RealGM

GreenDreamer wrote:...
I just don't think that he warrants this kind of contract. 6 - 7 million and 4 years would be more like it.

The Cavs' other restricted free agent holdout, Anderson Varejao, remains unsigned with sources close to the negotiations claiming that the two sides are still far apart with little movement over the last week.

The Cavs struggled in the preseason without Pavlovic and Varejao. The team posted a 1-6 record and was blown out in the past few games.

The team's struggles, combined with a lack of offseason moves by Cavs GM Danny Ferry, led to LeBron James complaining publicly about the state of the team last week in a Q&A with the Akron Beacon Journal's Brian Windhorst.

"For me as a leader, you want guys around you that are going to help you win ball games," James said. "I'm going to do what is best for the team. But at the same time you see teams regrouping and reshaping, and with our team we didn't do any reshaping, we didn't do any regrouping. You start to think a bit, 'How are we going to continue to get better?'"

Instead, James said, the Cavs were coming into the season "worse" than they were last year.

"Oh, we're worse," James said. "We're not as good as we were if we have those guys. It's simple. We all know that. Those two guys are a big part of our team. There's no reason to sit here and say we're better without them. I think they're a key point to our team. At the same time, we have to continue to get better while they are not here. Hopefully something happens."

A published report says that Anderson Varejao would be willing to return to the Cavaliers for one season at the mid-level of exception of about $5.3 million.

The Cavs say they want to sign Varejao but it doesn't appear they want to sign him for just one season. A one-year deal for Varejao means he becomes a unrestricted free agent next summer and the Cavs would rather sign him to a multi-year deal or get value for him in a trade.

Varejao's holdout began when his agent, Dan Fegan, wanted up to $10 million per season for his client. The Cavs refused based on their hopes to have salary flexibility down the road and because such a deal is starters' money and right now Varejao is not a starter.

Varejao, an energetic backup big man for the Cavs, is a restricted free agent who has been hoping for a deal worth something like five years at $9 million per.

The Cavs thought that was a little much for a guy who averaged 6.8 points and 6.7 rebounds last season. The Cavs, however, value Varejao's energy and defense enough that they offered a package worth more than $30 million.

That wasn't enough. Varejao held out of training camp and has been home in Brazil while the Cavs have split their first 18 games of the season. He must have been getting bored.

Word out of Charlotte Tuesday is that Varejao has agreed to an offer sheet from the Bobcats for three years at just more than $17 million -- or a bit more than half the money the Cavaliers have been offering for weeks.

Because Varejao is a restricted free agent, the Cavaliers have a week to match the Bobcats' offer.

I figure the Cavs will take about 30 seconds to decide, sure, we'll hang onto our 6-10 backup center at far less than what we originally were offering. Varejao told ESPN last week that he hoped the Cavs would sign and trade him, but that can't happen now, according to rules under the collective bargaining agreement. If the Cavs match, Varejao's a Cav.

The one perk in this deal for Varejao is that he will be able to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent after next season. So you can give him credit for being confident in his earning power. Just don't look to him for advice on how to win a holdout.

jfs1000d wrote:I can't fathom this. He isn't even that good.

$8 plus a year?What the heck is perk worth now?