Cleveland Cavaliers should not take offense at anything said by Anderson Varejao.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There is no reason to make a big deal out of what Anderson Varejao said after joining the Golden State Warriors.
The former Cavalier gushed about his new team, and some wanted to believe he took a shot at the Cavs in the process.
"I'm glad I came here because I can tell they love each other," Varejao told CSNBayarea's Monte Poole. "When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends have fun out there, fun in the locker room."
As LeBron James said later, "I would hope if you're 50-5 that everyone loves each other ... what else do you want at that point ... Duh."
Varejao has never been a negative guy. He's simply excited about his new team, and that should be the case.
There actually is something a little deeper going on here, rather than Varejao implying the Cavs aren't in the same emotional place as the Warriors. James' point is that no one else is so together, although a case can be made for the San Antonio Spurs being another unique franchise.
A key reason for that is not only winning, but winning with the same key players together for several years.
Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are in their fifth season playing together. Teammates Harrison Barnes and Draymont Green are in their fourth seasons with the Warriors.
Spurs franchise players Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili probably were on the court together for George Mikan's rookie year. Or maybe when James Naismith first put up the peach basket on the barn door when the game was born.
Chemistry takes time.
That's one of the reasons the Cavs making it to the The NBA Finals last season was impressive. It was the first season for James with the Cavs since he left for Miami in 2010. Most of the team was quickly assembled by general manager David Griffin after James returned home.
FEELING REJECTED
But the other factor is what happened to Varejao last week.
In his 12th season with the Cavs, he was shipped to Portland as part of a three-team deal bringing Channing Frye to the Cavs.
Then Portland waived the 6-foot-10 veteran, rather than keep him.
For the Cavs and Portland, part of the reason for the moves had to do with the salary cap. But the Cavs received a player they wanted in Frye. Portland simply let Varejao go, keeping the future first round pick that the Cavs added to make the deal work.
The message to Varejao was that two teams didn't want him. Portland will pay about $15 million left on Varejao's contract.
That had to hurt.
Then, several teams showed an interest in signing him to a minimum contract.
That had lift him up, especially when one of those teams was the NBA Champion Warriors.
The good-hearted, sensitive Varejao suddenly felt some love -- and he needed it.
BATTLING INJURIES
Heading into the 2014-15 season, Varejao had one year at $9.7 million left on his contract.
He also had missed an average of 41 games per season over the previous four years. Remember, an NBA season is only 82 games long.
Yes, Varejao was heading into free agency in the summer of 2015, but his injury history made him a risk for a long-term deal.
In the previous four years, he had:
- A torn tendon in his ankle.
- A broken wrist.
- A sore back.
- Knee surgery followed by a blood clot in his lung.
The reason for the injuries was that Varejao played so hard, recklessly throwing his body all over the court. It's why fans and teammates loved him. And he relentlessly came back from one serious injury after another.
THE CONTRACT EXTENSION
That's why several NBA executives and agents told me they were surprised when the Cavs did extend his contract. He was likely to suffer yet another major injury because he already had sustained so many others.
But the Cavs wanted to show good faith to Varejao, and they gave him this extension:
- 2015-16: $9.6 million.
- 2016-17: $10.3 million, $9.3 million guaranteed.
- 2017-18: $10 million, not guaranteed.
He missed 51 games last season because of a torn Achilles. Once again, he came back. He played 31 games this season with very limited minutes. Then he was traded.
I've heard from many fans who say the Cavs treated Varejao poorly. That's because Varejao was a terrific teammate and wonderful with the fans in his nearly 12 seasons here.
But they really did him a favor with that last contract.
He will be paid the remainder of his $9.6 million salary by Portland, along with the $9.3 million guaranteed for next season. Round it off to $15 million. And he was put in position to sign with a team that is favored to win a title, a team that does make him feel wanted.
We'll see if Frye can help the Cavs more than Varejao. I believe that will be case. Frye is off to a strong start as he scored 15 points Wednesday with six rebounds in 18 minutes against Charlotte.
Some fans wondered why the Cavs didn't re-sign Varejao. NBA salary cap rules prevent that for 12 months.
I don't think it was Varejao's intent to take a verbal shot at his old team. I believe he's just happy to be with a terrific team after being traded, then cut. He's a good guy in a good place ... and he also benefited from a good contract given him by the Cavs.