CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Welcome to ‘Lottery Watch 2021.’
Even after getting blown out by Portland, 141-105, the Cavs won big Wednesday night.
Their eighth straight loss and the 11th in their last 12 games has put the Cavs in prime position – just one game out for one of the coveted top three spots in the NBA draft lottery.
At 21-45, the Cavs are tied with the Thunder and Magic for the fourth-worst record in the league behind 20-46 Minnesota, 19-47 Detroit and 16-50 Houston.
Each of the top three worst teams in the league receive 14% odds to win the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.
Wild time – When Anderson Varejao took the floor with 6:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, you would’ve never known the Cavs were down 27.
A buzz began to build when Varejao got up and went to the scorer’s table and then the 4,118 on hand erupted when he stepped onto the floor with the Cavs trailing 119-92.
“Special day for me.
I’ll never forget this day, because of all that,” Varejao said. “To be honest, when I checked in, it felt like wow, I never left. Just with the fans cheering and being happy to see me. Because I was very excited and happy to see them.”
Larry Nance Jr. put on a Varejao wig and the crowd chanted “Andy, Andy.”
It was Varejao’s first NBA action since February 2, 2017 with Golden State at the Clippers and first in a Cavs uniform since February 10, 2016 against the Lakers.
“It has been a while since I played five on five or any type of contact in basketball,” Varejao said. “It felt great to be out there. To be honest with you, I was a little surprised with the way I felt.”
Varejao did what he always does – hustled and played with energy. Although his only point came at the free throw line, Varejao grabbed six rebounds and had a block and steal.
“I love the way he plays the game of basketball,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He was playing hard. He was active. He was all over the floor. He was making passes. I love watching him play the game.
“I took joy in that as well as the ovation he got because it’s well deserved.”
Not Love-ing it – What’s the point with Kevin Love?
Love led the Cavs with 18 points while adding eight rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes, but he registered a -45 against the Blazers.
With Cleveland’s sights set on the lottery, maybe it’s time to just give Love the final six games off and let him go on vacation and dream about how special it would be one day to play for Portland.
In the offseason, moving on from Love must be a priority, regardless of cost, because he’s just not helping this young team.
Hartenstein returns – Isaiah Hartenstein returned after missing time due to a concussion and his impact was felt quickly in the first quarter.
Hartenstein scored a quick six points in 3:37 in that opening quarter off the bench.
He finished with eight points in 12:50 of floor time.
Injury report – G Darius Garland (left ankle sprain) missed his third straight game and F Lamar Stevens (concussion) sat out his sixth in a row. F Taurean Prince (left ankle surgery), F Larry Nance Jr. (right thumb fracture), G Matthew Dellavedova (neck strain) and F Dylan Windler (left knee surgery) will miss the rest of the season.