Andrew Bogut leaves Cavaliers game with leg injury
Cleveland Cavaliers center Andrew Bogut was on the court for two minutes with his new team before leaving the game with a leg injury.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have made an effort to bolster their bench for a possible third NBA Finals showdown with the Golden State Warriors, completely flipping the script on last year’s championship series when their depth was a severe disadvantage.
Unfortunately, one new addition’s tenure with the Cavs was limited to two minutes due to injury.
Andrew Bogut, who started for the 73-win Warriors last season, joined Cleveland after being traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Philadelphia 76ers, who reached a buyout agreement with the big man that allowed him to sign with the Cavs.
In his first game alongside LeBron James and company Monday night, Bogut was on the floor for two minutes before suffering what the team is calling a “left leg injury.” He will undergo X-rays, with an update expected to come after the game.
As you can see, Bogut ran a little too aggressively toward Miami Heat forward Okaro White to close out on the perimeter. White gave him a pump fake, and whether it was just a clumsy play or Bogut intentionally stuck out his leg to slow him up on purpose, their knees collided.
The big Aussie got the worst of the exchange and had to be helped off the court by teammates. He went to the locker room and was unable to put any weight on his leg.
As a 3-point heavy team with a lot of positional versatility, the Cavaliers don’t really “need” Bogut. He was meant to provide frontcourt depth, monster screens, rebounding and rim protection behind Tristan Thompson, as well as give Cleveland an advantage in the mental chess match with the Dubs since he was just on their roster last season.
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This is an unfortunate turn of events, but the extent of the injury and the timetable for his return is currently unknown. Hopefully Bogut will be able to return soon and make sure a potential Cavs vs. Warriors Finals series is the most lit chapter of the trilogy.