Yesterday, Anderson Varejao and agent Dan Fegan broke their silence in an interview with ESPN. My reaction was in a column in today’s paper.
The two sides have avoided making this a media war for five months so the fact that Varejao side is now talking and so are the Cavs, behind the scenes to the media at least, shows just how far apart they are.
Both sides are doing a bunch of scrapping over the details. I don’t not have access to all the information and I certainly have grown tired of the he said/he said stuff. After five months of writing about this I just don’t think any of that matters except to the men in the trenches, as I said in the column.
My personal opinon on the matter is the Varejao and Fegan have misjudged the market and are scrambling like mad to get around the restricted free agency rules which have been in place for years. They are trying to put public pressure on the Cavs by angling in the media, first saying they’ll take a one-year, $5 million contract, then saying they’d bel willing to go to arbibitration, now saying they demand a sign-and-trade.
That’s all sounds so good, but no team in the NBA would give Varejao a one-year deal right now. Varejao would never give up position for a rebound, so why would the Cavs give up their refusal rights to an aribitrator? Nobody in the NBA would. As for a sign-and-trade now, who is fooling whom? The summer is for sign-and-trades, the summer is for doing contracts. You don’t think Fegan has been working on sign-and-trades since July? Of course he has and there is no deal to make. There one coming now just like there wasn’t then. See, so much of this is common NBA sense, which is why so much of this is nonsense.
By the way, Varejao trying to indict the Cleveland media saying he never asked for a contract averaging $10-$11 million a year is rich. One of the worst kept secrets in the NBA is that Fegan asked for six years and more than $60 million a few days before training camp. Executives all over the league have been taking to each other and to media members about that figure. It’s not even inside information anymore, everybody knows it. Maybe that is not what they are asking for now, but they asked for it then.
From the Cavs side, their failure is to not have a backup plan in place. While Varejao was refusing to talk all summer, Danny Ferry should’ve been making a deal to secure another big man. Now they are paying for the lack of a plan B on the court. Also, Danny obviously miscalulated by going to Brazil unannouced. They didn’t help matters, so it was a risk that failed.
The real crazy thing about this is they all this agony is over a non-starter. A key bench player and a key player in the playoffs, but at the end of the day he is a complementary big man who is good at taking charges. He’s valuable to the Cavs, they want him back, and all that stuff. They have offered him a pile of money. They have said they will put incentives in there that will pay him millions more if he becomes an All-Star or First Team All-NBA or whatever. They just don’t think he’s worth more than the $6.4 million they are paying Drew Gooden, a player averaging a double-double, this year.
After that, it’s all pretty academic.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
I could swear I can remember articles stating restricted free agency was changing somehow and that all the league was watching Ferry this summer because it’s a new era, he’s sailing uncharted waters, setting the bar on coming summers, etc, etc.
Now I’m reading that the free agency rules have been in place for years and nothing has changed. I’m confused.
How did that $60 million figure first get promulgated? Did Fegan go around to all the league GMs and say he was making that offer on the eve of training camp, or was it Ferry? Who would be motivated to do that?
Speaking of Ferry, did he okay that third-to-last paragraph? It comes dangerously close to criticizing his work.
Gee, i could’ve sworn that Ferry DID trade for a big man this summer, but i guess i just dreamt it, eh?
You’ll have to do better than that whopper to criticize Ferry on this whole mess. Oh, though i suppose the Ferry-haters will blame him for Simmons’ injuries so far! “He’s the GM! He should’ve foreseen this!” Yes, i can just hear it now…
And let’s kill another ESPN-manufactured meme right now, the one that says “so far, the Cavs have really struggled.” Hmmm…really? They have the third most victories in the Eastern Conf. behind Orlando ( who beat the Cavs by one point, in overtime! ) and Boston, who the Cavs play tonight.
Consider also that according to Hollinger’s strength of schedule ratings, the Cavs have played the toughest schedule of the top 5 teams in the East so far. I know, i know, more inconvenient FACTS that get in the way of the moaning and hand-wringing of the fans and the media!
Based on “measurables” and past performance there has been little *evidence* so far to suggest that the Cavs won’t be right there at the end of the year, challenging for the Eastern Conf. crown. Grow up a little, eh, Cavs “fans?”
The back cover of that LeBron/Cavs franchise book is probably going to have a testimionial from Ferry saying how terrific the book is, but can we please finally have some semblance of clarity here? Brian, Ferry had already “secured a big man,” and his name was Scot Pollard. So at long last, just when they finally might have needed him, what does Ferry do? He tells him to get lost. Brilliant.
By the way, how would you feel if you were represented by a lawyer/agent, and your editor suddenly showed up unannounced at your mom’s house and demanded to talk to Brian? You’d be just a wee pissed at your editor, eh? Just a guess.
Alan – Brian said it was wrong of Ferry to go to Brazil. Stop harassing Brian! He is not the problem here! Jesus.
Well, only having 2 quality big men is no way to contend for a conference title. Drew and especially Drew can’t keep putting in almost 40 minutes a game every game, it will will wear on them as the year goes on, and if one of them gets into foul trouble in a game, we are screwed. When Simmons was healthy he was not the answer for this season, although it was a nice trade by Ferry to dump a player that eventually retired (Wesley) for a player that might have a future. But without a 3rd big man that can play D (so that rules out Donyell), this team will not be able to win the East.
On another note…sign and trade Andy for Andre Miller, who is being shopped? Just some material for discussion
Ricky Davis, Starbury, and now Scott Pollard. Man, if alan were GM this team would be sweet!
Anyway, this Varejao thing really is going to be the true test of Ferry’s skills as a GM. You’ve got Varejao crucifying the team in the media, and the Franchise himself, LeBron, is presumably on Varejao’s side. But the “right” thing for Ferry to do is exactly what he’s doing right now….not giving in. Ferry holds all the cards, and if he can resist the temptation to just get something done for the sake of getting it done, this franchise will be better off in the future and the Franchise will have a better team to consider coming back to. Sure, this year’s going to be a struggle, and it really sucks wasting an insane year like the one LeBron’s having, and of course Ferry is responsible for not having a real backup plan in place (not Scott Pollard….give me a break). At this point, though, I’m just looking at how to make this team better in the future, because nothing can really be done this season, in my opinion.
Lebron can NOT possibly be on Andy’s side if he knows how the business of the NBA works…If they give Andy anything close to the reported 60 million we can kiss Lebron goodbye because our entire cap, plus luxury tax would be eaten up by Stiffs, aging vets and brazilian hot heads.
Ferry needs to be patient, see if there is a deal for a point guard and/or another Big and go from there. We are 8-6 with half our guys hurt (not then any of them are any great shakes) and our schedule has been brutal and not getting easier this week. Everyone on this forum needs to relax, including Windhorst!
Gooden and AV should be making the same money.
the problem is Gooden should be making a bit more than he is.
This then might appease the AV camp.
Boost Gooden to 7.5 to 8.0 million a year, AV to 7.49-7.99 million a year.
If AV can’t do what Drew is doing then he should NOT get more than Gooden. No way…..
Drew is BALLIN right now.
Genius, your credibility suffers every time you use the word “meme.”
I understand you like to read those silly liberal bloggers but that term has no place in a sports forum like this.
Sure Lebron is going to be on Andy’s side. Any player is going to support another player when it comes to money issues because they know they themselves will eventually be trying to get more $$$$.
Did Chad Fraud write that Varejao was our second best young player last year or was that Fegan? I guess Boobie, Sasha, & Gooden must not be considered young. Again proving that Chad doesn’t actually watch the games, he is too busy ‘finding’ international talent because he’s the uber-scout in his own mind. I wonder what is Varejao +/- ratio without LB in the game. Those comments at the end of the article about outperforming teammates is the equivalent of LB telling the media Varejao should take a deal consistent with the market. In my opinion Varejao has never outperformed Gooden & never will because Gooden can shoot the ball. Rule # 1 of contract negotiations,you shouldn’t compare your value amongst your teammates. Fegan’s client Reggie Evans took a deal avergaing $4-5M, under the MLE. Reggie Evans can rebound & play D but has no offensive game, who does that sound like? Why give Varejao an above market deal when he has said he will play for Brazil every summer even after injuring his shoulder last year? It was cowardly not to do an interview where you say these things with at least one local reporter who could question some of these comments. Ultimately, if Varejao believed his value was higher, he would’ve taken the one year tender offer & become unrestricted next year. The free agent market is going to be much deeper next year & Fegan knows he definitely won’t get a deal averaging over MLE next year.
Ferry needs to get proactive & improve this team. We need a 1 & 4 to put in this rotation to make a serious playoff run. SCOLA & Beno should be on this team. Andre & Reggie Evans might fit that role. Calderon’s value is going up by the day, he has what this team lacks.
One of the reasons why the Cavs have been reluctant to sign AV is because they know he’s not going to have as productive a season as last, because they know that the rules regarding a defender stepping in front of someone driving down the lane to take a charge has changed. That is what AV was best at, it was totally crap B Ball and deserved to have the rule changed. notice how the refs are not giving those calls as charges as much anymore, but instead calling a blocking foul on the defender? AV averaged 6 pts and 6 boards. C’mon dude, that is barely worth the minimum wage if you ask me, almost any decent big out of college draft can do that. Just force the lazy bum to grow a FRO and swing his hair around like he’s playing with energy and he’ll look just as good as AV. So with the wonderful charges taken away from AV, what does he have left? Not much babay, 6pts and 6 boards.
I stand up and applaud Danny Ferry for what he is doing to AV. It is time mgmt takes a stand against overpaid role players that think they are superstars. It seems like everyone in the NBA thinks they are stars just because they are get complimented for whatever it is they are doing right. To me, a NBA star better be getting 20 and 10, or averaging at least 25pts. AV does not even avg 10 boards. All he was really good at was taking charges which will be irrelevant from this point on, see above as to why. More GMs need to take notice, also learn from Mullin in GSWarriors. Not handed out a single large contract this offseason after a magical playoff run. Better see another one, and another one, and then we’ll talk. He knows that most of the players on his team cannot create for themselves and are therefore useless without Boom Dizzle, so they only get 1 yr deals. The other teams will realize this also and not throw out ridiculous offers to lure someone away like what Dallas did to give Dampier a stupid $65million contract.
Varejao thinks after some stupid adjusted number formula he is the 22nd best player in the league? Then that says he should be an All Star too right? Shoot, let me adjust some numbers too and
all of a sudden I have the world’s 22nd largest peniis
I think at this point the Cavs know that they do not really need Andy Varejao. They will get into the playoffs, and expect to be eliminated by Boston or Detroit. They know they were lucky last year having had weak opponents in Washington and New Jersey and being rested for Detroit. Lebron knows getting AV back will not get them over the hump, he will need another star scorer to take some load off, or he will just have to do it his own darn self like how Jordan did. He will not leave Cleveland either, it’s too comfortable for him, now he’s worth the max, because he averages 30+ pts and 15 assists at any given time and AV averages 6pts.
Much ado about nothing.
Come on, Lebron is NOT worth the max. You’re crazy!
I almost choked on a cracker when I read someone defending Boatshoes’ “response” to the Varejao holdout with the Cedric Simmons trade. Come on, the dude is a giant project. He has wingspan. But where is he? Has he migrated to Brazil for the winter? And what kind of General Manager tries to bypass an agent to get a player to cut a deal on the sly? How bush league and amateurish is that? There’re a lot of players that could have been had this summer: Juan Carlos Navarro, Luis Scola, and Beno Udrih are all performing and it wouldn’t have taken much to get one of them. An astute GM wouldnt have engaged in an interminable staring contest with Dan Fegan for 8 months. You read the situation and move on. Enough with the compliments on “holding firm” and “not giving in”. What about this year? Is Boatshoes really going to waste a season for the ages by Lebron?
Uhh…Harry. Read it again. Brian didn’t say that Ferry was “wrong” for going to Brazil unannounced, even though it was so painfully contrary to fundamental business ethics and principles, I nearly fell over in my chair when I first read about it a couple of months ago. No, what Brian instead chose to write is that Ferry merely took a strategic risk and “miscalculated.”
Actually, reckut, even BW, egregious pro-Ferry spin and all, wrote Pollard was a quality big man to have around and it was a loss to the Cavs when he signed with the Celtics. And it was a loss. He was there for emergencies. With Sideshow gone and Ilgauskas due to have a dual lung and leg transplant by no later than the end of January, Pollard would have been a good guy to have around, and for the NBA veteran’s minimum, $1.2 million is a comparative drop in the bucket. Ferry had him, and just when he may have needed him, Ferry let him go. Shrewd.
Oh, well geez, if BW even wrote it, then it MUST be true. Please. Did you watch him last night when he got in the game? He contributed NOTHING. As soon as he got in, the Cavs went right at him and he had no answer for Z. But yeah, he’s good to have around, because it’s fun to see what hair and facial hair styles he’s going to be sporting. That’s well worth $1.2 million.
The Andy thing has been rehashed a thousand times. What really impresses me is the fact that I’ve been through three different web sites, and all three have the majority of Cleveland fans taking the side of Ferry.
Maybe it’s just my choice in company, but I’ve grown accustomed to hearing nothing but complaints when it comes to a Cleveland team making a shrewd, tough decision. I gotta say, that it is refreshing to be among fans that understand the implications of this major decision, and do not automatically bitch when a hometown favorite is not automatically handed a big contract.
Maybe it just speaks to the composition of the Cavs fan base compared to some of those other guys in town.
Larry,Snow, and Marshall. These are the reason AV will never get the money he wants. Over paid players who AV knows are not worth the money, yet gets the money. I’m not mad at him for wanting it after looking at his teammates contracts and their performance, but I would think by now he would know he is not going to get it. Dumb as Ferry is, even he has learned something after Larry’s contract, one of ,if not the worst contract in N.B.A. history. But i’m not mad at Larry for taking the money. I just hope he, and Marshall, stay hurt all year. Cavs only need a 4 who can play some 5, and they will be in the eastern finals again.
recknut, I know you’re a champion at taking things I say out of context, but Terry Pluto once wrote that Varejao was a poor man’s Dennis Rodman, and later actually wrote that he could become Dennis Rodman. (Which appears to somewhat contradict his recent embarrassing “open letter” to Varejao, but I digress.) Well, Pollard is a poor man’s Varejao, and the Cavs have no backups. And since the curiously convenient buzzword of this season is “flexibility,” I’d say you can’t get more flexible than a one-year contract at the vet’s minimum for emergency situations.
I have Siberian Huskies that bury big ‘ol doggie treats in my backyard. When they get really hungry three months later, those treats may not be too tasty, but they’re sure glad they had the wisdom to bury them. Apparently my dogs have more smarts than Ferry.
Really, who cares what Pluto thinks about AV? And Pollard is not a poor man’s Varejao….he’s at best a homeless crackhead’s Varejao. Pollard contributes NOTHING on the court. Again, did you see him last night out there? The Cavs can sign an undrafted free agent big body for LEAGUE minimum, not Vet minimum, and get just as much production. I know, I know, you hate Danny Ferry….most of us here don’t like what he’s done with this team. But getting your panties all bunched up because he let Scott Pollard go? Give me a break.
Who’s getting his panties all bunched up? Pollard is actually good in short spurts, just not against guys taller and a little heavier than himself. He can play two positions, too, just like Varejao, and he’s experienced. It was incredibly short-sighted not to sign him, there’s 15 freakin’ roster spots available.
Hey man, you’re the one who went all nuts about how godawful it was that the Cavs don’t have Scott Pollard on the team. You’re probably right, though….I bet the Cavs would be 15-0 (ok, let’s be realistic….14-1) right now if only they still had Scott Pollard. Scott Pollard is awesome.
The funniest thing you said, though, was “Pollard is actually good in short spurts, just not against guys taller and a little heavier than himself.” What, you mean, like everyone he plays against?
ItsAlex is right. So is Varejao. He SHOULD make more money than Drew. But that’s because Drew should be making more money . However, the front office is right too, at least in principle – they shouldn’t pay Varejao more than Drew, the starter. That’s the whole problem. You think Varejao wouldn’t average a double-double if he got 30+ minutes a night? Drew isn’t having a great season, he’s having the same season as always, just with more minutes.
I would love to see the Cavs give Varejao some kind of heavily incentive-laden contract, but it can’t be linked to all-star or all-nba team appearances – those awards are too highly linked to scoring. Varejao offers so much more than points, and those contributions should not be overlooked.
isn’t it ironic that ferry himself sat out an entire season because he didn’t want to play for the clippers and played in europe for a season just to get his way??? i guess what comes around, goes around, huh??? that being said, i still think fegan is doing his client a big disservice because the cavs hands are tied by the collective bargaining agreement and he knows that and yet he still is trying to force the cavs hands. even if varejao sits out the entire season, the cavs will still retain their restricted free agent right-to-match status. he can’t win and yet he’s still holding him out. why, for more money??? hasn’t he ever heard of the idea of the “loss leader”. he should have just taken the qualifying offer for a year and became an unrestricted free agent next year. if he sits out the whole season, it serves no purpose because then he would have to wait another whole year which is extremely short-sighted and just plain stupid on fegan’s part. nobody will win in this situation and fegan is pretty much cutting off his own nose despite his face in terms of him being able to sign future players to represent. who in their right mind is going to want this guy to represent them after watching how he has botched this situation with andy and the cavs???