Report: Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao won't be activated for NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao will not be activated for the NBA Finals, reports Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland.
Earlier Friday, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Varejao could be activated “if anything were to go bad” with the team’s health.
Varejaounderwent surgery to repair a torn left Achilles in late December. At the time, no prognosis was given for his return.
Game 1 of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors is June 4 in Oakland, Calif.
At the time of his injury, which he sustained in a Dec. 23 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Varejao was fifth on the Cavs in scoring (9.8 points per game) and third in rebounding (6.5 per game). He signed a three-year, $30 million extension in October, but has missed more than 160 games over the past four seasons due to injuries.
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At center, the Cavs have Tristan Thompson—who enjoyed a strong series in the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks—and Timofey Mozgov. Behind them, but not in the rotation, are Kendrick Perkins and Brendan Haywood.
Forward Kevin Love was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs after dislocating his left shoulder in a first-round playoff game against the Boston Celtics last month.
- Mike Fiammetta
