Anderson Varejao: Non-Constructive Criticism

9 July 2009 811 views 5 Comments

I’m not a fan of making posts solely based on the actions of other teams, but this time I couldn’t tame the demons.

When I went online yesterday to find that Cleveland had given Anderson Varejao a $50 million contract, I said to myself, “That better be for at least 10 years, because anything over mid-level is absolutely ridiculous for this guy.” I knew, however, that would not be the case.

Instead, I was utterly sickened to see that it was for nearly half that long. $50 million for six years. Six years. Double take. Six. Years. Not only had they locked up one of the most offensively-limited players in the NBA for six years, but they’re going to pay him fifty million dollars to do it.

If you didn’t already think the state of the NBA was out-of-frickin’-control, you should now.

Let me repeat: the Cleveland Cavaliers are now paying Anderson Varejao $8.3 million for the next six years. Next season, Antonio McDyess, Rasheed Wallace, and Allen Iverson will be making $3 million less than Anderson Varejao. Antonio McDyess, a defensive force with a killer mid-range shot. Rasheed Wallace, a floor-stretcher with a near-perfect (but rarely-used) post presence. Allen Iverson, well…he can crossover, and uh…sell tickets. All getting $3 million less than Anderson Varejao.

For God’s sake, the man’s a role player! He gets thrown on the floor when the Cavs’ need to body someone up, get a quick rebound, or fall down and make it look like a foul. In no way, should a role player of this level be paid $8.3 million, especially long-term. In no way should anybody on the Cavs, save LeBron and maybe Mo Williams, be paid over $8.3 million.

Congratulations on freeing up cash for LeBron in 2010, Danny Ferry. You just spent 15% of your cap space on a role player.

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