# Anderson Varejao: "I don't want to play for the Cavs anymore"



## hendrix2430 (Mar 21, 2005)

interesting...I officially hate the guy.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3128446

Last season, Anderson Varejao played a key role as the Cleveland Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference championship -- he was arguably the Cavs' best young player behind LeBron James.

This season, Varejao is playing in a gym more than a thousand miles from Cleveland in Vitoria, Brazil, while the Cavs struggle to replace Varejao's defensive intensity in the middle.

What's he doing? Working on his jump hook. Trying to stay in shape. And most importantly, waiting.

He's waiting for the lucrative contract he thought he'd sign this offseason.

And waiting for Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry to "show me that he values my contribution to the team," Varejao said in an exclusive phone interview with ESPN.com this weekend from his home in Vitoria. "I just want to be treated fairly and I don't think Danny's done that."

Varejao expected to be helping the Cavs defend their East crown by now.

"I wanted to come back," he said. "I love the fans and I really love my teammates. But there are others there that have made it very difficult. It's gotten to the point that I don't want to play there anymore. I'm just hoping for a sign-and-trade at this point."

Ferry isn't ready to give up on bring Varejao back.

"We fully understand that negotiations can be emotional," Ferry told ESPN.com. "As for Anderson's potential to remain a Cavalier and put this behind us, we value his presence in this organization, on and off the court, and that has not changed."

Varejao, who turned 25 in September, was a vital part of the Cavs' run to the NBA Finals. As the Cavs' sixth man, his basic stats were modest: 6.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. But he led the league in drawing charges, and his energy and interior defense were invaluable to the team. His adjusted plus-minus numbers last season said he was the 22nd-best player in the league.

The question for the Cavs is, how much do you pay for those less tangible contributions?

That question has been at the heart of one of the most unusual free-agent contract squabbles in NBA history.

(One of the handful of similar cases happened when Ferry himself refused to sign with the team that drafted him, the Los Angeles Clippers, decided instead to play in Europe and eventually forced the Clippers to trade him to, yes, Cleveland.)

As of now, Varejao has been unable to get another team to sign him to an offer sheet. Because Varejao is a restricted free agent, the Cavs can match any offer he gets, and Ferry has threatened to do just that.

This summer that scared off at least one team reluctant to tie its own hands by making an offer that would ultimately result in Varejao merely returning to Cleveland. The Memphis Grizzlies flirted with making Varejao a big offer in July, but when the Cavs threatened to match and leave Memphis empty-handed, the Grizzlies went after unrestricted free agent Darko Milicic instead.

Several other teams told ESPN.com they would have offered Varejao their full midlevel exception (starting at $5.356 million per season), but Varejao has not been willing to sign for that amount because he believes (a) the Cavs would match, and (b) he's worth more.

The Cavs' popular forward wants considerably more than the team is offering. He turned down the Cavs' one-year, $1.2 million tender offer. (To retain a restricted free agent, a team must make a tender offer.) He also refused Cleveland's opening offer of five years, $20 million, and then its latest offer of five years, $32 million, with a starting salary slightly below the midlevel exception.

But Varejao said media reports that he's asking for a contract averaging $10-11 million a season "just aren't true. There are a lot of things being written that are wrong. I know they aren't talking to me or my agent."

He said he and his agent, Dan Fegan, have been more than willing to work out a fair deal with the Cavs. Varejao said he offered to sign a one-year deal at a discount, or to sign a longer-term deal.

Varejao further said he would be willing to take the dispute to an arbitrator, for a resolution similar to those found in Major League Baseball. That would minimize the role of Fegan, who is known as a very tough bargainer.

"Much has been made about the negotiators in this process, but for the record I have been prepared since training camp to submit our differences to a third-party mediator so that both parties can be assured of more objectivity," Fegan says.

The Cavs have rejected all of those counterproposals.

Ferry says the Cavs' offer is fair.

"We believe the Cavs' offers are very much in line with what is widely perceived throughout the industry as fair market value. We have also included bonuses that would serve as upside protection for Anderson," Ferry told ESPN.com.

"We are working to make decisions that are best for short- and long-term interests of the organization, yet clearly stepping up and offering him long-term security at a very fair market value."

Varejao said that if the two sides can't agree on a long-term deal, they should agree on a one-year deal that allows both sides to explore their options next year.

From the Cavs' point of view, a one-year deal is counterproductive because it would make Varejao an unrestricted free agent next year, and the team's right to match any offer would disappear. In that case, Varejao could just walk away.

But Fegan says that if Cleveland is willing to pay Varejao "fair market value," the Cavs would then be in the best position to sign him next year.

"It defies logic for the Cavs to accuse Anderson of demanding too much money on a long-term deal while at the same time refusing to allow Anderson to sign a one-year deal for less money, especially when they retain his Bird rights next year." Fegan said. "It begs the question: If their offer is truly fair, what are they afraid of?"

The result has been a standoff that shows no sign of ending.

On each side, the frustration level has been rising the past few weeks, as Varejao is left in limbo in Brazil, and as the Cavs have struggled coming out of the gate in training camp and the regular season.

In October, Ferry made a surprise visit to see Varejao at his parents' home in Brazil in an attempt to convince him to sign.

The move backfired. Ferry showed up without telling Fegan, and working around an agent is a no-no in the NBA. While GMs are allowed to talk with players without an agent present, it is customary that all contract talk goes through an agent.

"I was shocked," Varejao said. "He showed up and wanted me to sign a contract. I told him he's got to talk to my agent. He didn't even up his offer. I guess he thought if he just showed up, I would just sign whatever he gave me."

Ferry walked away with no deal and with an angry free agent on his hands.

He defends his decision to appeal directly to Varejao.

"From the start of free agency, we told Anderson and his agent that the ability to communicate with him directly was going to be very important to the process," Ferry said. "The trip was done because our communication with Anderson was no longer available to us."

Since that incident, there hasn't been much trust or movement on either side.

While many around the NBA believe that Fegan is driving negotiations, Varejao says he is responsible for his own bargaining position.

"This is me, nobody else," Varejao said. "He takes the offers to me and I decide. He's told me he'll get a deal done for less. I've told him no. It's me. [The Cavs] told me how important I was to the team. I just want to be treated fairly."

Other GMs in the league, while acknowledging that Fegan is a tough negotiator, said that Ferry is equally tenacious.

One serious risk, on Ferry's side, is that the team's most important player, LeBron James, might see this impasse as another sign of the Cavs' inability to improve the team.

Varejao says that the Cavs' players support him, and that his conversations with James have been positive.

"He just says, 'We love you and we're waiting'" Varejao said. "He keeps telling me he wants me back but to get the best deal I can and to take care of my family. He's a great teammate. He always supports us on and off the court."

That sentiment was confirmed by a source close to James, who said, "LeBron wants Andy back. He wants him to get a fair deal. I think his frustration isn't with Andy, it's with the fact that for the past two years, he's been waiting for more help and he hasn't gotten it. This is just a step in the wrong direction."

Over the past few weeks, several NBA general managers have told ESPN.com that Fegan has been searching out potential sign-and-trade deals, in which Varejao would agree to terms with another team and then be traded to that team. In recent days, there have been signs that the Cavs are open to the possibility of a sign-and-trade.

Two GMs told ESPN.com they believe Varejao would agree to a five-year, $45-million deal in a sign-and-trade.

"If that's the price, or close to it, I think Danny [Ferry] will get some offers that make sense for the Cavs," one GM said. "I'm not sure he'll get equal value, but right now he has nothing and I don't see it changing."

If Varejao leaves, it will be a bitter ending for both parties. But at this point, that might be the most workable option.

"I'm willing to go and play in Europe if that's what it takes," Varejao said. "I know it's a risk and I'll be a restricted free agent next year, but at least I'd be happy. I don't think I'll be happy in Cleveland knowing that I was [almost] the lowest-paid player there for three years and am still paid much less than players on the team that I outperform. Life's too short to be unhappy."


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Frankly I think it's a problem if we aren't offering more than what Drew is getting. We all thought that Drew's contract was a fair market deal when it happened, and we were pleased with it.

Who are we kidding by trying to say that he's not a starter and shouldn't be paid more than the guy in front of him. Let's face it guys, he's better than Drew. Maybe he doesn't have the skillset to be in a starting position, maybe he does. But he's just better for our team than Drew is, and he deserves to get paid more. Not a whole lot more, but more.

As far as the actual contract numbers are concerned, I don't know what to believe anymore. We've got wildly different numbers coming from both camps.


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## eddymac (Jun 23, 2005)

If he were playing on a losing team would he be asking for that much? In my opinion he is not worth 9million, he doesn't do anything great, he's just a role player. The Cavs did the right thing, they are a lot of players that does what he does and sometimes do it better.


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

eddymac said:


> The Cavs did the right thing, they are a lot of players that does what he does and sometimes do it better.


Really? Tell me some names.


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## eddymac (Jun 23, 2005)

¹²³ said:


> Really? Tell me some names.


1. David Lee
2. Renaldo Balkman
3. Paul Millsap
4. Kendrick Perkins
5. Sean Williams
6. Jokim Noah
7. Glen Davis
8. Trevor Ariza
9. Francisco Elson
10. Matt Bonner

Not in any order by the way.


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## BEEZ (Jun 12, 2002)

Ill give you Milsap and Perkins, maybe Lee. I dont know about none of the others


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

BEEZ said:


> Ill give you Milsap and Perkins, maybe Lee. I dont know about none of the others


Yeah, and I think Millsap and Lee are on their rookie contracts.


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## -33- (Aug 6, 2002)

Udonis Haslem makes around $6 mil, and I think he's better or atleast comparable in skill sets (Udonis is much better offensively), I don't see how or why any team would give AV more than that.


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## SamTheMan67 (Jan 4, 2004)

**** just sign him for 8 mil a year. we cant lose him hes gonna be a star


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

So what do you guys do now? S&t?


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

The GMs should blackball him


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

This situation is just getting worse and worse. Now Andy is going to the press to do damage control to his rep...I'm not surprised Lebron is getting his back either as he did the same with Boozer.

$9MM/yr isn't happening - I LOVE AV and want him back on this team but that is just absurd. Now on the same token, Andy's also right about the overpaid garbage we have on this roster, that might be where he's coming up with the #'s he wants - which is not realistic as we have some TERRIBLE contracts on this team right now.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

Also, I think AV coming to the press now shows he realizes we aren't as bad without him as he may have thought. If the Cavs can continue to stay above water in this difficult stretch - his value just keeps dropping and he knows it. 

I bet AV/Fegan thought we would be like 3-11 at this point right now (I might have, given our roster situation) but Lebron just picks up the slack


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## Tragedy (Dec 9, 2002)

AV looks good because he works well with Lebron. But personally I don't feel he's worth anywhere near 8 or 9 mil a year. He's a 6.5, 7 million dollar player - MAX


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

lol 5 years 45 million is what the article is implying that he wants in a S&T. Freakin 9 million a year for AV: ain't happening. AV can sit out and watch his bank account shrivel up as far as I'm concerned after that. 
The Cavs offer of baseline 6 million for 5 years (NOT counting incentives) is a good deal: I agree with SDiesel on this one - Haslem is fair market value for a guy like VA


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Yeah, 9 million per year for AV is patently ridiculous.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Brandname said:


> Yeah, 9 million per year for AV is patently ridiculous.


You know what's even funnier: think through this if this is what they're asking for now it's almost assuredly not want they were asking for initially for something like 5 years 48-49 million BEFORE incenetive. i.e. practically 10 million a year but not quite there so he can make statements like we never broke the 10 million/year barrier.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

This guy is lucky the NBA lets him get away with flopping. He doesn't block any shots and he doesn't even finish very well and he wants NINE million. Why do people act like he is a good NBA player? He really isn't. He's 6'11 and would rather fall down then block a shot. This guy is a bum.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

HKF said:


> This guy is lucky the NBA lets him get away with flopping. He doesn't block any shots and he doesn't even finish very well and he wants NINE million. Why do people act like he is a good NBA player? He really isn't. He's 6'11 and would rather fall down then block a shot. This guy is a bum.


AV does flop but he also get more legitimate charges then any player in the league (it's funny but there were plenty of time that refs though he flopped last year when he actually did get the charge). He's not a leaper but he has great feet in help defense. In short, he definitely not a bum but he definitely isn't worth 9 million a year either


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## LostInGeorgia (Jun 29, 2006)

Pioneer10 said:


> lol 5 years 45 million is what the article is implying that he wants in a S&T. Freakin 9 million a year for AV: ain't happening. AV can sit out and watch his bank account shrivel up as far as I'm concerned after that.
> The Cavs offer of baseline 6 million for 5 years (NOT counting incentives) is a good deal: I agree with SDiesel on this one - Haslem is fair market value for a guy like VA



if there is a team out there that will do a s&t for AV at 9mil per, i'm good with that, the cavs should be able to get something in return that could help us now, maybe even package hughes in it and get some draft picks back...bottom line if there is someone out there that will pay him that kind of money, let them screw their cap situation and we can stop worrying about him


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

LostInGeorgia said:


> if there is a team out there that will do a s&t for AV at 9mil per, i'm good with that, the cavs should be able to get something in return that could help us now, maybe even package hughes in it and get some draft picks back...bottom line if there is someone out there that will pay him that kind of money, let them screw their cap situation and we can stop worrying about him


Couldn't agree more


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

My condolences to Cavs fans. AV is a tremendous role player and big man, and would be great for the Cavs, especially LeBron, in taking pressure off other guys to carry the load. 

That said, would you trade AV for Odom?


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Varejao should be mad at his agent if he's the one telling him to hold out for ten million a year.That's just foolish and no GM is going to sign a roleplayer to that sort of deal.The MLE is about all he's worth and all he's going to get next year.There's no way he'll ever recoup the five million he'll lose this year.If he doesn't want to play for Cleveland he should go sign a deal in Spain...Except that players like him get a million or two over there


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

the cavs need to just offer him a 4 or 5 year deal starting at the MLE. tell varejao that he has a week to sign their offer. if he doesn't sign, there will be no more negotiations. if he doesn't sign, then he'll just have to sit out the season and move on and the cavs will also move on. this has gone on long enough.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

EHL said:


> That said, would you trade AV for Odom?


YES!

At this point the problem is AV when he does come back isn't even going to give us a full year this year. And he's probably getting injured because he's out of shape and going to be rushing in.

Remember how long it took him coming back from that shoulder injury?

Do we overpay AV now, or stand pat and have the money in free agency to get Lebron REAL help?

The best thing would be to trade AV for backcourt help and do a one year deal on some frontcourt depth.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

EHL said:


> My condolences to Cavs fans. AV is a tremendous role player and big man, and would be great for the Cavs, especially LeBron, in taking pressure off other guys to carry the load.
> 
> That said, would you *trade AV for Odom?*


Absolutely. Sign me up


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

LostInGeorgia said:


> if there is a team out there that will do a s&t for AV at 9mil per, i'm good with that, the cavs should be able to get something in return that could help us now, maybe even package hughes in it and get some draft picks back...bottom line if there is someone out there that will pay him that kind of money, let them screw their cap situation and we can stop worrying about him


That's not a bad idea. We're not going to get equal value in a trade so why not make the team take on Larry in the deal..


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Benedict_Boozer said:


> That's not a bad idea. We're not going to get equal value in a trade so why not make the team take on Larry in the deal..


because no team would do that.


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

S&T for a guard, and sign P.J.? No?


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

It would be AWESOME if we could get an NBA caliber shooting guard in any kind of deal. That's our weakest position.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> Observers of the tug-of-war between the Cavaliers and Anderson Varejao have predicted things would get ugly.
> 
> 
> Well, that time has come.
> ...


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19060333&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46370&rfi=6

And the truth of dealing with Fegan comes out: I see no way AV wins this PR battle. The Cavs offer is MORE then a fair deal


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Yes, that is absolutely a fair deal.


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

As someone said, there are all kind of numbers flying around. I don't know what to trust anymore.

I really hope Andy agrees with being the 5th/6th best paid player on this team behind 'Bron, Hughes, Big Z, Gooden, and on par with Snow.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

¹²³ said:


> As someone said, there are all kind of numbers flying around. I don't know what to trust anymore.
> 
> I really hope Andy agrees with being the 5th/6th best paid player on this team behind 'Bron, Hughes, Big Z, Gooden, and on par with Snow.


I think it's pretty clear that AV wants 9 million a year based on the Chad Ford article (i.e. that's what will make a S&T possible)


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> "I'm willing to go and play in Europe if that's what it takes," Varejao said. "I know it's a risk and I'll be a restricted free agent next year, but at least I'd be happy. I don't think I'll be happy in Cleveland knowing that I was [almost] the lowest-paid player there for three years and am still paid much less than players on the team that I outperform. Life's too short to be unhappy."


Maximus from RCF pointed out that this statement by AV should _really _go over well in the Cavs locker room. AV is really losing the PR battle here in terms of fan support and I imagine in the locker room as well. I think most vets would agree getting above the MLE is a good contract particulary for a _backup _PF that has been hurt a lot through the years


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

¹²³ said:


> As someone said, there are all kind of numbers flying around. I don't know what to trust anymore.
> 
> I really hope Andy agrees with being the 5th/6th best paid player on this team behind 'Bron, Hughes, Big Z, Gooden, and on par with Snow.


I can't say I agree. Right now, he's sitting at 3rd, because he's better than Gooden despite not starting, and he's much better than Snow. Gibson is starting to make himself a factor in this discussion, but he's not there yet.

IMO, he's pretty easily the 3rd best player on the team. However, he still doesn't deserve 9M a year. 6.5 average with incentives is more than fair for him.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

Brandname said:


> I can't say I agree. Right now, he's sitting at 3rd, because he's better than Gooden despite not starting, and he's much better than Snow. Gibson is starting to make himself a factor in this discussion, but he's not there yet.
> 
> IMO, he's pretty easily the 3rd best player on the team. However, he still doesn't deserve 9M a year. 6.5 average with incentives is more than fair for him.


i think you misread his statement. he said 5th/6th best paid player, not actually 5th/6th best player.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> <ins class="item-body">Yesterday, Anderson Varejao and agent Dan Fegan broke their silence in an interview with ESPN. My reaction was in a column in today’s paper.
> The two sides have avoided making this a media war for five months so the fact that Varejao side is now talking and so are the Cavs, behind the scenes to the media at least, shows just how far apart they are.
> Both sides are doing a bunch of scrapping over the details. I don’t not have access to all the information and I certainly have grown tired of the he said/he said stuff. After five months of writing about this I just don’t think any of that matters except to the men in the trenches, as I said in the column.
> My personal opinon on the matter is the Varejao and Fegan have misjudged the market and are scrambling like mad to get around the restricted free agency rules which have been in place for years. They are trying to put public pressure on the Cavs by angling in the media, first saying they’ll take a one-year, $5 million contract, then saying they’d bel willing to go to arbibitration, now saying they demand a sign-and-trade.
> ...


More evidence of AV digging himself into a hole because he chose the wrong agent
http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/2007/11/27/varejao-v-cavs-round-12/


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

I don't see how anyone could justify him getting more than a Shane Battier contract.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

rocketeer said:


> i think you misread his statement. he said 5th/6th best paid player, not actually 5th/6th best player.


Oops, you're absolutely correct. I did misread that.

I do think he should be paid marginally more than Drew, though. He's just better, and frankly if we thought Drew's contract was fair at the time (most of us did), then it wouldn't be fair to Andy to offer him less.

That being said, I hope he doesn't realistically expect 9M per.


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## hendrix2430 (Mar 21, 2005)

If the Cavs' latest offer is indeed 5yrs/6.5 per with incentives, I think we've seen the last attempt to sign him. Ferry has no intention of giving Andy more $$$ than the starting PF, Drew Gooden. I believe this to be the absolute max he could get here. 

What a terrible decision it was to hire Fegan..jeez. I hope Andy realizes this.


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

Bottom line, AV is very important to this team.

However he is NOT an All-Star/Franchise level star, this dragging out so long is absurd. This guy is a role player, a VERY GOOD one, but as our record shows right now this team goes as Lebron James goes. *EVERYONE else is expendable*. 

This scenario would never happen to a proven player because a team would have made a sizable offer to him regardless of his restricted status (see Joe Johnson). Andy wants to get paid $9MM a year he has to prove ALOT more. 

Andy please pull your head out of your *** :azdaja:


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

What about to Portland for the likes of Jarrett Jack?


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## Benedict_Boozer (Jul 16, 2004)

Ruff Draft said:


> What about to Portland for the likes of Jarrett Jack?


Throw in Channing Frye, sign us up. We need another big.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

I love Andy to death, but if the Cavs want to be a title contender, they can't afford to overpay another player. He's paying for the sins of Larry Hughes and Eric Snow.


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

2006-07 / Cleveland Cavaliers 

Player Annual Salary Contract Yrs Contract Amt Contract Thru Position 
Hughes, Larry $ 13,363,012 5 $ 60,000,000 2009-10 G 
Ilgauskas, Zydrunas $ 9,442,697 5 $ 55,000,000 2009-10 C 
Gooden, Drew $ 6,645,402 3 $ 23,000,000 2008-09 F-C 
Snow, Eric $ 6,093,750 4 $ 25,600,000 2008-09 G 
James, LeBron $ 5,828,089 4 $ 63,000,000 2009-10 (p) F 
Marshall, Donyell $ 5,633,037 4 $ 22,000,000 2008-09 F 
Jones, Damon $ 3,884,678 4 $ 16,100,000 2008-09 G 
Newble, Ira $ 3,196,000 5 $ 15,000,000 2007-08 (p) F-G 
Pollard, Scot $ 2,200,000 1 $ 2,200,000 2006-07 C-F 
Pavlovic , Sasha $ 1,962,206 4 $ 5,576,000 2006-07 F 
Wesley, David $ 1,750,000 2 $ 350,000 2007-08 G 
Brown , Shannon $ 971,280 4 $ 5,140,000 2009-10 (t) G 
Varejao, Anderson $ 945,600 3 $ 2,600,000 2006-07 C-F 
Jones, Dwayne $ 664,209 1 $ 664,209 2006-07 F-C 
Gibson , Daniel $ 412,718 2 $ 1,100,000 2007-08 G 

link


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Market has changed: Snow, etc. wouldn't be getting those contracts based on this year's or next year's FA agent class and knowing what the owners are spending. Only one player got the full MLE this year for example I believe. AV and Fegan are living in the past. To put it bluntly AV was hoping the Cavs would fail and they would get desperate: his bluff was called and he's now trying to work the PR angle


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

I don't think that Fegan passed High school math.There were a handful of teams with the capspace to spend on FA's Orlando took Lewis,Charlotte kept Wallace(who by the way settled for the sort of money Varejao is asking for) and the Grizz took Darko.The music stopped and there weren't any chairs left for Varejan top of that noone even bothered to offer him the MLE and noone showed the least interest interest in a S&T.It's not like you needed Sherlock Holmes to decipher the clues.The deal Ferry offered is really above market value because Cleveland needs Varejao more than anyone else.They've made an honest and fair effort to sign him so now he and Fegan have noone else to blame for this mess.


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## Ruff Draft (Nov 21, 2004)

Could this be the final piece to a deal with Sacramento? Swap Hughes & AV for Bibby and one of Thomas/SAR? Maybe?


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Ididn't even know SAR was still in the NBA. Jeez.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Ruff Draft said:


> Could this be the final piece to a deal with Sacramento? Swap Hughes & AV for Bibby and one of Thomas/SAR? Maybe?


For some reason, I don't see Sacramento wanting Waterford or an overpaid role player.


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## koberules24 (Nov 12, 2006)

How about a sign and trade to China? Let's see how the Chinese tolerate his ****-erotic hairstyle.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> Game notes
> The teams will play again Sunday in Boston. ... Cleveland has won eight of nine meetings with the Celtics. ... James seemed surprised by comments made by free agent forward Anderson Varejao, who frustrated by a contract impasse with Cleveland's front office, has asked to be traded. "Things can sometimes be twisted," said James, who spoke with his teammate a few days ago. "I don't know if there is a lot of truth to that. When I have spoken to Andy he wants to be on this team. And whoever is on my team is going to be successful."


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271127005


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

James is amazing. Andy should really consider this factor when saying "I don't want to play for the Cavs anymore".

"And whoever is on my team is going to be successful."


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

If Andy sticks with Lebron he'll get his payday eventually.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> CLEVELAND: There's a reason that players usually don't talk to the media during contract negotiations: Sometimes it can do more harm than good.
> In speaking with ESPN.com in his first English language interview about the topic on Monday, Anderson Varejao tried to send a strong message to Cavaliers management by saying he no longer wanted to play for the team. That position is one thing, but Varejao might have stepped over the line by insulting some of his Cavs teammates as well.
> Varejao was quoted as saying: ''I don't think I'll be happy in Cleveland knowing that I was [almost] the lowest-paid player there for three years and am still paid much less than players on the team that I outperform.''
> There was already a little uneasiness with Varejao, because he seemed to be betting on the Cavs getting off to a poor start to drive up his value. That's a bit of a gray area. But the quote on ESPN.com, in which he belittled some of his teammates' performances, wasn't. The statement irked some Cavs, many of whom already have been scratching their heads over the process.
> ...


http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/11880371.html


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

> When Anderson Varejao told ESPN.com that he's become so frustrated with contract negotiations that he doesn't want to play for the Cavaliers anymore, many wondered if it was Varejao speaking for himself, or his agent Dan Fegan, who has the reputation as a shrewd negotiator and malcontent.
> Former Cavs guard Ricky Davis said he is positive Fegan is behind this stalemate. Fegan was Davis' agent for two years.
> "He doesn't need to be an agent," said Davis, about Fegan. "He does dirty stuff, under-the-table things. [Varejao] needs to change agents immediately if he wants to get this thing done."
> <script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd"><script language="JavaScript1.1"> //Be Sure to change Click & Image Link in Both Places var FlashClickthru="http://www.hhgregg.com/?utm_source=realcities&utm_medium=banner&utm_term=300x250"; var SWFFilename="hhgregg-1126_300x250-2.swf"; var ImageName="hhgregg-1126_300x250.gif"; var CodeVersion="Flash_1.1"; var TFSMFlash_VERSION=6; var TFSMFlash_WMODE="opaque"; var TFSMFlash_OASCLICK="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ad...story.html/34636164326333643437346438396430"; var TFSMFlash_SWFCLICKVARIABLE="?clickTag=http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/802654012/StoryAd/CLEVELANDLIVE/HHGregg01_CL_RoS_Rect/hhgregg-1126_300x250_story.html/34636164326333643437346438396430?" + escape(FlashClickthru); var TFSMFlash_SWFFILE="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ad...ect/"+SWFFilename+TFSMFlash_SWFCLICKVARIABLE; var TFSMFlash_IMAGEALTERNATE="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/CLEVELANDLIVE/HHGregg01_CL_RoS_Rect/"+ImageName; var TFSMFlash_OASALTTEXT="Click here!"; var TFSMFlash_OASTARGET="_blank"; var TFSMFlash_OASPROTOCOL="http://"; var TFSMFlash_OASDIM="WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250"; var TFSMFlash_OASADID="ad_banner"; document.write('<scr'+ 'ipt src="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ads/Upload/js_wrappers/FlashStory.js"></scr'+'ipt>'); </script><script src="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ads/Upload/js_wrappers/FlashStory.js"> <noscript class="noscript-show"><span class="noscript-show"> <a href="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ad...ealcities&utm_medium=banner&utm_term=300x250" target="_blank"><img src="http://ads.advance.net/RealMedia/ad...Gregg01_CL_RoS_Rect/hhgregg-1126_300x250.gif" alt="Click here!" border="0" height="250" width="300"></a> </span></noscript>
> ...


More at:

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/119624306390400.xml&coll=2


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Yeah 2 things. 1) I blame Fegan for almost all of this. And 2) I'm reticent to take media quotes from sports journalism seriously as a rule. But even more so when the interviewee is not speaking his native language or is being translated.

As always Lebron has the most mature take on everything. He's only 22 and he's lightyears ahead of most adults in terms of his patience and perception.

I have no doubt that once Andy does sign a contract he will give whatever team he plays for his all. Hopefully it can be with the Cavs for a fair deal for all parties involved, so we can upgrade the team with Andy as a part.

C'mon Andy we got Championships to try and win.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

> So far, nothing between the Cavs and Varejao has been done. Varejao has not been with the Cavs all season. He's a holdout because his contract demand -- $10 million per year, at one time -- has not been met. He also turned down a $1.2 million qualifying offer *and a six-year deal for about $52 million last month.*


Sorry, but I'm having a very difficult time believing this sentence.


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## hendrix2430 (Mar 21, 2005)

It's a typo. I don't know where I read it but I recall some article mentioning the Cavs' latest offer: 6 yrs/32Mil, and Fegan/AV wants 6yrs/52Mil.


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## ¹²³ (Jan 8, 2003)

futuristxen said:


> Yeah 2 things. 1) I blame Fegan for almost all of this. And 2) I'm reticent to take media quotes from sports journalism seriously as a rule. But even more so when the interviewee is not speaking his native language or is being translated.
> 
> As always Lebron has the most mature take on everything. He's only 22 and he's lightyears ahead of most adults in terms of his patience and perception.
> 
> ...


I agree with you. I really want to see Andy and 'Bron winning a championship together.


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