Anderson Varejao Reportedly Cleared For All Basketball Activities


No word yet on whether Cavs center Andrew Bynum will be ready for training camp this year, but now—per The Plain Dealer—we know that Cleveland big man Anderson Varejao, who missed most of 2012-13 with a blood clot, is all good to go: “1. I hear that Anderson Varejao was been cleared for all basketball activities when the Cavs open training camp in a few weeks. Varejao missed 57 games last season because of a leg injury followed by blood clots. In the last three seasons, he has played only 81 games … and missed 149 … due to various injuries. So it’s hard to count on him. 2. But when Varejao has been on the court — especially the last two seasons — he has been terrific. Yes, it’s only 50 total games, but he’s averaged 13.0 rebounds and 12.5 points, shooting 49 percent from the field. 3. Note to coach Mike Brown: Don’t play Varejao too much! He averaged 33 minutes per game the last two seasons under Byron Scott. Too much. Is that why he got hurt? Who knows? But the Cavs have a lot of big men — Anthony Bennett, Tyler Zeller, Tristan Thompson, Andrew Bynum and Varejao — capable of playing center and/or power forward. Varejao never averaged more than 28 minutes a game when Brown was coach.”