The Golden State Warriors are getting Draymond Green back from suspension on Thursday, but they’re losing their starting center.
Andrew Bogut suffered a left knee injury in Game 5 that looked pretty bad, and underwent an MRI on Tuesday. The good news: He won’t need surgery. The bad news: He’s out for a while, certainly for the remaining one or two games of the Finals, according to the Warriors:
Warriors center Andrew Bogut, who suffered a significant impaction injury to his left knee during Monday’sGame 5 of the NBA Finals, underwent an MRI yesterday in the Bay Area. The MRI revealed the impact resulted in bone bruises to the proximal tibia and distal femur. He traveled with the team to Cleveland for Game 6, but due to the remaining length of the NBA Finals and expected recovery time, a minimum of six to eight weeks, he will miss the remainder of the series. The injury will not require surgery and he is expected to make a full recovery.
The Warriors have been better playing small against the Cavaliers in this series, and the on-court/off-court numbers have not been kind to Bogut. With him on the court, their net efficiency (points scored versus allowed per 100 possessions) has been -9.3. When Bogut sits on the bench, that number jumps to +7. But his rim protection and playmaking ability make him valuable in some matchups. Now, if Golden State decides to play big, they’ll be forced to turn to Festus Ezeli and Anderson Varejao, both of whom are massive downgrades from Bogut.
Bogut’s injury could also force Steve Kerr to start the so-called “Death Lineup,” with Green at center and Andre Iguodala in the starting unit. If that unit plays more minutes, they’ll be more tired as the game goes on, especially Iguodala, who has been tasked with guarding LeBron James during the Finals. But the Warriors just have to win one game to secure the championship, and getting back Green — who is arguably the most important player on the team — will help more than losing Bogut will hurt.
(Via Warriors)
