Reflecting on the trade of Anderson Varejao

The Anderson Varejao era is over in Cleveland, and looking at a Cavaliers roster without him on it is a very wild thing. Varejao was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers as a part of the three team trade for Channing Frye. During his 12 seasons with the Cavaliers Anderson became a fan favorite for his tenacious play on the court and affable personality off of it. Varejao played in 591 games for the Cavaliers, the 7th most in Cavs history. He was a part of the first Cavaliers team to ever make the NBA Finals, playing in all 20 of the Cavs playoff games during the 2007 playoffs.

The Brazilian big man was adored by fans for the way he would take charges, dive for loose balls and give maximum effort every time he checked into a game. The way that Anderson approached being an NBA player took a toll on him though, causing his body to break down over time, resulting in many seasons that were cut too short by injuries. Since the start of the 2010-2011 season Varejao has missed considerable amounts of time suffering from a variety of injuries including a serious blood clot in his lung during the 2012-2013 season.

Seeing Anderson Varejao suit up for any NBA team that is not the Cleveland Cavaliers will be tough. Anderson has been one of the most recognizable members of the Cavaliers since he and his big hair joined the team. Anderson gave us everything he had on the court, he helped lead the franchise through the departure of LeBron James and as cliché as it sounds, was one of us. Best of luck to Andy in the future; I hope to one day see his jersey next to Illgauskas's and LeBron's hanging in the Q.