CURSEDCLEVELAND.COM

CLEVELAND – All Star Reserves are announced Thursday night and your Cleveland Cavaliers have won 36 games and lost 11 this season.  Four years ago the Detroit Pistons were 40-8 at the all-star break and were awarded four all-stars, yet Piston supporters could not help but complain they were slighted, as Tayshaun Prince was left home.  Anderson Varejao is LEGIT!  Not only is he worth the 6.3 million Mr. Gilbert is paying him, I would argue that Danny Ferry completely soul-owned Andy and Agent Zero Dan Fegan.  Most likely Mo Williams will not be selected by the coaches’ vote, and in the small chance they do show him love, he will be forced to sit out injured.

Varejao does it all for the Cavs.  He has improved on a defensive game that was already the best Cavs fans have seen in years.  He stopped trying to set himself for charges and flop that un-Kornheiser-like hair all over the place and is now contesting shots and dribble-drives with uncanny success.  He can hedge and guard speedy point guards, anchor down against bigs such as Chris Bosh or Pau Gasol, and guard stretch bigs who shoot the 3(that was last season that Rashard lit us up when it mattered most).  John Hollinger just named him his 1st half Defensive Player of the Year, and I could not agree more.  All this coming from a player who does not start the game for the C-L-E, but averages just over 30 minutes per night and ALWAYS is in the game come crunch time.  Andohbytheway, even though he plays on the same team as LeBron James, he does play when LeBron sits and has been in the league leaders in Plus/Minus all season long, even holding the lead for awhile a few weeks back.

Why wont Andy be selected?  For one his stats and people’s perception that scoring is far more important than anything else that occurs on a basketball court.  Andy only averages 8.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG, doing so on 53% FG%.  I would argue although he is averaging almost 1 steal and 1 block per game (impressive in itself), his defensive value goes beyond those numbers.  The eye test seems to make one think he holds stars to lower shot totals and percentages, while creating turnovers he does not get credit for (24 second violations and Brandon Roy kicking the ball out of bounds).  Last year Delonte West was the 2nd most valuable player on The LeBron’s who went 66-16 and rolled loads of opponents.  The Cavs were very lucky to send a 2nd player to Phoenix and of course it was our 2nd leading scorer on a team who does it with defense under Mike Brown.  Michael Jordan always had Scottie Pippen, who may have been the only better perimeter defender of that era than Air Jordan himself.  So the main questions remain:  Does not the team who sits at 36-11 in a very deep and talented NBA (Memphis, Atlanta, Houston and OKC all of a sudden are extremely capable) only deserve 1 all-star?  Is LeBron James THAT great?  OBV He is The Best Perimeter Player Since Michael, but remember Michael always got a 2nd all-star.  So Clevelanders I beg of you; when East players start crying to sit out the game hurt like always, GET ANDY TO DALLAS!  Email coaches and Commissioner Stern!  If a guy like KG will not risk injury in this exhibition game, get the best defensive force of the 1st half of the season out there with his Sideshow Bob Sex Appeal.  GO CAVS!