Cleveland Cavaliers: Chris Andersen Suffers ACL Injury — Cavs Looking For Backup Center And Point Guard

After suffering an ACL injury at practice on Friday, Cleveland Cavaliers backup center Chris “Birdman” Andersen — who signed a one-year deal with the Cavs after Timofey Mozgov went to the Los Angeles Lakers — was ruled out for the rest of the season. As Cleveland continues to deal with Mo Williams’ retirement drama (meaning a potential buyout of his contract or simply working out a trade) they will now be forced to look for a backup big man as well as a backup guard.

Chris Andersen’s ACL Injury

As reported by FOX Sports, Andersen has a torn ACL in his right knee, an injury that happened at practice on Friday in a non-contract drill. The surgery that he will undergo will put him on the bench for the remainder of the 2016-17 NBA Season.

Prior to the injury, Andersen was averaging less than 10 minutes of playing time per appearance, with an average of 2.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Already playing a supporting role at the age of 38, it’s entirely conceivable that Chris Andersen has played his last game for the Cleveland Cavaliers — and possibly the final game of his NBA career.

If the Cavs look to free agency to fill Andersen’s void, at least two viable options exist. Kendrick Perkins is currently available, and played with Cleveland in 2015 when the squad returned to the NBA Finals. Brendan Haywood played for Cleveland that same year and is also a free agent at this time.

However, as noted by Cleveland.com, cutting Chris Andersen and signing a replacement would mean that the Cavaliers organization would pay taxes on both Andersen’s salary and that of the new recruit. As things currently stand, the Cavs have a payroll of $130 million, with the league’s salary cap at $94.1 million and the salary-tax line at $113 million.

Trading Chris Andersen And Mo Williams

After leading many to believe that he was ready to retire, Mo Williams continues to take up a spot on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster. Having undergone knee surgery in October, the former NBA All-Star seems to be unhappy with his current role in Cleveland’s organization, as noted by Fansided. With another year left on his contract, leaving Williams on the team presents the same problem the Cavs face with leaving Andersen on the roster. Mo currently occupies a valuable spot on Cleveland’s roster, and cutting him to sign a new backup guard would have similar financial repercussions as cutting Andersen.

Andersen’s stint with Cleveland is up at the end of the season, so trading him at this point is no loss for the Cavs. If they can find a team that is willing to take on Mo Williams in an active role once he is healthy, Cleveland may be able to work out a trade that includes Andersen, who signed with the Cavaliers for the veteran’s minimum.

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Upcoming Cleveland Cavaliers Schedule — 2016

Four of Cleveland’s next five games will be at home in Quicken Loans Arena, beginning with the Los Angeles Lakers (11-18) on Saturday, December 17. The game will air on FOX Sports Ohio with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. After two days off, the Cavs travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks (13-12) on Tuesday, December 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKVsE4HN9iY

They play the Bucks again at home the next night, Wednesday, December 21. Both games will air on FOX Sports Ohio. Having lost to Milwaukee 118-101 in November, the back-to-back games against the Bucks will give the Cavs a chance to take the lead in their regular season series against their Eastern Conference and Central Division rivals.

Next Friday, Cleveland welcomes the Brooklyn Nets (7-18) to Quicken Loans for their showdown on December 23. Then, on Christmas afternoon, it’s a rematch from the 2016 NBA Finals, as the Cavs host the Golden State Warriors (23-4), who currently lead the Western Conference with the best record in the league.

[Featured Image by Jason Miller/Getty Images]