Dec 18, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) reacts after falling after a foul by Toronto Raptors power forward Amir Johnson (not pictured) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

In midst of putting together a story about Cleveland Cavalier fans needing patience when dealing with the current and persisting struggles that are encompassing and limiting the team, news broke that center Anderson Varejao would need surgery on a right knee contusion that was diagnosed after an injury on December 18^th. In the mid-December game against the Toronto Raptors, Wild Thing finished the game despite going down earlier on in the contest. According to the Cleveland Cavaliers official website, an MRI later revealed that the injured area “included a small longitudinal split in the vastus medialis.”

For those not familiar with that area of the quadriceps (which includes the four main muscles on the front of the thigh), it is located in the middle of the front of the thigh and has the moniker of the “teardrop” muscle. Although Varejao was seeing signs of improvement in recovering from the injury, another MRI revealed that the split in the vastus medialis was only worsening. Reports from the Cavs included that an ultrasound further discovered more damage in the area of the split, showing that “tissue from underneath…was herniating and pinching with knee flexion.”

Dr. Richard Parker, the Cavaliers Head Team Physician, said that Varejao would require surgery due to problems with healing. After receiving a second opinion, the team decided that it would be best to go ahead with the procedure on his knee, which is slated for Thursday, January 10. Varejao, who will miss his eleventh game on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, is expected to miss six-eight weeks after being worked on.

That ends any Andy trade rumors that may have still been floating around. No team would be interested in taking on a player who hasn’t participated in any physical play on the court in three weeks, so his trade stock is non-existent at this point. Ironically enough, six weeks from the surgery would make it the day of the trade deadline (February 21). But with the way things have been going recently, I’m expecting Wild Thing to miss more time than less. Cleveland is in no rush to have their star back in the lineup, as they currently hold a record of 8-28.

Jan 5, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Injured player Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao stands during a timeout against the Houston Rockets at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Want to hear another ironic statistic? Varejao, after going down with a wrist injury last season early on in the Wine and Gold’s 2011-12 campaign, ended up playing in only 25 of 66 games that season. Same old story this year with Andy, as he has only participated in 25 contests and eight weeks from January 10 would be him at a March 8 return (at the earliest in my opinion) against the Memphis Grizzlies. 21 games, including the aforementioned match with the Grizzlies at home, would remain from that point on. By then Cleveland will be buried in lottery talks (as they already are) and more interested in receiving a higher pick than returning their most energetic player.

So far this season Andy has averaged 14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 75.5 percent from the free throw line. Despite the struggles that Tyler Zeller has had adjusting to squaring up against the NBA’s elite bigs in place of Varejao, sophomore power forward Tristan Thompson has really stepped up despite the lack of energy that is missing on the floor without the 30-year-old veteran.

When the news leaked, disappointment ensued via Twitter:

 Byron Scott on Varejao: “He’s our heart and soul. … Just disappointed for him and for our team.”

After head coach Byron Scott hinted on Tuesday after practice that he was “still optimistic that he’ll be able to play this year,” I knew that news was going to get worse before it got better regarding Varejao. This all together pretty much puts any Cavalier trade rumors to rest, as there are no legitimate trading pieces on the roster that other teams would be interested in swapping with the Wine and Gold.

In other injury-related news, Daniel Gibson (concussion) and C.J. Miles (back spasms) will be game-time decisions for Wednesday night’s game against the Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jan 4, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) shoots over Charlotte Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas (12) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao will miss his 10^th straight game on Monday, as the team is already in Chicago for their Monday night matchup with the Bulls. With each successive game that Wild Thing misses for the energy-deprived Cavaliers, the NBA trade deadline approaches ever so closer – 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 21 to be exact. During Varejao’s absence, there have been two glaring trends happening during that time.

Those include a positive correlation between the number of games Andy has missed and the play of Tristan Thompson since the sidelining of Varejao on December 19 and the negative correlation of Thompson’s job as the interior force and the number of days leading up to February 21. Although Vareajo’s on-court presence may be repelling teams from making trade talks with the Cavaliers front office, the newfound aggressiveness and board-hoarding play of Thompson may have increased Cleveland’s interest in dealing the longtime Cavalier big man.

To put this into perspective from a statistical standpoint, let’s take a look at Thompson’s numbers in the nine games that Varejao has been out:

Scoring Output

• The sophomore power forward has averaged 13.2 points, with a high of 19 against the Charlotte Bobcats
• Varejao, through 25 games, has averaged 14.1 points, with a season-high of 35 points against the Brooklyn Nets (November 13)

Rebounding Monsters

• Thompson has averaged 12.9 boards, and is currently eighth in the NBA in offensive rebounds on the season (averaging 3.64 rebounds) and fifth over the past two weeks (averaging 4.40 rebounds)
• Andy is still first in the NBA in regards to rebounds per game, with an average of 14.4 boards (averaging 5.52 rebounds on the offensive glass)

Shooting Efficiency

• The No. 4 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft is shooting an even 50 percent from the field, attempting 9.8 shots during the span of the last nine games
• Wild Thing has shot 47.8 percent from the field this season, the third-lowest mark of his nine-season NBA career

Shot Blocking (Cavs rank last in the NBA as a team)

• The former Texas Longhorn has rejected 1.1 blocks on average, and is averaging 0.7 blocks on the season
• Varejao has averaged 0.6 blocked shots so far in the 2012-13 NBA season

Usage

• Tristan has clocked in 36.3 minutes per game since Varejao has been out, and before then he was averaging 29.3 minutes
• Varejao is leading the Cavaliers in MPG this season (averaging 36.0 minutes)

Hot Spots

• Thompson:

-At the rim – 60.7 percent

-3-9 feet – 32.3 percent

• Varejao:

-At the rim – 62.5 percent

-3-9 feet – 30.0 feet

Dec 7, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (14) looks to drive to the basket past Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) in the second half at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves won 91-73. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The numbers are similar, but the point that I’m trying to get across is that Thompson has grown up immensely when the team needed him. Most, including me, doubted that the starting power forward would emerge as a pivotal contributor in all aspects of the game this season. Seven double-doubles in the past nine contests is the output that I wanted from Thompson down the road when the Cavaliers initially drafted him. He’s already shown he can be that kind of threat, and his follow-through mentality has been one of the brightest spots during this mini stretch.

With that said, I think Varejao trade talks will, again, start to heat up. On Saturday we saw rumors of the Cavaliers being in talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves according to reports from the News-Herald. The presumed trade, which is said to be nowhere near close to happening, would send back power forward Derrick Williams. The Cavs would also be interested in nabbing center Nikola Pekovic, and Kevin Love would not be in the question at all.

Williams is currently averaging 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in his second NBA season, while Pekovic has been making noise as of late. He recently had games of 21 points and 15 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers and 28 points and 11 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns over the past five games. He is averaging 15.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 0.9 points, while shooting 50.3 percent from the field in his third season.

Personally I wouldn’t take this deal (Varejao for Williams and Pekovic) even with additional pieces or draft picks, but I’m apt to listen to what other teams have to offer. I’m very impressed with the recent play of Thompson, so any and all Varejao trade talk will make my ears perk in the coming weeks.

Dec 18, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) reacts after falling after a foul by Toronto Raptors power forward Amir Johnson (not pictured) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently riding back-to-back wins for the first time this season going into their matchup Friday with the Atlanta Hawks. They have done this without their most well rounded player in Anderson Varejao. Despite missing the last four games due to a bruised right knee that he suffered in a home loss against the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland center is still leading the NBA in rebounding.

Playing in 25 of the first 30 games of the season, Varejao has averaged 14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 75.5 percent from the free throw line. Wild Thing is currently fifth in the league in double-doubles with 16 (64 percent of games played) so far. He is having an All-Star season, and upon second returns in the 2013 NBA All-Star balloting, he ranks ninth among frontcourt players with 99,955 votes.

Missing the last four games hasn’t helped with earning him a well-deserved trip to Houston, and recent reports on Friday regarding his status won’t make things better. He will be seeking more treatment this weekend, making him unavailable for Friday’s game against the Hawks and keeping him in Cleveland for the Cavs’ trip to face the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

The bruised right knee has been more of a problem than we thought it might have been, especially since he ended up finishing the contest against the Toronto Raptors when the injury occurred on December 18. According to an Associated Press release, Varejao’s injury occurred in a place that “is tender and needs more time to heal.”

Rookie center Tyler Zeller has started in place of Varejao, but has looked lethargic and lost while on defense. Although he scored a season-high 20 points against the Boston Celtics on December 19, he hasn’t been able to combat opposing bigs. This has left the paint exposed, as the Cavaliers have allowed opponents to average 41 points in the paint over the four games that Varejao has missed.

Although Zeller has struggled while replacing Varejao, power forward Tristan Thompson has made up for his faults. He is doing the best he can to make up for Andy’s missed time, especially on the defensive side. He’s averaged 12.8 boards over the last four games, as well as tallying four straight double-double performances. He has averaged 13 points in that same span, often seen following through with missed shot attempts as Andy would.

Many have been on Thompson’s case this season, but you can’t knock on what he has been able to do on both sides of the ball lately. He’s doing exactly what General Manager Chris Grant brought him in to do and more, becoming a force on the offensive side of things. He has shot 50 percent from the field, and the Cavaliers have kept opponents to an average 93 points. They are allowing opponents to average 99.2 points against them on the season, so things have seen an improvement on the defensive side even without Varejao in the lineup.

There is no set date for the Wild Thing’s return, but expect him to return at the latest by next weekend when the Cavaliers face off against the Charlotte Bobcats and the Houston Rockets.