Cavs' Varejao Is Invaluable and Tradeable History will remember this era of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball as one of optimistic highs linked by one brief, spirit-crushing interlude -- the departure of LeBron James in 2010. And there through it all, through the early struggles, record-breaking seasons, N.B.A. finals tumbles, and growing pains of a pair of superlative talents in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, has been Anderson Varejao, the 7-foot mop-haired center from Brazil. Fresh off an impressive performance at the Olympics, Varejao is experiencing a most unlikely career apex, taking a game once rooted in the rudimentary and reshaping it into one of the league's most formidable two-way threats. It is uncommon for a player to peak at 30, but that's precisely what Varejao has managed to do. Finally healthy after missing a combined 92 games the past two seasons and in his ninth N.B.A. season, Varejao has career highs in points per 36 (13.8), assists per 36 (3.4), assists percentage (16.7, a twofold increase over his career rate) and rebounds per 36 (14.7), helping a Cavs team that had to play without the injured Irving. Varejao's rebounding has been particularly noteworthy, particularly because he never crested 10 per game until last season, when he suited up in all of 25 games. Now, Varejao holds the league lead in that department by nearly two full rebounds over Memphis' Zach Randolph, helping propel Cleveland into a No. 10 ranking in overall rebounding rate through Monday. Likewise, Varejao's 11.6 field goal attempts per 36 minutes and subsequent usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he's on the floor) of 18.2 would both make for career clips. Key to this unlikely blossoming has been Varejao's improved effectiveness in the pick and roll - particularly the "pick and pop," where Varejao's improved mid-range jumper (he's connecting on 50 percent of his shots between 15-19 feet) has given defenses fits in the early going. As Jared Dubin illustrated quite nicely a few weeks back, Varejao's offensive reinvention goes beyond an expanded shooting range. His ability make the quick pass - either to an open outside shooter or his fellow big on the opposite low block - has added a much-needed wrinkle to an offense desperate for consistent production, particularly during Irving's recent absence. What hasn't changed is Varejao's commitment to defense. Employing a rare combination of size, strength, length, and surprising quickness, Varejao is as adept bodying up on bullying bigs as he is loping across the lane to help on would-be finishers at the rim. While his overall blocks are down (from a career rate of one per game to 0.5 this year), the fleet-footed rotations and intelligent high-screen hedges and recoveries remain - the lone bright spots in a defense ranked 27th in the league in defensive efficiency. But Varejao's sudden mid-career renaissance hasn't been without drama. Given the promise of Irving, Waiters, and the rest of the youth-laden Cavs, it's only natural that Cleveland management might look at Varejao's unlikely ascendance in a "sell high" context. For its part, Cleveland has hardly remained silent in the matter, expressing in no uncertain terms that any trade involving the veteran center would have to fetch multiple young assets in return. At 5-20, the Cavaliers - losers of three straight - certainly have their work cut out for them if they hope to make a run at the East's eighth seed. But nine years into a career defined by supporting roles alongside some of the league's best lead actors, Varejao's gangbusters performance is one of the young season's best success stories.