The Cavaliers’ immediate future is uncertain, to say the least. The one thing we do know is that Anderson Varejao will almost certainly be a part of it. Given the upcoming CBA battle, it seems unlikely that any teams are going to be making the type of trade that would lead to Varejao’s departure this season. Varejao has also shown that he is almost as effective defending the center position as he is defending the four spot, and that his high-movement, high-energy style of offense can work even without LeBron running the pick-and-roll with him. Those are both good things.
However, there is somewhat of a paradox: Anderson Varejao is a true center on offense and a true power forward on defense. Varejao is a slightly better outside shooter and high-post player than he gets credit for, but he’s infinitely more comfortable when he can make cuts without the ball, roll to the basket, and crash the offensive glass. And while he can guard the post pretty darn well for such a skinny guy, he’s at his best when he can show hard on pick-and-rolls, recover back, and disrupt offenses 25 feet away from the hoop.
So the ideal frontcourt partner for Anderson Varejao is a center who can guard the post, defend the rim, and keep the floor spaced by stepping out and hitting jumpers. That player does not actually exist, which is something of an issue. The 08-09 version of Zydrunas Ilgauskas was a perfect fit with Varejao, but he was overmatched by Dwight Howard, has aged, and plays in Miami. Marcus Camby comes close, but he’s much better at taking 20-footers than he is at making them. Chad Ford’s version of Darko Milicic would be perfect, and reports are that he plans to put in serious work on his game this off-season with Sidd Finch. We’ll keep you updated on that as it develops.
With that in mind, let’s look at the pros and cons of some potential froncourts for the Cavs next season:
Varejao/Hickson:
The most likely starting unit. If this is going to work, Hickson will have to consistently knock down mid-range jumpers and make good defensive rotations on the perimeter. I have doubts about the former and grave doubts about the latter. I think the chances are that Hickson’s rightful place in this league will be as a first big off the bench, but a Varejao/Hickson backcourt could potentially be serviceable.
Varejao/Sullinger:
I can’t shake the feeling that if the Cavs don’t get Irving, they’re going with Sullinger. Barnes is the only other guy that can really be sold as a huge potential piece, and Sullinger is more consistent and playing for the good basketball team in Ohio. (Note: if the Cavs pass on Irving willingly and the subsequent five blog entries are pictures of puppies attempting to solve mysteries, it is because I have lost my mind.)
Sullinger can score and rebound, but perimeter defense and outside shooting are his two biggest weaknesses, which means he’d be an iffy fit with Varejao on offense and questionable on defense. I’m going to say this one more time: I’m all about building a defensive frontcourt first. That’s why I’m not really sold on Sullinger.
Varejao/Valanciunas:
I know nothing about Valanciunas other than what I’ve read in scouting reports. Apparently he’s tall, has an insane wingspan, doesn’t shoot mid-range jump shots, loves to roll to the basket and finish, is a good shot-blocker, but isn’t the most cerebral defensive player. I like him on paper, but he’s European and was born in 1992. That makes him a huge question mark. Still, he sounds like a legit NBA center if all goes as planned, and I’m willing to sacrifice some offensive hiccups for a real live defensive backcourt. The caveat here is that I wouldn’t be all that surprised if he turns out to be a poor man’s Mosgov. It’s really hard to predict these Euro big mens, especially really young ones.
Perry Jones:
Seems like Mike Beasley without the college production. He will tantalize you with jump shots, he will miss defensive rotations, he will get your hopes up, and he will break your heart. Or he could be a cross between Lamar Odom, Kevin Durant, and Kevin Garnett. A pretty good “fit” on paper, but these versatile forwards will make you tear your hair out.
Those are a few of my thoughts — there’s always the chance that the Cavs could try and develop a center on their own (does anyone know what’s up with Sasha Kaun right now? He was doing well in international play, right?), or try to find another option through free agency or trades. Let me know your ideas.
Been making this exact point for a while. Hickson + Varejao doesn’t work for either guy, and it especially doesn’t work for any offense that plans on functioning. HIckson, who is also best in the paint on offense, needs that exact same type of player to be paired with. Like you said, that doesn’t exist. Add to that that Hickson is already undersized to actually play the C position, and it makes me wonder how the Cavs convince themselves to build with him moving forward.
The only player I could come up with a while back when trying t othink of the guy you described was Rasheed Wallace. Granted, he was better suited defending fours, he was a very, very good defender of Centers as well.
I’ve always thought that Marc Gasol would be a decent fit up here, and that Memphis would be too cheap to resign him when his contract expires. I believe he’s a decent shooter, and a legit 5 in terms of defense. Once again though, I never see him play, and he’s not very flashy, so I may be overvaluing him.
Is there anyone out there who can give me a good scouting report on him? I envision him as a tougher, less finesse-oriented version of Pau.
I think Motiejunas could be another possible option. He has been compared to Andrea Bargnani (cool) and Channing Frye (ugh) and supposedly has a reliable jump shot. Still, he needs to put on about 20 pounds before he is ready to guard centers in the NBA.
Personally, why not go with the tweener who has game? Assuming the Cavs can’t take Kyrie Irving due to draft position, or let’s say they do and that LAC pick is high enough to make this possible – I say the Cavs go with Derrick Williams.
At this point, he looks like the best proven commodity – he’s 6’8″ which is smallish for a PF but the guy plays a lot bigger than he is offensively and has a good inside and outside game (plus, he’s a sophomore, so he’s a bit more developed as far as having an NBA body). Also, if Andy is defending centers on offense – he’s not terrible, he does well bothering guys like Dwight Howard as soon as they catch the ball. As long as he denies them getting into the low block, he’s usually ok.
Seems to me the team does ok with JJ at center. He defends it better than he does 4′s and he’s shown that he can gobble up rebounds with the best of them. I think if it were me, I’d go the opposite route – I’d have Andy at PF with JJ at Center – if a team runs the PNR with their Center, no problem – Andy is a good help defender and despite how it sometimes feels, most PF’s are iffy with their mid-range game.
Perry Jones is like Michael Beasley re-dux. Sorry, you can’t be the #2 rated NBA guy out there and not even carry your team to the Big Dance. Even if you don’t have a PG. I like Barnes a lot but his game is even MORE suited to playing the 3 then Derrick Williams.
Call me paranoid, but I also don’t like Euro bigs who didn’t play against college comp. I think I’d be really happy with Sullinger – you just need some size in your frontcourt – it doesn’t matter where. And Sullinger has the size, smarts, and game to be a REALLY effective NBA player (in my opinion).
I agree with a lot of what has been said, and I will say that your description of Andy on offense is accurate but also potentially mislabeled. Andy is not a STRETCH 4, but very much a traditional 4 on offense on defense. His skill set fits very comfortably within that system. Just because many teams run with small lineups that feature stretch 4 guys does not mean we have to play that style. We also don’t really need either our 4 or 5 to shoot deep Jumpers. We, like many teams, have had to construct a team around one player that needs an open middle. And of course, the handchecking rules have opened up drivers which have required floor spacers. BUT, how many frontline players shoot deep Js in the Triangle? There are other offenses as well work that way. You basically need 3 guys to be on the floor who can hit a 3 and a 4th who can know down the mid-range J. If one of your big men has a legit post game, he doesn’t need to hit the outside shot.
Ok, so what does this mean for us? Andy is a great player and can and will play both positions well but I would prefer he start at the 4. I have said it before, so I will say again that I am more than willing to throw money at a big injury likelihood for Greg Oden. If we pair Greg Oden with Andy at the four, we could potentially have one of the best defensive big man combos in the league. The idea of having Oden and Andy playing great help D makes me excited. Another advantage of pairing a bigger guy with Andy is that if Oden runs the pick and roll with Baron for example, it clears up the middle a little bit for Andy to get some of his famous cuts. Andy helps us more as the off the Pick/Roll player than actually as the roller or popper. Obviously, Oden isn’t going to Pop, but that is fine. It still gets Andy open lanes off help defense. Oden is also a decent post threat that we have been lacking.
I would also consider Derrick Williams with our second first rounder depending on our luck. I like him at the 3 which would obviously fill a huge need for us. He also could slide over to the 4 at times when necessary.
If we draft Sullinger, which I would be fine with, I think we should trade Hickson. Yes, they have dissimilar games, but the minutes in my little scenario here would basically make Hick a non factor (ya know, until Oden has another injury)
I really like Erden, and think he will be a very solid backup center. I’m also good with seeing how Samuels plays out. He is basically a poor man’s Sullinger anyway,
If we get Irving and Williams, we might be better off. The following lineup could actually be quite good offensively and defensively, not to mention physically huge.
Baron-good version of Baron still would and should start over Irving for a season of actual playoff contention.
Eyenga-I really have a feeling he will be a consistent shooter next year, and a lock down D guy.
Derrick Williams-Fantastic shooter with great size and range. Might have trouble guarding the faster guys at 3
Andy- yeah, we know
Oden- yes, it is unlikely that he will be healthy or even that Portland wouldn’t match but I will never forget how he just dominated Horford and Noah and that before his injury last year, he was a top 5 center.
Irving, Hickson and Erden off bench in the no Sullinger version.
Oh, there is a chance that John’s described ideal frontcourt mate still exists, but seems to be as fragile as my Oden, and that is Yao Ming.
Quick note on a possible Andy/Sullinger pairing. I think it would actually work pretty well on a regular season level. Sullinger is always improving his perimeter game, but more importantly, he has enough girth to guard certain centers to give Andy a break. But, I don’t love it. Especially in the playoffs when matchups become more important.
No matter who we get, me need a defensive specialist to help coach this team.
Is Center even the teams greatest need? Obviously if they get the first pick they should take best player available which I believe to be Irving. However, this team lacks athleticism at the 2 and 3. Skeyenga may become a player but he can’t even legally drink. Harris seems like a solid bench player, and Anthony Parker is on the wrong side of 30. The Cavs have not had a legitimate scoring threat at the 2 since pre-finger injury Larry Hughes, or maybe even Ricky “wrong way” Davis.
Most teams would love a true center who can defend the paint. Unfortunately, those guys aren’t very plentiful. It’s why Portland gambled on Oden over the sure thing Durant. The Cavs need help everywhere. However, I think the true weakness is out on the wing.
I hope the Cavs try to bring Sasha Kaun over this summer. I remember a chat from Windhorst a while ago that said his Russian team contract was up THIS SUMMER…they didn’t want to buy him out last summer. He would be another cog in the wheel.
I hope the team targets a future PG and Wing.
Nobody else is saying it so I’m just gonna say it: ENES KANTER.
if we could get him and irving… WHOOOOOOO
Value front court players later in the draft imo: kahwi leonard, faried