votes: 818
Anderson Varejao Drawing Heavy Interest
We rounded up rumors on the Cavs earlier today, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has more on Anderson Varejao, whom one league executive believes would be the top target on the trade market if the Cavs decide to dangle him. The 30-year-old Varejao has been a revelation this year after returning from a broken wrist that ended his season in 2011/12, averaging a career high 15.1 points and a league-leading 15.3 rebounds per game.
The Cavs thought they found Varejao's eventual replacement when they landed Tyler Zeller in a draft-night trade with the Mavericks, believing Zeller could eventually put up numbers similar to those Varejao has posted over his career, according to Lloyd. Cleveland entered the season thinking this could be the year for a Varejao trade, especially if his value escalated after a strong start. Varejao's performance has been much better than anyone imagined, however, and that means the Cavs may have trouble finding fair value, Lloyd writes.
The Cavs would be interested in the Raptors pick that's currently held by Oklahoma City, but the Thunder are not in the market for Varejao, Lloyd says. He hears the Thunder would be unlikely to meet Cleveland's demands, which might include Serge Ibaka.
Varejao's value figures to be high again next season, and the Cavs believe Varejao can be effective beyond his current contract, which runs through 2015 at an average of more than $9MM per season, as Lloyd points out. So, it seems there's plenty of reasons why Cavs GM Chris Grant and company wouldn't make a deal this year. The Cavs believe he's on par with the other top big men in the league, but there's no guarantee they'd be able to get one of those guys or a comparable player if they traded Varejao for assets with greater long-term potential but smaller immediate return.
Cavs Rumors: Irving, Harangody, Jones, Varejao
The Cavaliers have given their fans some thrills the past two nights, upsetting the Hawks on Alonzo Gee's game-winner on Friday and losing a heart-breaker Saturday in double overtime to the Blazers. The excitement in Cleveland is more often coming in the form of close games than in victories, as the absence of Kyrie Irving has prompted the Cavs to fall into a tie with the Raptors for the league's second-worst record. As Cleveland tries to tread water amid Irving's absence, there's more on the second-year point guard, and we've got that along with other news on the team right here:
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald looks ahead to Irving's next contract, and interprets recent comments from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to indicate the team would trade Irving if he's unwilling to sign an extension when he's eligible in the summer of 2014.
- One agent called the Cavs' qualifying offer this summer to Luke Harangody "a $1MM gift," and the Cavs are now on the hook for that deal, actually worth a little more than $1.054MM, even though the team waived Harangody this week to make room for Kevin Jones, as Finnan documents. The Cavs wanted to snatch up before other NBA clubs got a chance, Finnan also notes.
- It's easy to tell the Cavs aren't thinking about the playoffs this year judging by the free agents they signed this summer, Finnan opines, observing that coach Byron Scott misses Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker.
- Teams that would covet Anderson Varejao in a trade with the Cavaliers are top-tier clubs with late first-round draft picks, making them unlikely partners in a deal, notes Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer.
- Omri Casspi is disheartened by his lack of playing time for the Cavs, after having spent the summer working on his game as prescribed by Scott, and the Israeli small forward is looking forward to free agency next summer, as HoopsWorld's Lang Greene details.
- Greene also checks in with DeSagana Diop, the eighth overall pick by the Cavs in the 2001 draft. Diop, now with the Bobcats, is also set to hit free agency in the offseason, but the 30-year-old center wants to stay in Charlotte until he retires, which he figures will happen in a couple of years. "I like Charlotte a lot," Diop said. "I get along with the coach (Mike Dunlap), the general manager (Rich Cho) and the good people of Charlotte. I’m just going one day at a time this season and see what happens this summer."
Gibson Hopes To Remain With Cavs
Cavs guard Daniel Gibson is excited about having moved his way up the franchise record book in 3-point shooting. However, he knows that in order to catch up to LeBron James and Mark Price in the category, he’s going to need to spend more time in Cleveland. Yesterday in Atlanta, Gibson told reporters, including Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, that he intends to do just that.
“That’s going to take another contract with more years,” Gibson said. “But I’m game. I would love to be here for my entire time and then see where I finish up…I just feel like I’m becoming part of the Cleveland history, and to me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s that longevity and being with that one team and building something there. I appreciate that.”
Gibson, 26, is in the final year of his contract and making a shade under $4.8MM. It stands to reason that the Cavs would look to retain Gibson has coach Byron Scott has long considered him to be one of the best perimeter defenders on the squad. They’ll also have the roster space for him as there are just six guaranteed players under contract for next season. Of course, Gibson will earn considerably less than he is now on his next deal.
The seventh-year vet has averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG across his NBA career. Gibson underwent surgery on his left foot and ankle over the offseason but hasn’t shown any ill effects from the procedure thus far.
Odds & Ends: Popovich, Lopez, Wizards, Bucks
The latest news from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reports that the NBA is considering instituting a new policy on resting players following Gregg Popovich's controversial decision on Thursday.
- Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that Brook Lopez' foot is not seriously injured, despite indications to the contrary.
- The New York Times' Dan Duggan writes that the Wizards are trying to put their horrific start to the season behind them.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Bucks have still not set a time for Luc Mbah a Moute's return.
- Sam Amico of FoxSportsOhio.com writes that Hawks GM Danny Ferry has turned the team around faster than expected.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer writes that Cavs rookie Kevin Jones is not expected to find his way into the rotation anytime soon.
Odds & Ends: Spurs, Varejao, Draft, Fisher
Earlier today, I asked Hoops Rumors readers whether Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was in the wrong for sending his star players home before last night's game against the Heat. Over 83% of respondents so far have sided with Popovich rather than with commissioner David Stern, who called Pop's decision "unacceptable." Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports agrees with you in his take on the subject, calling Stern's statement a "temper tantrum that left everyone around him embarrassed, humiliated and wondering why he insisted on staying until February of 2014."
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA as we prepare for the weekend:
- While Anderson Varejao has been a popular topic of trade speculation lately, the Cavaliers have no plans to move him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. In any case, most teams who would be interested in Varejao don't have the assets to acquire him or aren't willing to part with them, says Amico.
- In his latest draft blog at ESPN.com (Insider only), Chad Ford examines a few players whose stocks have slipped early in the season, including UNC's James Michael McAdoo and Tony Mitchell of North Texas.
- A pair of Dallas Morning News scribes offer up opposing takes on the Mavericks' signing of Derek Fisher, with Eddie Sefko noting that signing Fisher as a starter will make the team's bench stronger, while Kevin Sherrington says it's a patchwork move in another year "about nothing."
- Within Sam Smith's latest mailbag for Bulls.com, he writes that Carlos Boozer "basically cannot be traded" unless it's for a contract that's as bad or worse than his.
- NBA.com's Fran Blinebury wonders if it would be in the Trail Blazers' best interests to consider trading LaMarcus Aldridge this season.
Eastern Notes: Varejao, Pietrus, Celtics
Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao received as good a vote of confidence as one can get from head coach Byron Scott, who called the Brazilian big man "the best center in the NBA right now." Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Varejao's statistical production makes Scott's statement a difficult one to disagree with, also mentioning that some fans have wondered if Cleveland should take advantage of his value and trade him. With that being said, Amico asserts that Cavaliers brass currently has no intention of dealing their most tenured veteran. For the rest of tonight's tidbits from the Eastern Conference, you can find them below:
- Bill McCandless, the agent of Mickael Pietrus, told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com about the other teams that that had been under consideration while they had waited for the right opportunity in free agency. Whereas the Rockets and Timberwolves were potential destinations in the West, McCandless listed the Bulls and Hawks as the other Eastern Conference teams which had been in the hunt along with Toronto.
- Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered a poignant comment about Rajon Rondo and the current state of his team, telling reporters: “I don’t know if I want to rally around my 6-foot guard being the enforcer. That’s nice but at the end of the day, if that’s the threat you’re sending, the other team has to feel [good]" (Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com reports). Although we heard Rivers say earlier that the team is in no rush to make any changes to the roster, Petraglia hypothetically mentioned Kenyon Martin as a possible target if Boston decided to look into free agency for help.
- Aside from wanting rookie guard Maalik Wayns to become a more accomplished defender, 76ers coach Doug Collins likes the direction of his development, writes Mark Narducci of Philly.com.
- Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer points out that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was at the Cavaliers' practice facility on Thursday to help Byron Scott teach forward Tristan Thompson about making quicker decisions and moves offensively to counter shotblockers.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer (also of the Plain Dealer) discusses the challenge that Danny Ferry faces in building the Hawks into a playoff contender, just as he had done in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has taken notice of Jeff Taylor's development as the rookie has stepped in to fill the void left by Gerald Henderson's injury. In another article, Bonnell mentions that the continued lobbying of New Orleans Hornets owners to rebrand their franchise could mean an opportunity for Charlotte to re-acquire the Hornets nickname.
- Nate Taylor of The New York Times discusses Tyson Chandler's offensive efficiency as of late, noting that the 7'1 Knicks center is averaging a career best in points (12.0 PPG) and leading the league in field goal percentage at 71.8%.
Cavaliers Waive Harangody, Sign Kevin Jones
5:11pm: It appears that Cleveland's main intention was to secure rights over Jones, as Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio tweets that the team has sent Jones back to Canton after calling him up.
4:56pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets that the Cavaliers have waived Luke Harangody and signed 6'8 forward Kevin Jones. Although Harangody had earned a roster spot over Jones before the start of the regular season, the former Celtic had not appeared in an NBA game this year. His contract for this season was fully guaranteed and worth $1.05MM.
Jones has been on a tear in the D-League recently, averaging 27.0 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 54.0% shooting from the field, and a 92.3% clip from the charity stripe in 41.3 MPG through the first three games for the Canton Charge.
Eastern Notes: Stoudemire, Evans, Bayless
The Wizards finally broke through tonight, winning their first game in 13 tries with a victory over the Blazers. With a tough stretch ahead, however, it doesn't seem like they'll be catching anyone in the Eastern Conference standings soon. Here's the latest from around the East.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com hears Amare Stoudemire would accept a bench role when he returns from injury, and that the Knicks are indeed considering making Stoudemire, on a nearly $100MM contract, their sixth man.
- Offseason sign-and-trade acquisition Reggie Evans could earn Sixth Man of the Year consideration if he keeps up his mastery of the boards for the Nets, opines A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- The Raptors were high on the idea of re-signing Jerryd Bayless, according to coach Dwane Casey, but the point guard decided to go to the Grizzlies instead, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The pressure has been on Magic GM Rob Hennigan as soon as he took the job, and after trading Dwight Howard, he must be right about his next big move, argues Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News rates Kyle Singler among the top five rookies, identifying him as a steal for the Pistons on his three-year, $3.135MM deal (Twitter link).
- The Pistons had no idea Brandon Knight would fall to them at pick No. 8 in the 2011 draft, and had been targeting Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris instead, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reveals via Twitter.
- Nets newcomer Mirza Teletovic said he isn't concerned by his lack of playing time as he spoke about his adjustment to the NBA with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link).
- Omri Casspi, in the last year of his rookie deal with the Cavs, is among the league leaders in three-point shooting after working on his shot in the offseason, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
Eastern Notes: Calderon, Stackhouse, Cavs
Since Martell Webster dubbed the Wizards' third game of the season, against the Celtics, a "must-win," the team has lost ten more games and now sits at 0-12. With a home contest vs. 6-8 the Trail Blazers on tap tonight, the club has a decent opportunity to finally notch its first victory of the season. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes, things will only get tougher going forward, with four road games against the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Warriors up next.
While we wait to see if Washington can get into the win column, let's check out a few updates from around the Eastern Conference….
- Jose Calderon tells Yahoo! Deportes that his goal next summer in free agency is to sign a multiyear deal (translation via HoopsHype).
- When he signed with the Nets, Jerry Stackhouse expected his role to primarily involve coaching and mentoring, but he's made the most of the playing time he's received, writes Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio fielded primarily Cavaliers-related questions from fans in a chat today, including plenty of inquiries on trade possibilities involving Anderson Varejao.
- Taj Gibson tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Sulia link) that the pressure of living up to the contract extension he signed before the season isn't affecting his play at all.