Cleveland Cavaliers Make Huge Mistake By Re-Signing Anderson Varejao

The Cleveland Cavaliers re-signed forward Anderson Varejao on Wednesday, agreeing to a six-year contract worth as much as $50 million. Varejao, a five-year veteran, played in 81 games last season and averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 28.5 minutes per game. He posted career highs in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, points, rebounds, assists, and blocks, largely due to a career high in minutes and games started. But Varejao is not as valuable as the Cavaliers believe he is. The coaching staff and his teammates exaggerate the impact of his defensive energy and hustle, while they ignore his lack of an offensive arsenal and shot-blocking ability. As soon as Varejao announced his intention to opt out of the last year of his contract July 1, it was quite obvious the Cavaliers would end up overpaying him if they were going to re-sign him. Varejao will be paid $7 million per season for the next six seasons, a spending fiasco by a team on the brink of NBA Finals contention. ...