Candidates for the 6th Man of the Year award are the players that score the most

points off the bench. They are the players that bring their own jumper cables

to the game.They are the spark that ignites their team when they need it the most.

It’s a pretty simple concept.

When the team needs an additional offensive option the 6^th man is brought off the pine.

He puts on a show scoring at will, assisting their team to a victory.

But, why must points be the category looked at when determining who the 6th man is?

Probably because it's easy to look at points first, and look at everything else second.

Now, the object is not to bring up the conversation of how a 6^th man should be chosen.

Tha'ts up to the team's coach. He knows what he needs the most from his bench, what the starters aren't providing.

The majority of the time, that need is a scorer. Whatever non-starter scores the most points is the team's 6th man.

The point trying to be made is there is an NBA player that is overlooked in the 6th Man race simply because he isn't a big scorer. That is a shame.

He is a key reason, besides mighty King James of course, why the team is #1 in the league.

That's right. The Cleveland Cavaliers are #1 in the NBA halfway through the season.

And, if LeBron wouldn’t have had this player healthy the L.A. Lakers would possibly have the best record right now.

Anderson Varejao is one of few that went pro from Brazil. He brings his defensive tenacity (and wild hair) every night.

Whoever says “Who?” needs to stop reading for a second, and do some research.

Or, the writer of this article could do that for you, he supposes.

The power forward and center combo, who stands just under 7 feet tall, and weighs an imposing 260 pounds, is far from a scorer (8.4 points per game), but he is definitely a big help when it comes to the vitals of victory.

He plays 30.1 minutes per game averaging 52.1% field goal shooting, 8 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game.

He is one of only 4 players in the league that shoots over 52% from the floor; while grabbing at least 8 rebounds, swiping at least one steal, and swatting at least one shot.

The other 3 players are…

NeNe Hilario is the Denver Nuggets’ starting center and a fellow Brazilian native. He is a a key reason why Denver holds the high record they do.

Marc Gasol is the Memphis Grizzlies’ starting center. The big guy is a major factor in the remodeling of his team from a cellar dweller to a team in the playoff hunt.

Dwight Howard is the Orlando Magic's starting center, and “Superman” doesn’t need an introduction.

That’s not bad company. Not bad at all.

The only difference is Varejao is the only player doing this off the bench.

If looking for help for LeBron, consider getting this  underappreciated player about 5 more shots per outing.

With over 52 percent accuracy, he could easily average 15 or 16 points per night. Add that with what he already gives, and watch the results.

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