Varajao traded to Portland, Cavs get Channing Frye
Cavs easily defeat Bulls 106-95
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a game against the Chicago Bulls Thursday night, but members of the Cavs organization and fanbase all felt the sting from a move that was made earlier in the day. Just before the 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline Thursday, the Cavs dealt longtime fan favorite Anderson Varejao to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Cavs received stretch power forward Channing Frye in a separate deal as compensation for Varejao, but there is no question the beloved player with the wild hair will be missed in Cleveland.
“That’s the worst part of the business right there,” Cavs small forward LeBron James said. “When you lose a brother, you lose a teammate, that’s the worst part about it. We’re excited to have Channing come in here for sure.
“He’s going to add something to our team, a veteran, a guy who’s played some really good ball in his career, so we’re excited with that. As far as Andy, that’s the worst part of the business when it comes to this game.”
As part of two trades, the Cavs sent Varejao and a protected future first round pick to the Trail Blazers and Jared Cunningham and a future second round pick to the Orlando Magic. In return Cleveland received former Magic forward Channing Frye, who in 44 appearances with Orlando this season averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game.
“We envision that he’s going to be a complementary piece,” Cavs general manager David Griffin said of the 6-foot-11 Frye. “He’s a floor-spacing shooter. He can guard both fours and fives. His length will enable him to play some fives that we may not have been playing currently as well.
“We’re not getting him to be a defensive stopper. I don’t want to say that at all, but he has versatility there. This is not a non-defender. This is a very smart team defensive player.”
It isn’t easy for Cavaliers fans and players to see the man affectionately known as the “Wild Thing” leave town. Varejao spent has spent his entire 12-year career in Cleveland as a member of the Cavs, ranking fifth in franchise history in total rebounds (4,434) and seventh in games played (591) and blocks (397).
“In Anderson Varejao’s 12-year NBA career, all of which being spent here, I think he exemplified everything that we want a Cavalier to be about,” Griffin said. “I think the (Cavs) legends that are here today would agree with that. Andy is a player that, both in addition to what he did for us as a player and with his basketball talent, his diligence in getting back from injury year after year, his hard work, his effort, his intensity, those are things that are going to be remembered here.
“They’re incredibly appreciated. It made this trade an incredibly difficult one to do, both on a human level and in a real sense. It was a very difficult phone call to have. There’s very little I’ve enjoyed less in my professional career than letting him know that he was traded.”
As fans held signs thanking Varejao for his time in Cleveland during the game with Chicago, it was evident just how much he meant to the city. The Cavs picked up their first win of the season against Chicago with a 106-95 victory in Quicken Loans Arena Thursday night. Cleveland was 0-2 against the Bulls this season, who were missing All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler on Thursday.
James led the Cavs with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Kevin Love added his team-leading 24th double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving totaled 19 points and four assists. Tristan Thompson chipped-in his 15th double-double of the season 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Cleveland had a slim 48-42 lead at halftime, but began to pull away from Chicago in the third quarter. The Cavs opened the second half with a 17-6 run, capped by a J.R. Smith alley-oop to James that gave Cleveland a 65-48 lead with 7:52 remaining in the quarter. James’ dunk helped Cleveland tie its largest lead of the night to that point. The Bulls never came within single digits of Cleveland the rest of the way.
“I thought they did a great job just being professional, staying with the gameplan,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said of his team. “I thought what set the tone for us early is we were physical defensively.”
The win against Chicago pushed Cleveland’s record to 23-4 at home this season, and the victory came in large part because of the all-around game of James. With his second field goal of the night, James passed Moses Malone (9,435) for 19th place in NBA history in made field goals. However, James won’t see his longtime friend, Varejao, in the locker room again this season.
Losing Varejao was tough on the entire Cavs organization, including Lue.
“It’s going to be tough on me,” Lue said. “Just knowing what Andy meant to this organization, meant to the fan base here. Every time I played him, he was there.
“Every time I called his number, he was ready to play. Just having those types of guys around, professional, always smiling in a good mood, always holding other guys accountable. That’s just a great guy to have around, and it’s a hard guy to lose.”
POSTED 02/18/2016 23:35
Lake County Sentinel
