If you thought Charlie Sheen was the only "Wild Thing" in Cleveland, you are dearly wrong.
There's a Brazilian mass of hair, muscle, and energy that is just waiting to claim the nickname for himself.
Anderson Varejao made a mark for himself last year for the Cavaliers, playing with a relentless determination that piled up points on the offensive boards and with fans.
After years of Ricky "Wrong Way" Davis and Shawn "Way Overweight" Kemp, fans in the Northeast Ohio area found Varejao's brand of basketball something refreshing. His coaches saw the same thing, and quickly made Varejao a frequent contributor off the bench.
This year, however, Varejao has been forced to sit and watch his teammates after suffering a shoulder injury during a summer tournament in South America.
In his absence, free agent acquisitions Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, and Donyell Marshall have brought the Cavs legitimate three-point threats and a much-needed defensive presence.
What the Cavs have lacked, though, even before the recent injury to Hughes, is that special something that elevates a team from "good" to "contender." Surely, Mike Brown's offense has taken the team time to learn, and the Cavs still suffer from spurts of poor transition defense, but they have been able to overcome these problems to claim the second best record in the Eastern Conference.
This special something that they are lacking, though, is the thing that allows them to beat the Detroit Pistons one night and lose to the Houston Rockets a couple of days later.
As Charles Barkley said during halftime of the Rockets game, the Cavaliers are good, but they are not contenders. A good record doesn't necessarily mean a great team.
Enter "Wild Thing."
Is Anderson Varejao to the Cavs what Dennis Rodman was to the Bulls and Lakers?
Absolutely.
Defense, energy, physical presence, and relentless competitive streak are their shared characteristics.
The wild hair and tattoos, while bonuses, are less relevant similarities.
To say that Varejao's return is enough to balance the loss of Hughes would be ridiculous. Varejao can't defend the best guards on opposing teams, nor can he pour in 20-25 points a game. However, he can balance the interior defense alongside Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden, and his energy will certainly help keep the Cavs from dipping into long stretches of stagnant, lackadaisical play.
Yes, one player can help make the difference between "good" and "contender."
LeBron James, Ilgauskas, Hughes, Marshall, Jones, Gooden, and Snow are a great bunch to have playing together. But "Wild Thing" is going to have an immeasurable impact on this team after his return.
When you see the Brazilian mop of hair suit up, you will see Cleveland start to play with a swagger, and you will see them beat the likes of the Rockets on a consistent basis. And then, you will know they are a contender.
To look at the box score of those games, one might not guess that Varejao is the reason, but to watch the game, it would be almost impossible not to know.
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