Charles Barkley praises Anderson Varejao as 'best forward in Eastern Conference'

Anderson Varejao has had a great season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and remains a bright spot on the struggling team. On Thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs played the Miami Heat, and Charles Barkley, doing color commentary, called Varejao the "best forward in the Eastern Conference." Kind of.

Jason Lloyd transcribed the quote and posted it on Sulia.com:

"If Anderson Varejao, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol aren't on the All-Star team, it's a farce. Anderson Varejao has been the best forward in the Eastern Conference this year -- I mean of the mere mortals. I don't count LeBron. He's one of those aliens. But out of the normal human beings, Anderson Varejao has been the best forward in the Eastern Conference this year."

So, according to Barkley, Varejao is the best forward in the Eastern Conference not named LeBron James. It's an interesting parallel, given that Varejao was with the Cavs when James was still in town as well, and at that point he was simply regarded as a valuable role player.

Now, Varejao leads the NBA in total rebounds per game (14.9), defensive rebounds per game (9.1) and offensive rebounds per game (5.8). He's scoring 14.5 points per game and is shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 77.8 percent at the foul line. He consistently is at the top of the stat sheet for the Cavs.