So, I'm fairly ignorant where basketball is concerned but this season I've gone to 6 Cavs games and I have a question...

Varejo plays from the bench. Why? His numbers seem better than many starters, his defense is pretty decent, and he always plays with energy unlike others on the team. So why isn't he a starter? Is it that he occasionally gets into foul trouble?

And, why do so many seem to be missing foul shots? Yesterday it was ridiculous.

Some teams need that spark plug off the bench. Some guys play better in that role. I think he fits both of these categories.

It's not just the Cavs. Free throws have steadily declined since the great shooters have retired. Now it seems like all they need to do is dunk or hit a 5 footer to be considered a great ball player. This is why college ball is way better.

I blame it on Shaq.

What? Free throw percentage in the NBA is like the one thing that always stays the same. It's always right around 75%. I'm pretty sure it's a similar case with college basketball but I don't follow that. Yesterday the Cavs attempted a lot more free throws than normal so the fact they shot 10% below average stood out more.

The deal with Varejao is a recent trend to bring high energy/hustle guys off the bench as a spark plug like Neesha said, and also to make sure they don't pick up any early fouls. Varejao still averages 29.2 minutes per game which is pretty close to starting minutes. He's a very useful player but he can't create his own shot so he's not valued as highly as guys that can.

link about free throw shooting = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/sport ... .html?_r=1

It doesn't really matter whether you start the game or not, it matters whether you finish the game. And Brown has confidence and faith in Varejo to give him close to starter minutes, and have him on the court at the end of games when it is most important.

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