Cleveland Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao to have right knee surgery Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) drives to the basket at the Barclays Center in New York on Nov. 13, 2012. It was announced Wednesday that Varejao will have surgery on his injured right knee. UPI/Nicole Sweet CLEVELAND, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Cleveland center Anderson Varejao will have surgery on his injured right knee and will miss more than six weeks of playing time, the Cavaliers said Wednesday. Varejao, 30, suffered a knee contusion in a Dec. 18 game. He hasn't played since. Team officials said there has been "continued, gradual recovery" but examinations have uncovered additional issues. As a result, surgery was scheduled for Thursday with Varejao's recovery expected to take 6-8 weeks. Varejao averaged an NBA-best 14.4 rebounds in 25 games this season. His 14.1 point scoring average is third highest on the Cavaliers. In nine NBA seasons -- all with Cleveland, Varejao averaged 7.7 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.