Can Tristan Thompson Play Anderson Varejao Out Of A Job?

By Josh Hill | Dec 27, 2014

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Anderson Varejao for the rest of the season this week, but Tristan Thompson may make it so Varejao never plays with the Cavaliers ever again — at least as a starter.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers started this season, there was talk that Tristan Thompson might overtake Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup and play center for the team. That was quickly shot down when Varejao first was named a season opening starter and a day later inked a three-year contract extension with the team.

More from Opinion

But there hasn’t been a single moment this season where Cavaliers fans have gone ‘man, Anderson Varejao is the future at center‘, as it’s more or less been waiting for something better to come along to make us all not feel so bad for who is starting at center. Even before Varejao tore his achilles and had to end his season prematurely, there was talk of the Cavaliers eyeing everyone from Timpfey Mozgov to the Lopez brothers to replace him.

Now that Varejao is done for the season and a replacement still hasn’t been found, the Cavaliers hand has been forced and Tristan Thompson has been thrust into the role he almost won in the preseason.

What this means is Thompson has an ample opportunity to prove his worth on this roster and either win himself a large free agent contract, a place in the starting lineup — or both.

Thompson is in a contract season with the Cavaliers and he’s looking to show the NBA that he’s a starting caliber player — which he is, by the way — and that he’s worth a large contract. He may not play his way into a max deal, but getting into the starting lineup and having the game he had against the Orlando Magic is wildly promising for his future.

It doesn’t matter how he got inserted into the starting lineup, it’s what he can do now that he’s there. On Friday night, Thompson grabbed 13 boards and nearly finished the game with a double-double scoring 9 points on offense. These aren’t All-Star numbers, but it’s a start and it’s encouraging for a Cavaliers team that needs defensive prowess.

Anderson Varejao wasn’t a great center, but his loss was felt in the Miami Heat game on Christmas which goes to show how fragile this roster truly is. If a less than stellar Anderson Varejao can be lost and the effects are gravely negative, it’s clear someone needs to step up.

That can be Tristan Thompson, who may end up playing Anderson Varejao out of town. That’s a tall order and one or two good games this season isn’t a big enough sample size to draw that conclusion with any sort of confidence but it’s a possible outcome given the promise Thompson has.

The work won’t be easy, as he’s drastically undersized and is more of a power forward than a center, but Thompson is in the best possible position he could have hoped for and here’s to hoping he makes the most of it — for both his sake and that Cavaliers.

More from King James Gospel