As of right now, there are only 3 legitimate candidates IMO.

Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry and Anderson Varejao.

Now I'll say right off the bat, that I know one of those 1st two is most likely going to win it. Although, Andy has been picking up a lot of steam in the media recently.

I'm a firm believer that Andy should absolutely be recognized for what he's done this season, and by recognized, I mean he deserves the award accolades. He's truly been something special for the Cavs since he's been there. He's improved every year he's been there in all aspects of his game, and this year he's making a very clear impact on every game. Andy exactly fits the mold of the kind of player that you're "supposed" to have on a hypothetical championship roster.

We'll start with their simple stat line first:

Jamal Crawford
30 MPG
17.9 PPG (46%, 38% 3s, 85% FT)
2.5 RPG, 2.9 APG

Jason Terry
34 MPG
16.9 PPG (44%, 36% 3s, 86% FT)
1.9 RPG, 3.8 APG

Anderson Varejao
29 MPG
8.9 PPG (57%, 67% FT)
7.9 RPG, 1.2 APG

Now, based on that, you can see why he doesn't get as much hype. I know what I'm saying is pretty well understood by the average NBA fan at this point--Varejao brings other intangibles that don't show up on the stat sheet. We all know that, people make a point of saying it all the time--but my question is why isn't that respected? I think to be the 6th man of the year, it shouldn't be all about how many points you score. I'm not sure why it's a points race. Varejao clearly brings it on the defensive end far more than the other guys--and really, we've seen him be able to be a pretty productive scorer when needed. He isn't asked to score like the other two--he doesn't have to. But the 6th man should be won by the guy that gives his team the biggest boost off the bench, shouldn't it? If you look at it that way, it isn't really that close IMO. In my mind, Terry shouldn't be in the discussion, but I know he is. Crawford and Andy are head and shoulders above him IMO. Crawford has helped the Hawks turn a corner--maybe not THE corner, but a corner.

But Andy has helped his team go from one of the best in the league, to the best in the league with is play. His improvement is right up there with the better, revamped roster for being the biggest reason the Cavs are so much better this year. I know there are some people who want to argue that, but you're wrong. Stats are stats, but it's a new season for everyone so you can't compare them to last years numbers fairly. This year's Cavs beat the pants of last year in the eye test. And really the only argument I need is that there are only 2 teams with 50 wins right now--and the Cavs go to 54 before the Lakers got to 50. And we were the 1st to 50. Something that didn't happen last year, and the last two years--that's been the champ. It's obviously not a bad thing. Plus we've played WAY better against the best in the league than we did last year. Last year my boy jpake said that was what turned him off about the Cavs and their chances of winning it all--we also both called the LeBron game winner against the Magic haha, remember the epic explosion of emotion after that? Crazy. But he had a point last year, and I think that was a red flag for the Cavs--they've corrected that this year, coming out with playoff intensity and being all business against those top teams.

But anyways, Anderson does just as much for the Cavs as the other two do for their teams and he doesn't get his number called the way they do. He finds ways to effect games everywhere, AND he's is so unbelievably clutch at the end of games when it comes to getting his team extra possessions. It's a big reason they're able to shut teams down and close games out.

I think it's pretty well known that Varejao is 2nd in the NBA, behind LeBron in total plus/minus for the season. I agree with others who say that plus/minus isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be. My general thought has been that when people cite it on a game to game basis--it's pretty stupid. But when you look at it as a total over the course of some period of time (in this case, the whole season), it's a pretty telling stat for how consistently the guy helps the team win.

This is the stat that sells me on Andy though. This is the net total of how the team performs when the player is on the floor vs. off the floor:

Andy is +12.6
Crawford is -2.8
Terry is -2.4

That tells me a lot, and it's not really a stat you can argue with. It's just based on the numbers, and over the course of this many games--those guys have all been thrown in different rotations, played in different lineups, etc. So I mean, I think it's pretty clear that Varejao makes his team better than the other two, and that's what I think being the best 6th man means. Who can come off the bench and change the game the most? Scoring points wins games, but so does stopping the oppoent, rebounding the ball so you have opportunities to score, etc.

For perspective, LeBron's net is +16.2. Kobe is + 11.5. Andy's is higher than Kobe's. I'm not saying he's a better player--who will be the first to respond to this and that's all they read and they thought I'm trying to say Andy is better than Kobe...lol, wait for it. But that isn't what this means, this net stat doesn't rank the players in the order of the best to the worst. It just shows you how much a team relies on a player to win games. Andy's stat in this category is incredible for a player that isn't on a superstar level. It's stats like this where Andy does show up on the stat sheet. And this shouldn't be ignored, especially when we're talking about the best team in the league. And especially when you consider the fact that if you asked the average NBA fan (a good amount of us on here are far more than an average NBA fan these days) to rank the players on the Cavs behind LeBron, the list would probably look like this:

1. Mo
2. Jamison
3. Shaq
4. Andy (Delonte would probably even get a lot of love over Andy)

And then when you check that stat out and see who actually helps the team win games, you can't ignore how important Andy is. And it's not like you don't see it in his play. The net production stat doesn't mean that those other guys don't help win games--if someone is in the negative it doesn't mean that they don't help the cause either. Sometimes you have to really just think about what the stat means--and in this case it just means that over the course of a season, the guys with high plus numbers are helping their team win with their play on a more consistent basis.

I mean, I know I just wrote a book--Adderall and boredom guys, it happens. But I really haven't been able to understand why he's been so ignored and why the 6th man award has become totally based around scoring because IMO, Andy makes up for the 7-8 more points that those guys score with rebounds and stopping his opponent from scoring. These things shouldn't be ignored--and I'm hoping that this comes true but I'm starting the official OhioChatter Varejao for 6th Man campaign. Not to mention, aren't guys supposed to play this way DURING their contract year? Not after the got paid?! Say what you want about Wild Thing, but he's a great NBA story--and a great example of how you can be a legit game changer in this league without being LeBron James. One of the most underrated and under appreciated players in the NBA. Except to Cavs fans, we know first hand how special he is.

Go Andy! Go Cavs! I'm just loving watching it all come together and I know that LeBron IS that good, but his teammates deserve some recognition too. The Cavs are one of the only teams I've ever seen where they pretty much talk about one player 95% of the time--his teammates deserve some love too because they're better than a lot of people give them credit for.

As I said before, AV is the MVP of this team not wearing the number 23.

BR1986FB wrote: As I said before, AV is the MVP of this team not wearing the number 23.

Completely agree.

That's a joke right?

Manu Ginobili
27.7 MPG
14.8 PPG
3.8 REB
4.7 AST
1.5 STL
+5.2
PER 21.59

AV
PER 16.19

Even as a Cavs fan, Odom has to be in consideration to.

You could throw Carl Landry in there to

JR Smith is right up there too

But is this serious? Lol every team has the hustle guy off the bench like AV. Hes a role player a glorified(in this case) role player. Hes essentially Chris Andersen of the Nuggets with better numbers because he plays more minutes. And according to NBA.com Anderson Varejao +/- per minute=.247 Chris Andersen .253. So just stop with this 6th man of the year thing.

LOL, yes, this is 100% serious. A glorified role player huh? Exactly my point. He doesn't get anywhere near enough credit for what he does.

Anderson Varejao>>>>>>Chris Anderson

Rebounds, flops and fouls? And catches passes from LBJ when they double him and dunk the ball?

And explain how Varejao is so much better lol? Theyre the same player

You're kidding yourself if you think they're the same player.

#2 in the NBA in plus/minus means nothing to you? On the best team in the NBA...not just #2 on the team, #2 in the league.

Did you read what i said? Andersen has a better +/- per minute than Varejao LOL so just dont even bring that up.

Andersen per 29 minutes like varejao

7.8 ppg
8.1 rpg
2.3 blocks per game

as opposed to the godly Varejao

8.9 ppg
7.9 rpg

I think he deserves it as well as nomination for a defensive team, either first or second. I know a lot of you think he's a flopper, but he plays the most fundamental post defense I have ever seen. He doesn't flop, he flails a lot, sure, but he holds his ground well and understands how to play defense the right way.

And his rebounding stat doesn't really tell the whole story, the guy gets rebounds that you shouldn't get, he tips out extra possessions that you shouldn't get, those types of stats allow a team that's neck and neck with another to put them over the edge and that's bottom line why he deserves it.

AV hasn't flopped nearly as much this season as seasons past, the team hasn't needed it. If you think of AV as a "flopper" then you really haven't watched the Cavs this season. He does what the team needs him to do, and it hasn't involved flopping this season.

Unfortunately, the same attributes that irritate the shit out of players is the same attribute that irritates the voters. Not all, but I would guess most find his style of play not worthy of consideration for the award.

Lol @ Andersen being as good as Varejao. If Andersen were good enough, he would be playing more minutes.

Anderson is a similar player to Varegao. I've never understood the fascination with him. I know that he's adored here because he plays for the Cavs, but he's just not that good. And to throw him into consideration for 6th man of the year is an insult to the others who are actually deserving.

Surprisingly I'm going to agree with just about everything SQ said. Varejao should definitely get consideration, and serious consideration. I'm not a huge fan of + - because of all the variables that have to be considered so that isn't even playing a role in my thought process. But dude brings a lot to the Cavs, and a ton of it doesn't show up in the box score. I think he is more a 'perfect fit' type of player than a great basketball player. For example, I'd definitely take guys like Crawford, Terry, Odom, etc in terms of actual basketball skill, but Varejao is just playing his role as perfectly as it can be played by giving Cleveland the little things it needs in each game...thing that vary from game to game as well. Which, to me, is the definition of a 6th man that's doing his job.

I think Jamal Crawford will get it, which I'd be totally fine with as well. He's putting up starters #s on a team that appears to have taken that next stp. That assumption and buzz is probably what will get him the award. He's obviously a big part of the Hawks' success but I don't think he's the sole reason they've taken that 'next step.' Boston has fallen off a cliff, Orlando has taken a (TBD come playoff time but it appears at least a slight) step back, and DWade also has a bunch of rec center all stars on his team. The rest of the East behind those teams blows. Crawford gets the luxury of blazing on second stringers and he also has the luxury of playing alongside three All Star caliber guys in JJ, Josh Smith, and Al Horford.

I actually think Lamar Odom is the best basketball player of the bunch, but he's such an enigma. The #s he puts up when he gets to start are sick. Anytime Gasol or Bynum gets dinged up, dude is an automatic 16 and 14. He'd be top 5 in the league in rebounding if he played starters minutes this year.

se-alum wrote: Lol @ Andersen being as good as Varejao. If Andersen were good enough, he would be playing more minutes.

Enlighten me as to how Varejao is better, please

Both energy big men off the bench....Check.
Both rebound at a high rate....Check
Both role players on a top 5 nba team...Check (yes i know the cavs are #1 before you tell me again like i dont know)
Both score a handful of points a game, but most of their offense is set up from the star player on their team drawing attention....check
Both annoy the shti out of opposing teams, have goofy haircuts and wear headbands...haha check

Varejao is a unique player, but Christ, SQ is seems to drink his sperm like it's part of a health regimen.

I mean, look what playing next to LeBron has done for JJ Hickson. Hickson looks way better than he actually is. And that's a testament to LeBron.

I know white guys will always be in love with "hustle" and "grit"... Hell, it's just biological I think... But cmon.

Lamar Odom is the 6th man this year. And it's not even close.

Although, one of my favorite human beings, Earl Swish, has a legitimate candidacy as well. So does Jamaal.

What makes you think Odom will win and its not even close???

#1, Talent. Nobody is really in Lamar's league.

#2. Team - He's on the 2nd best team (according to the records)

#3 - Versatility

#4 - When Lamar is on top of his game... The Lakers are unbeatable. Unbeatable.

#5 - LAMAR ODOM IS A SIXTH MAN.

It's pretty crazy to think that the Lakers 6th man would be the Cavs 2nd best player.

And I really mean that. I'm not saying the Lakers are a better team or taking anything away from anyone on the Cavs roster, or even that I think Odom would be a good fit for the Cavs. But he is better than anyone on the Cavs roster other than Lebron.

Sage wrote: #5 - LAMAR ODOM IS A SIXTH MAN.

I don't disagree with the other points, but you do not consider AV a 6th man? When healthy, AV is the first guy off Cleveland's bench.