Fast and furious Kyrie takes over LeBron gets to watch from bench as Irving dominates

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao and LeBron James congratulate Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter when he was called to the bench against the Toronto Raptors. John Kuntz, cleveland.com ORG XMIT: CLE1601042213245012

(John Kuntz)

DALLAS, Texas - Seldom-used Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao told cleveland.com he has not requested a trade and says he will not do so.

"If I go anywhere else and win a championship, it's not going to be the same," he said. "I want to win a championship in Cleveland. That's where I want to stay. I love Cleveland."

The 33-year-old big man has seen a dramatic reduction in his playing time this season. His statistics all across the board are the lowest of his 12-year career. He has not seen action in eight of his last 10 games.

Despite being fully recovered from an Achilles' tendon injury he suffered last year, he hasn't been able to crack the rotation.

"Of course, it's not easy," Varejao said. "It's a different season for me. I said at the beginning of the season that my goal was to stay healthy and help this team. I'm not getting a lot of playing time, but I know the season is a long season. We still have the playoffs coming and anything can happen. I just have to stay ready and help the team when coach needs me."

His focus on the postseason is telling in that he believes he'll still be a Cavalier after the Feb. 18 trade deadline. Following this season, Varejao will have two years left on his contract. The 2016-17 season of $10.3 million is partially guaranteed and the 2017-18 season of $10 million is non-guaranteed.

Those parameters are enticing for teams that would be looking to shed some salary.

The Cavaliers have received some inquiries about his services, but the big man is hoping that's the extent of it. Varejao said management has not approached him to gauge his thoughts on the probability of being moved. He said if they did, he would respond, "No. I want to be here."

But why rot on the bench if you feel you're capable of producing at a high level?

"Because Cleveland's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to the team," he responded. "I had a chance to leave when the team was really bad, going through a rebuilding process when we were losing almost every other game, and it was tough. I said, 'I'm not leaving Cleveland. I want to win a championship in Cleveland' and I know now we have a chance.

"It's a long season. Like I said, it's not easy. It's not what I want. For me personally, I would like to play a little bit, but we're a pretty deep team and we're winning. So, I just have to stay professional and wait for my chance."

He almost had his chance during Sunday's 95-85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Center Timofey Mozgov had the worst couple of minutes of his season in closing out the first half. Mozgov did not play in the second half. It looked like the door would open for Varejao to make an appearance, but it never occurred.

Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love and LeBron James handled all the frontcourt duties. Head coach David Blatt pondered the idea of inserting Varejao, but didn't venture beyond that.

"You know you're always thinking about everything," Blatt said. "You should. That's what we do. We think about everything."

With Mozgov struggling mightily, it might be time for "The Wild Thing" to get his number called. But if Blatt doesn't give him the nod, Varejao said he doesn't want to be anywhere but Cleveland.

"For him, he's a professional and he's been the most positive, best teammate we got," James said. "...It's been a tough year for him for sure just coming back from an Achilles injury, and now not getting an opportunity to play as much as he would like...He's working on his game every day just in case he gets the call, and that's all you can ask out of a professional."