Anderson Varejao “likely to be ruled out” of 2016 Olympics

Golden State Warriors big man Anderson Varejao will likely skip the Rio games due to a back injury

Basketball at the 2016 Olympics has so far been notable for the amount of stars who have neglected to participate. On the US roster alone, stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis have withdrawn due to injury and fatigue concerns. Today, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that another big name has dropped out of the Rio Olympics.

Anderson Varejao had an interesting 2015-2016 season to say the least. He started the year with Cleveland, providing rebounding and energy off the bench, and was traded at the deadline, along with a future first round draft pick, to Portland. He was immediately waived, and signed with the Warriors, where he again provided his trademark hustle for a team that won a record-setting 73 regular-season games, before an arduous postseason that saw Golden State lose in seven games in the NBA Finals to Varejao’s former team, the Cavs.

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In the Finals, Varejao didn’t score much, but he did throw his body around and provide a physical presence for Golden State. This likely took a toll on the veteran’s body, and it’s looking like he’ll be ruled out of the Olympics because of it.

Brazil should still have a puncher’s chance at a medal in this years games due to NBA talent like Leandro Barbosa, Tiago Splitter, and Bruno Caboclo, and a home court advantage that could give Brazil a leg up in close games. However, they will also have to play teams like Argentina, Spain, and Croatia in the opening rounds, and losing Varejao’s size and experience will make defeating those teams even tougher.