WOW ... How Bout This Stat?

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http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/bas ... 137141.htm

Varejao taking charges since kid

Web site's tally ranks him first in NBA, way ahead of second place

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

CLEVELAND - When Anderson Varejao was a boy growing up in Brazil, he wanted so badly to be different from the other kids.

And, no, that's not when he grew out his hair. It's when he started developing his true signature -- taking charges. Now, he can argue that he's one of the best in the world at it.

After tabulating the numbers, Varejao proved to lead the NBA in offensive fouls drawn this season. In fact, it wasn't even close.

Although offensive fouls drawn is not an official stat kept by the NBA, respected stats Web site 82games.com credited Varejao with 99 this season. That was 22 more than Devin Harris of the Dallas Mavericks in second place.

The Beacon Journal tracked Varejao during the season and credited him with 78 charges taken and 98 offensive fouls drawn.

``When I was young I was always skinny, too skinny; what I thought was I'd have to do something different to play,'' Varejao said. ``When you're little, everybody thinks about offense all the time. I wasn't that good at it, so I thought I would have to do something different.''

Last year, Varejao led the league in offensive fouls drawn per minute and probably would have led the league in total drawn had he not missed the first 34 games with a shoulder injury.

Cavs coach Mike Brown gives out a cash prize every month to the player who draws the most charges. The award has practically been retired, as Varejao has swept it since the middle of last season. His contributions helped the Cavs draw 23 more offensive fouls this season than they committed, one of the top differentials in the NBA.

``I am proud of me,'' Varejao said. ``It is my work; that is how I help the team.''