<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Thursday, October 21, 2004 Branson Wright Plain Dealer Reporter Dayton- Drew Gooden has seen this type of aggression before. The sprinting up and down the court, the banging between players down low and the all-out hustle was familiar. "Wow, he is so active," Gooden said. "He reminds me of how I play, but he's faster and wilder. He's like a 'Wild Thang. Rookie Anderson Varejao served notice on Wednesday night when he scored 16 points and collected 12 rebounds in 22 minutes to lead the Cavs to a 103-77 vic tory over the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in preseason action at the University of Dayton Arena. LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points each, and Gooden had double-digits in rebounds for the fourth straight game with 14 in 26 minutes. Rookie Emeka Okafor and Jahidi White led the Bobcats (0-4) with 12 points each. But this night belonged to Varejao, who was a second-round pick by the Orlando Magic in last year's draft. The Cavs acquired Varejao along with Gooden in exchange for Tony Battie and two future second-round picks. Varejao played the last three seasons in the Spanish League and in the Euro League, where he averaged in single digits in points and rebounds. Coach Paul Silas didn't know what to expect when the Cavs acquired Varejao. He was raw, according to early scouting reports, but Silas and his staff began to work on Varejao's game. "He didn't have any moves, he wouldn't shoot the ball from the outside and we changed his shot," Silas said. "He just works at his game. He's learning and he's relentless. He goes after every rebound. It's nice to have a guy like that." Especially when the Cavs were concerned about the rebounding that Carlos Boozer took with him to Utah. Gooden was brought in to replace Boozer's rebounding, but Robert "Tractor" Traylor and Varejao were brought to Cleveland to provide extra help. "I've said all along that Anderson's talented," James said. "He's been playing well. Any spark we can get off the bench always helps. He'll be able to help us a lot during the season." Varejao especially helped during the second quarter. He scored 12 points and had seven rebounds in 12 minutes. Varejao took advantage of the Bobcats with his quickness. His energy sparked the Cavs (3-1) who were in slow motion during the first quarter. Varejao described his game through an interpreter. "I fight down low and I play defense," said Varejao, a native of Brazil. "My play tonight was the result of hard work. I feel more comfortable and everything you saw out there just came." One of his best moves was when he got the ball on the wing and made a spin move for a dunk. Several players on the Cavs bench laughed and gave each other high-fives. "He's going to surprise some people this year," Gooden said. "He's surprised some of us already." Dajuan Wagner didn't make the trip. He's still recovering from a right ankle sprain he suffered on Monday against the Nets. Wagner could miss the rest of the preseason. Lucious Harris, who had his right big toe drained, is expected to play on Saturday against the Boston Celtics. Silas said DeSagana Diop is still recovering from his right middle finger sprain.</div> SOURCE: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/plaindealer/...51228110131.xml
