INDEPENDENCE: As the Cavaliers face the foreseeable future without Anderson Varejao, the task ahead is daunting. For now, they are trying to replace their hardest-working player with a guy coach Byron Scott benched and criticized three weeks ago for not playing hard at all.
Scott spoke during the preseason of making Semih Erden a starter, but only if Erden played well enough to warrant it. Instead, he has more fouls (30) than he has points (27) and rebounds (25) in 13 games.
Regardless, this is his big opportunity for both now and the future. Erden will be a free agent at the end of the season and the coming weeks will serve as his grand audition both for the Cavs and the rest of the league.
“This is a golden opportunity for him to show us what he can do,” Scott said. “Obviously he has decisions to make just like we have decisions to make. This is a big time for him.”
Varejao had a CT scan Tuesday on his fractured right wrist, but the Cavs still haven’t provided a timeline for his possible return. They did receive at least some good news Tuesday, when rookie Kyrie Irving was medically cleared to return to a full-contact practice. Now the Cavs are hopeful Irving will be back in the lineup tonight, when they host the Indiana Pacers, but he must first be cleared by both team and league doctors. Barring any setbacks, that should happen today.
As for Erden, Scott said the Cavs haven’t decided yet whether they want him back next season, so certainly the next 10 weeks will help their decision. They can extend him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, or they can just let him walk.
The loss of Varejao gives Erden a big platform. Scott has selected him to start at center over Ryan Hollins and Samardo Samuels, but he hasn’t exactly given the 7-footer a strong endorsement.
He is sticking with Erden tonight because he wants to match up size-wise with Pacers All-Star center Roy Hibbert. But with the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons up next, none of whom possesses a dominant physical presence in the middle, Erden’s leash could be short if he doesn’t produce.
“I wouldn’t say I have no choice, but I’m definitely looking at him and saying, ‘OK, you’re going to play extended minutes,’ ” Scott said. “In those extended minutes, you really get a good chance to evaluate a guy and see what he can do or what he can’t do.”
Scott concedes he hasn’t seen much yet, but Erden’s size will keep earning him more chances. Scott wants Erden to play harder and with more energy, something Erden contends he does, even if it isn’t always visible.
“On the inside, I am really hustling,” Erden said. “But the impression I give is sometimes I don’t care and that’s not true.”
Erden is averaging just 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds. Scott loves how physical he plays at times and how he can set hard screens and Erden has flashed ability at times, such as Saturday night, when he spun through the lane toward the basket. But instead of finishing with a dunk, he missed a layup when he left the ball short on the rim.
Scott agrees that players can try hard and not have it show through, but he also believes he has seen enough of Erden every day in practice and games to know when he’s hustling and when he’s not. Scott’s belief to this point is that Erden isn’t always giving everything he’s got.
“When you get a chance to see a guy on an everyday basis, you know when he’s playing hard. You know when he’s putting forth the effort,” Scott said. “You can play hard and it just doesn’t happen for you, but more times than not, if you’re going out there and putting forth the effort every single night and playing every game like it’s your last, it’s going to show up.”
Irving update
As long as Irving receives medical clearance prior to tip-off, Scott said Irving will start and play his usual minutes.
“He’s looking like normal. We’re happy to have him back. He’s a key part of this team,” said Ramon Sessions, who has started the last three games in place of Irving. “If the young fella is back, the young fella will start. This is his team. Hopefully he’ll continue playing great basketball.”
Improved Pacers
Scott believes the Pacers are vastly improved over last season for two big reasons: key offseason acquisitions and the fact they reached the playoffs last season.
The Pacers acquired George Hill in a draft-night trade and signed David West in free agency after getting eliminated from the playoffs in the first round last season. But just making the playoffs, to Scott, was the key.
“That’s why I don’t understand why people say we should lose games,” Scott said. “I think with the young team we have, if you get to the eighth spot, that’s great. Even if you lose 4-0 or 4-1, it’s unbelievable experience and those guys get even hungrier because they want to taste it again.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://cavs.ohio.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonLloydABJ. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
