(SB Nation Cleveland, James Brady) The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a bad way when it comes to their roster, with absolutely no depth at the center position and Anderson Varejao going down with an injury. Until Thursday, Varejao has been out indefinitely, but now confirmation has come from the Cavs that he'll miss a significant amount of time, according to the Plain Dealer on Twitter:
Team confirms Anderson Varejao will miss 4 to 6 weeks with fractured wrist.
Taking a glance at the schedule means that could translate to more than 20 games out with the injury. He's been great with the offensive rebounds this season and is a leader on the court, so losing him hurts in more than one way. The team can be happy that they got Kyrie Irving back in the lineup, but they're now faced with the uncertainty of who actually gets more minutes with Varejao out.
At center, the team has Semih Erden, Samardo Samuels and Ryan Hollins to work with, but all are a sizable step down from Varejao. The most intriguing option could be rookie power forward Tristan Thompson. While it's not an ideal fit, he's a young player who has shown a spark, and it might be best to just get him on the court with Varejao out. At the very least, his defensive abilities could use some honing with more minutes.