Cavs' Blatt undecided between Varejao and Thompson for starting center
The Cleveland Cavaliers' star-laden starting lineup will surely include LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, with Dion Waiters expected to start alongside Irving in the team's backcourt. But who starts at center remains a mystery, with both Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson in the running for the starting gig.
In the team's intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday, it was Thompson who started alongside James, Irving, Love and Waiters, but head coach David Blatt hasn't decided who he'll roll with once the season begins.
David Blatt: "The obvious question is: ‘Who is the starter, Tristan or Andy?’ And I can tell you, I don’t know."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 2, 2014
Varejao was originally expected to start, but it was reported just last week that Blatt could start Thompson at center and bring the 32-year-old Varejao off the bench to limit the Brazilian's minutes and injury risk.
Varejao is the superior rim protector on a Cavs team that needs someone to guard the basket. Thompson, 23, is more durable at this stage of his career and can probably log heavier minutes.
Plus, even if Thompson starts, Blatt could still elect to finish games with the veteran Varejao.
How Blatt manages Thompson's and Varejao's minutes in the preseason is worth monitoring as the starting center job on a championship contender is a positional battle with meaningful implications.