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This injury isn't the end of Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut has gone down injured again. (AAP Image/Sam Mooy)
Roar Guru
9th March, 2017
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It might be another serious injury, but Andrew Bogut still has plenty left in the tank.

The Aussie’s Cleveland Cavaliers debut came to an abrupt end, after he suffered a fractured left tibia against the Miami Heat.

Bogut’s dream of winning another championship is essentially finished, as the injury will more than likely see him waived by a Cavs side searching for a big man to protect the rim.

While the The 32-year-old’s timetable for return is yet to be released, the recovery time for a fractured tibia is typically three to four months. And Bogut is no stranger to the rehabilitation table, having suffered a number of injuries throughout his 13-year NBA career.

But his latest setback doesn’t necessarily spell the end of his career.

The seven-footer has carved himself a niche role that is still desirable in the NBA today: the big man who can rebound and block shots, while also facilitating the offence.

In 2014, Steve Kerr called Bogut “one of the best passing centers in the league”.

“He’s one of the best I’ve ever seen, and so for us to get him the ball on the elbows as a dribble-handoff guy, backdoor-pass guy, that will be emphasised,” the Golden State Warriors coach said.

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Bogut has averaged more than 3.2 assists per 100 possessions in each of the last five seasons, peaking at 5.6 in the 2014-15 season.

Unsurprisingly, that was the year the Warriors won their first championship since 1975.

Draymond Green made it no secret that Bogut was the backbone of the Warriors defence before the Aussie signed with Dallas in the offseason.

Talking to ESPN, Green said, “You lose a guy like Bogut who, you almost can funnel stuff to Bogut. You funnel someone to him, you know he’s there and he can kind of erase any mistake that someone makes, and then you lose that, you have to get used to not having that there.

“When you had it there for the last four years, it takes a little while to adjust to that. However, I think we adjusted to it.”

Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Bogut of Australia plays against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The big man will be 33 at the beginning of the 2017-18 NBA season, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be fit and ready to play.

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While there will be teams with doubts over his durability, Bogut has shown that he can bounce back from injury, having played in at least 65 games in five of his last seven seasons.

During that time, his averages hovered around the seven points per game along with eight rebounds.

While it’s unlikely that Bogut will return to a starting position, there are many teams who could utilise his services as a back-up.

Before signing with the Cavs, the Houston Rockets were interested, while whispers of a return to Golden State plagued the rumour mill before Kerr ultimately shut it down.

There are clear similarities between the Aussie and New York Knicks centre Joakim Noah, who at 31 is still averaging 22 minutes per night.

And if the Knicks are willing to take a risk on Noah, why wouldn’t the rest of the league take the same chance with Bogut?

After returning from injury, Bogut could still be a consistent contributor – it’s just a question of which team would be willing to take that risk.

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