Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 30 all-time greatest players
By Ben Beecken
<ul> <li>12 seasons with Cavaliers (2004-16)</li> <li>Averaged 7.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game</li> </ul>. PF/C. . Anderson Varejao. 12. player. 156
Anderson Varejao was the first pick of the second round by Orlando back in 2004 and was shipped to Cleveland later that summer. He wouldn’t leave the Cavs until 2016.
Varejao wore a Cavs jersey throughout the franchise’s rise to perennial Eastern Conference contender with LeBron James as well as the lean years after James left for Miami. Then, he was still there when The King returned, although his nagging injuries had finally caught up to him to the point that he was unavailable for the playoffs.
When Varejao was on the court, however, he was the model of consistency on both ends of the court. A solid offensive player who only reached double-digits in per-game scoring twice (10.8 points per game in 2011-12 and 14.1 in 2012-13), he was always an above-average defender.
He only played more than 65 games three times in his 13-year career, however, and all three instances came in his first six years in the league.
Varejao remains the only player to have played for both NBA Finals teams in the same season, having done so for Golden State in 2015-16 after joining the Warriors during the season. Of course that was the season that Cleveland won the title, but Varejao was fortunate enough to receive a ring from the Warriors the following year even after being waived in February of 2017.