5 reasons Andrew Bogut injury changes NBA Finals
By John Buhler
Andrew Bogut will miss the rest of the 2016 NBA Finals because of a knee injury. Here are five reasons his absence changes the dynamic of the series.
While he likely won’t need surgery this offseason to repair his injured knee, Golden State Warriors starting center Andrew Bogut will be out six to eight weeks after suffering a painful knee injury going up for a defensive rebound in Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Though he can certainly bounce back and be a huge part of the Warriors’ success next year, obviously Bogut’s 2015-16 NBA season is done, as he won’t play in Game 6 on Thursday night or a potential Game 7 at home should Golden State fall on the road in Cleveland.
While there are so many invaluable pieces on the Warriors, losing Bogut in the home stretch of the NBA Finals is massively disappointing for Golden State in its quest for back-to-back NBA Championships. He’s not the star player he once was while leading the Milwaukee Bucks, but Bogut’s absence will only hinder Golden State going forward in the 2016 NBA Finals.
On the surface, Bogut’s injury doesn’t seem as devastating as one to one of Golden State’s three All-Stars (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green), but losing Bogut for the rest of the series might ultimately jeopardize the Warriors’ chances of winning back-to-back NBA Championships. Here are five reasons that the Bogut injury completely changes the dynamic of the 2016 NBA Finals going forward.
Next: 5. Cleveland will clean up on the glass.