Byron Scott On Anderson Varejao: 'He's Not Going Anywhere'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a 4-5 start, a marked improvement from the miserable 19-63 record they put up last year, and they're building for the future with rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. But they're still attached to their veteran core, says Byron Scott, who can't imagine losing 29-year-old big man Anderson Varejao.

"It would have to be an unbelievable person to get back," Scott told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. "I look at him as one of the guys you look at and say 'He’s not going anywhere.' I just feel that strongly about him and what he means to this team."

Varejao leads the Cavaliers with 10.2 rebounds per game this season, along with 9.4 points. The energetic big man has been a Cavalier for all of his eight-year NBA career -- he was a key reserve for the 2007 team that won the East but lost the NBA Finals to the Spurs.

The Cavs' center missed the majority of last season with a torn tendon in his right ankle. The Cavs went on an epic losing streak in his absence, losing 26 consecutive games.