Anderson Varejao: Mr. Efficiency
Anderon Varejao's worth extends far beyond the stat sheet for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers made a big splash this offseason by acquiring free agents Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker to compliment their earlier acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal via a trade but arguably the best move that GM Danny Ferry made all summer was locking up the team’s versatile big man, Anderson Varejao, to a six-year deal.
His $50 million dollar contract is among the highest in the league for a reserve but Cleveland’s Wild Thing is worth every penny. Aside from his 7.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, Varejao is almost always the most efficient Cavalier on the floor. In his 29.8 minutes per game Cleveland has outscored its opponents by an average of 14.72 points.
Andy is most valuable on the defensive end. At six feet-11 inches, his quickness allows him to effectively defend the pick-and-roll offense while his tenacious play off the bench inspires his teammates. He is second on the team in steals (1.28 per game), blocked shots (21) and defensive rebounds (5.8 per game) while snatching a team-high 8.2 total boards per contest.
Coach Mike Brown described his versatile big man as his “glue guy”. He said, “[Andy] holds everything together. It doesn’t matter what lineup is out there, you know that you can always go to him and he can keep it together.”
