Report: Anderson Varejao will not return during NBA Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue to run with what amounts to an eight-man roster for the NBA Finals.

With Kevin Love out for the season and the end of the bench unofficially deemed undeserving of playoff minutes, save for the closing moments of blowout games, head coach David Blatt is unlikely to be gifted a ninth option against the Golden State Warriors.

The possibility of Anderson Varejao making a return was brought up Friday, when ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Brazilian center could be activated "if anything were to go bad." Technically that report is true, since the team has 13 active players for each game, even if they're not all healthy, but the prospect of Varejao playing seemed curious.

That's because Varejao was ruled out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon back in December, and even an optimistic recovery timeline would have made a June comeback seem like a serious longshot.

It's not surprising, then, that Windhorst's report was promptly shot down. Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group - generally the most reliable of the Cavaliers' beat reporters - said Friday that he has been told Varejao will not return at any point during the series.

While the Cavs could use the reinforcements, a rusty Varejao may not move the needle much. The team has added Timofey Mozgov and altered their pick-and-roll coverages since Varejao last played, and the Warriors are more likely to invite smaller lineups than bigger ones.

Varejao averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes before his injury, shooting 55.5 percent from the floor. The team will eventually need to find a way to utilize him with Mozgov and Tristan Thompson, as the 32-year-old Varejao will begin a three-year, $30-million contract extension next season.