Would you trade Varejao for Al Jefferson?

by museum on Nov 2, 2009 6:16 PM CST Comment 36 comments

Hi there, Wolves fan here. We've had a lot of debate about Al Jefferson and what he's worth to us on our site, and I was just discussing whether trading him for Anderson Varejao would be a good idea and what the reaction would be. So I'm curious what the Ohioian perspective would be. Help us out, I'd love to hear your thoughts. As much to hear what you have to say about Anderson as Al and the trade.

Poll

As a Cavs fan, would you trade Anderson Varejao for Al Jefferson?

Yeah

207 votes

Nah

79 votes

286 votes | Poll has closed

This is a Fan-Created Comment on FearTheSword.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff at FearTheSword

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We could use the scoring improvement, but how is Al Jefferson’s defense? I don’t know much about him on the defensive side.

On the other hand, Varajao is probably an underrated defender, and brings a lot to the floor, that you simply can’t see in the box score. He forces more offensive fouls, than anyone that I’m aware of. The problem is that, he is left open on offense, nearly all the time, and he misses open look after open look.

by Simmsinns on Nov 2, 2009 7:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Al's defense

Not a strong point, this is pretty much undisputed among Wolves fans.

by museum on Nov 2, 2009 10:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

This would never happen. You can’t be serious.

All Truth Goes Through Three Stages 1.It is ridiculed 2.It is violently opposed 3.Finally, it is accepted as self-evident. kinesiologist
Baseball’s biggest busts Andy Marte.

by E5 on Nov 2, 2009 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Expand, please. I wouldn’t consider it as a Wolves fan, but there are some who would do it.

by museum on Nov 2, 2009 10:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

seriously? We’d have to take this in a heart beat. Jefferson’s a young, talented, athletic big man that you can build a team around. Defensively, if Mike Brown can make Z a decent defender, he can def make the more mobile Jefferson one. The only problem would be what to do with shaq/Z. I dunno if Jefferson could play more of a PF a la Tim Duncan, or if he is more of a true Center. We’re already thin at PF, and if we can’t get some more depth either from this trade, or maybe another maybe that causes it to fall through. It would never happen though.

by iwearmocs on Nov 3, 2009 12:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jefferson can play PF, for sure

I’d do this trade in a second (as a Cavs fan), but it’d be retarded for the Wolves to do so

by Julie H on Nov 17, 2009 10:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yes and yes

Im the poor man's corey maggette!!!

by Chucky Brown on Nov 3, 2009 11:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

the added offense would be nice but

how would this work money wise since Jefferson makes 2x what Andy does…plus Andy’s shooting seems to be improving…one other thing…with the problems integrating new team members into the offense, would it be wise to add yet another new face?

by cavslandrocks on Nov 3, 2009 12:27 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Very valid points. One thing we know, is not to mess with a teams chemistry. Or if you do, do it as early in the season as possible.

by Simmsinns on Nov 3, 2009 1:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Would you trade $5 for $20?

by dgcambridge on Nov 3, 2009 2:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yes, yes, yes. i’d jump at the chance. but i dont think its possible because of their salaries? and are the wolves even considering getting rid of him?

by CavsLebronFan on Nov 3, 2009 8:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think they’re looking to get rid of him, no. Not that they wouldn’t for the right deal. There’s just a vocal contingent of fans on our site who aren’t crazy about him. And I’m not sure how it would work financially, we were just talking hypothetically.

by museum on Nov 3, 2009 11:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Wolves are in NO WAY looking to dump Jefferson

He’s their cornerstone right now. They want to build around him and see him as one of the dominant big men of the future. Andy is a good role player (overpaid as he may be), but no team is going to be building anything around that guy

by Julie H on Nov 17, 2009 10:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

For this season: No, but for next season “yes”. For what the Cavs have in Z and Shaq as offensive centers, plus Lebron and Mo, Jefferson would not be utilized as well. But I’d rather have Jefferson instead of Andy if you remove both Z and Shaq from the roster. And then of course the money is an issue as well. For as little as he is asked for (low usage ), Andy does pretty well in regards to his TS, so its not like Jefferson is going to really improve upon Andy since Jefferson’s main attribute is his ability to handle the bulk of the scoring load. But like I said, next season would be a completely different story.

by hans on Nov 3, 2009 10:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I couldn’t really see Jefferson and Shaq together doing too well.

by museum on Nov 3, 2009 11:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

%%%

So I typed in five percentage signs and only three showed up, and neither of the the percentage signs showed up in the post I made above (TS percentage and usage percentage).

by hans on Nov 3, 2009 10:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Al for Andy?

I admit i am not a huge fan of Andy but i think he brings more to the table than Al Jefferson does, Jefferson is a creative low post prescence at best, Andy can score too! and he plays defense and rebounds and hustles and is way more active then Jefferson ever was!
the points would be nice, but you cannot put a price on what Andy brings to the team, neither can you teach those things….Cavs are lucky to have a guy like him, every team needs an Andy
So i guess my answer is NO! i would not trade Andy for Jefferson, Id trade him for maybe Rajon Rondo? i think the Cavs need a good point guard and another longer wing player that can make open shots like Stephen Jackson.

"minds sharpens minds, like steel sharpens steel"

by NELLY808 on Nov 5, 2009 7:04 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I admit i am not a huge fan of Andy but i think he brings more to the table than Al Jefferson does

Really?

Look at the numbers, it’s not even close. Jefferson is a far superior player.

Al Jefferson > Anderson Varejao

Blazersedge mods suck

by lrh86 on Nov 5, 2009 10:51 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I am not saying the deal is good or bad, but you do have to look at the context when reviewing numbers like this. Varejao is at best the 4th option (more likely 5th) on offense on this team, so he’ll never put up scoring numbers that Jefferson does as one of the primary scoring options in Minnesota.

If we dealt for Jefferson, he would still be only the number 4 option, so his chance for duplicating the TWolves numbers is close to nil.

by talonk on Nov 5, 2009 12:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If we dealt for Jefferson, he would still be only the number 4 option

If Al Jefferson was on the Cavs he would be, without question, the second option on that team. I don’t think even Mike Brown is that stupid. Big Al is one of the more talented post players in the league.

Blazersedge mods suck

by lrh86 on Nov 6, 2009 10:30 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well....

He consistently puts up decent numbers on horrible teams. Take that for what its worth

by Julie H on Nov 17, 2009 10:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

superior?

yes you are very right sir, jefferson is a far superior “scorer” than andy and that i agree, but it seems as if you misunderstood what im “saying”, i am not saying andy is a better scorer than jefferson, what im saying is that there are more things andy can do!
andy can guard the pf/c and even step out on smaller wings, he hustles, dives, takes charges, tips, and does all the rubbish moves for the team and hes exactly what they need! he can score too, maybe not consistently but he dives well and cuts to the basket really hard & strong even more so this season from what i have observed….jefferson? …..he dont give you the energy and hustle like andy does and definitley not the athleticism!

"minds sharpens minds, like steel sharpens steel"

by NELLY808 on Nov 7, 2009 4:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You just don’t trade a 20-10 guy for a ‘hustle’ guy.

Blazersedge mods suck

by lrh86 on Nov 9, 2009 11:04 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

you don’t trade players, you trade contracts. And anyways, I agree in the sense that it wouldn’t make too much sense for the Cavs to acquire a 20-10 guy when they need a “hustle” guy (for this season anyways).

by hans on Nov 10, 2009 12:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

i agree with every single bit of that

by andrew29910 on Nov 5, 2009 2:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

"I admit i am not a huge fan of Andy but i think he brings more to the table than Al Jefferson Does"

I agree

Keep pumpin, ain't worried bout nuttin
Busters thought we was frontin, so reload and keep dumpin
Keep Sleeping on Orlando...

by BS Patrol on Nov 6, 2009 2:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Are you crazy

by andrew29910 on Nov 5, 2009 2:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

We'll trade you Va-jj Redick for LeBron

LOL Yeah Side Show Bob For big Al, Stupid contract as it is, not everyone is that stupid and certainly not the wolves.

LOL@SideShow for Big Al!!!

Keep pumpin, ain't worried bout nuttin
Busters thought we was frontin, so reload and keep dumpin
Keep Sleeping on Orlando...

by BS Patrol on Nov 6, 2009 2:57 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Some interesting conversation

Thanks guys. I think it’s a philosophical question in a way. What do you value more in a player, the ability to come up with a bucket when one is needed, or someone who does all kinds of small things, like Varejao does? Because what each two does best, the other won’t help much with.

by museum on Nov 6, 2009 3:05 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

thanks for the laugh

It was funny that the topic was even brought up, but people actually DEBATED about the topic as though it was rational. I know most of you are insane homers when it comes to your cavs and cavs players, so let me put it in a way you would understand:

guy on magic forum: hey, should we trade Micheal Pietrus for Lebron James?
other guy on magic forum: Well Lebron is the better scoring option, but what else does he bring to the floor?
guy on magic forum: Yeah, you are right, and what about the chemistry of our team? We really don’t want to bring “new guys” like Lebron in this far into the season right?
other guy: yeah, i mean there is more to the game than scoring, how is Lebron’s defense?

Now, you may think that the above is an exaggeration. Well, you would be INCORRECT. Varajoa is to Al Jefferson what Pietrus is to Lebron James. Varajoa is a guy who should not even be starting on the Cavs, who is a hustle guy who has learned how to flop. Al Jefferson is a premier player in the entire league, without a doubt a top 15 NBA player. How you can compare a player of Jefferson’s talent, with a player like Varajoa is absolutely beyond me. It approaches the insane and whizzes right by it like a speeding bullet.

by plyka on Nov 10, 2009 2:57 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

You know if you slop together a lineup of all scorers you get the 2009-10 Memphis Grizzlies right? Al Jefferson would be great on the Cavs next season when they don’t have Shaq and Z at the center position drawing the majority of offensive plays not used by Lebron or Mo Williams. Varejao (this is how is name is spelled by the way) fits into what the team needs, so giving him up creates a hole defensively as no one else can really gaurd the oppenents power forward then. In many ways it would be a lateral move for the Cavs to trade him for Jefferson, any gain offense is negated by Jefferson’s mediocre defense, not to mention Varejao accepts his role where as it would be unknown if Jefferson would accept being the third/fourth scoring option on the team. I’d like Jefferson, but not at the cost of weakening our front court.

plyka you really are missing the point that in a vaccum you are correct that Varejao is not equal to Jefferson in value, but for the Cavs “this season” Varejao carriers equal to greater value to Jefferson.

by hans on Nov 10, 2009 1:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

a laugh

yes i agree it was a laugher and a trade that would never happen on both ends!
Cavs would not want Al and Wolves would not take Andy for Al either! so yea its a laugher
but a very interesting debate.

"minds sharpens minds, like steel sharpens steel"

by NELLY808 on Nov 10, 2009 3:50 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

more deals

then the cavs would trade shaq at the deadline for a shooting 4. theres no way you could have al jefferson and shaq on the floor together. this would only be realistic if the cavs felt the shooting 4 they could get in a trade would be better than someone they could sign after the season using the money coming off the books from shaq’s contract

by rocksforjocks on Nov 10, 2009 5:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Bad ALL around

This team is not going to get over the proverbial hump by dumping Shaq. If this team accomplishes anything big this year, its going to be with the aid of Shaq, not in spite of him.

by Julie H on Nov 17, 2009 10:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Cmon guys...

Let’s think realistically here, does anyone HONESTLY think Ferry would reject this ridiculously impractical trade if it were proposed by the Twolves? Does anyone think Varejao is gonna put up 20-10 in place of Al in Minnesota?

This isn’t even a fair comparison, because while Varejao is one of the best hustle defenders in the league, Jefferson’s talent is on a different level. Varejao obviously has his strengths that Jefferson lacks, but there is no GM in this league that would rather have Varejao instead of Jefferson based on their game (salary issues aside).

That said, this topic is ridiculous. At least narrow down the focus of the question, like pertaining to chemistry issues, salary cap, etc.

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by hardgay on Nov 19, 2009 4:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHAHA

Thanks for the laugh. Al Jefferson is EASILY the best low post big man in the NBA. He’s a much better offensive player than Howard, Bynum, Shaq, and ESPECIALLY Varejao. Not to mention he’s a superior rebounder as well. And please stop overrating Varejao’s defense it’s not that impressive. Flopping when you get posted up isn’t good defense.

by sexyscottish on Nov 21, 2009 3:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs