On Sunday, the Warriors officially re-signed Anderson Varejao.
And according to Sam Amico, Varejao will reject Cleveland’s championship ring.
Varejao spent his first 11-plus seasons with the Cavaliers, coming up alongside LeBron James as an integral piece to Cleveland’s playoff teams. The Cavaliers waived Varejao in February, where he was immediately claimed by the Warriors. Varejao has every right to claim his championship jewelry.
The 33-year-old appeared in 22 regular-season games with the Warriors last season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes. In 17 playoff appearances, the 6-10 center averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes.
Our senior staff writer Kevin Jones was critical of re-signing Varejao.
Again, it’s hard to question Myers — Kerr also has a clear soft spot for the Brazilian. But why Varejao? Why put yourself in a position where you might have to play him again in critical NBA Finals minutes? Steph Curry and Klay Thompson’s cold shooting hurt the Warriors’ quest for back-to-back titles, but relying on a flopping big man who’s also a defensive liability was not an ideal situation for the Warriors down the stretch.
It does say a lot about Varejao’s character that he won’t accept a championship ring he had little to do with. He’d like to earn his own with the Warriors, in what will in all likelihood come in June of 2017 against those very same Cleveland Cavaliers.