Golden State’s Australian centre Andrew Bogut says he’s not sure when his injured left ankle will allow him to return to NBA action, but he thinks it will be this season.
“The season’s five, six months before the playoffs, which we have a great chance of making,” Bogut said, as he and Warriors general manager Bob Myers jointly briefed reporters on his situation.
“I don’t think it’s going to be five, six months. I hope it won’t be. It would be a massive setback if it was. I’m not going to say a month or two months or three months, but I definitely think I’ll be back.”
Bogut, who turned 28 on Wednesday, has missed nine games and continues to be troubled by swelling and discomfort in the surgically repaired ankle.
He and Myers addressed reporters after an article in the San Francisco Chronicle implied Bogut was unhappy with the way the team was handling his injury.
Bogut denied that he felt under pressure from the team to return.
“As far as the reports, there was never any pressure from the organisation,” he said.
“The pressure was from … me, myself. After the big trade, I wanted to be out there to help my team and play basketball games, so the pressure never came from anybody – Bob or Coach (Mark Jackson) or the owners. It was pressure strictly put on me by myself.”
Myers, meanwhile, said the team hadn’t meant to mislead when they declined to reveal until Tuesday that Bogut’s operation included more serious micro-fracture surgery.
“We convey it how we think is appropriate as long as we’re on the same page with the athlete,” Myers said.
“I like to think that we are transparent, and that we always will be and try to do a good job informing the media.”
Bogut was acquired from the Bucks last March in a blockbuster trade that sent high-scoring guard Monta Ellis to Milwaukee. He didn’t play for Golden State last season due to injury, and returned for this season’s opening game in October.
Bogut admitted this week that his determination to play at the start of the season may have hindered his recovery.
“Did I rush back a little bit? Maybe,” he said. “But I needed to test it out to see how it responded in an NBA environment, and obviously it didn’t respond well. So we’re not going to set any more timelines. Right now, when it’s ready, it’s ready.”
ConorHarvey1888
Roar Rookie
As a Warriors fan, I'm left praying that Bogut can somehow get healthy. I wasn't one of Ellis' biggest fans, but even I was a little disappointed at the trade, trading your teams leading scorer for an injury prone centre isn't always an encouraging move. Seeing as Bogut has hardly been on the court, you'd have to say Milwaukee won that trade at this stage.
mushi
Roar Guru
Monta Ellis – I agree a peerless rock pounder who is a less effective guard than Sergeant Shultz. Horrible waste of max money.
Luc
Guest
That's a bit harsh mate. A quick look at wikipedia shows up some good numbers. Prior to his injury, his 2009/10 stats read - 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game (2nd in the League) and he was named to the 2009–10 All-NBA Third team. The few seasons leading up to that were also prodctive ones. ogut has never been a flashy players, but he has mostly been effective I think the Bucks got pretty good value for money there.
Louis
Guest
Cannot believe the Warriors traded Ellis for him, probably the biggest waste of money in the NBA -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].