Brian Dulik
The Chronicle-Telegram
INDEPENDENCE — Anderson Varejao is a naturally upbeat person, as anyone who has watched him play power forward for the Cavaliers can attest.
His grin, though, was a little wider and his eyes a little brighter than usual Friday afternoon — despite having taken an all-night flight from South America.
Varejao had just put pen to paper on a six-year,
$42.5-million contract to stay with the only NBA team he has played for, making all his dreams come true at once.
“Cleveland has been great for me — the city, the fans, the organization,” he said to a small group of reporters at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “I believe in everyone in this organization, and playing with LeBron (James) is a dream for every player.
“I know we had some other teams interested, but I wanted to be here. I believe we have a great organization, a great team and we have a chance to win the championship.”
Varejao became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his five-year career on July 1, but there was little drama or doubt about his future.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and general manager Danny Ferry wanted to keep the 26-year-old “Wild Thing” in town, and the mop-topped Brazilian and agent Dan Fagan felt the same.
The only question was how much and how long Varejao would re-sign for. His new deal includes incentives that could push the total dollar amount to $50 million.
“Andy gets all of us going, just like he gets the fans going when he’s out there,” said Brown, who was wearing a bright yellow “Brasil Basketball” shirt. “He makes plays that don’t show up in the stat sheet, but if you have an understanding of the game, you see them.
“We feel like we have an intelligent team, and they pick up on the little things that Andy does for us, which is one of the reasons why they play so well together.”
Varejao was joined by Brown and Ferry on the dais for his post-signing news conference, while his older brother Sandro looked on.
The common front they presented was proof Varejao’s ill-timed and costly 2007 contractual holdout had been forgotten. So was the faith both sides showed in committing through the 2014-2015 season — five full years after James’ current pact expires.
“Anderson is an important part of our future and we’re looking forward to more great times together,” Ferry said. “His ability to defend is very, very unique and, along with that, he’s a lot of fun.
“When Anderson walks in the locker room, the group lights up. That’s an important consideration, as well.”
Varejao’s ability to keep things loose helped Cleveland develop remarkable chemistry en route to its franchise-record 66 wins in the regular season.
He also emerged as a legitimate NBA starter, averaging 8.6 points and
7.2 rebounds while splitting time between his natural power forward and filling in for the injured Zydrunas Ilgauskas at center.
With the Cavaliers recently adding Hall of Fame-bound center Shaquille O’Neal to the mix, on paper, they have the best three-man post rotation in the league.
“I don’t know how Shaq’s gonna feel coming off the bench,” Varejao deadpanned as the room erupted in laughter.
“No, seriously, he’s a super star and he’s a winner. It wasn’t fun when he was on the other team, so I’m looking forward to learning a lot from being around him and being his teammate. Wherever Coach Brown wants me to play, I’ll be happy to do.”

Andy odds and ends

While Varejao’s offensive skills remain somewhat of a work in progress, he made great strides last season and shot a career-high .536 from the field. But he realizes there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“I have to keep working on my defense and offense, and learn as much as I can about the game,” he said. “And I’ll keep working on my jump shot and finishing around the basket, anything I can to help the team.”
♦ Varejao said he and Fagan declined to negotiate with any other teams once their talks with the Cavaliers began. The Oklahoma City Thunder expressed some interest and had plenty of salary cap room.
“Our priority was Cleveland all along,” he said. “I’m happy here.”

Next in line

Free-agent shooting guard Anthony Parker is expected to officially sign his two-year, $6 million contract with the Cavaliers on Sunday or Monday.
The Toronto Raptors defensive stopper and top 3-point threat, who agreed to a deal with Cleveland three days ago, is in the process of making travel plans to the North Coast.
♦ Trail Blazers power forward Channing Frye is on the verge of signing with Phoenix, rather than the Cavaliers. The Suns can offer more playing time and an offense-oriented style that would allow him to put up gaudy statistics — and potentially cash in big on the free-agent market in two years.

Summer hoops

The Cavaliers’ team at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas includes a handful of familiar faces. Returning veterans Darnell Jackson, Tarence Kinsey and Jawad Williams head the 10-man squad, along with rookies Christian Eyenga and Danny Green.
Former Pacers backup center David Harrison is the most intriguing name, while guard Robert Hite also has limited NBA experience. Rookies Jamont Gordon, Leo Lyons and Maureece Rice round out the group, which will be coached by Cavaliers assistant Chris Jent.
Cleveland opens its five-game summer schedule today against the Los Angeles Lakers. From there, it faces Milwaukee (Sunday), Washington (Tuesday), Dallas (Thursday) and Detroit (Friday).
Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.

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