On Wednesday night, Mavericks’ center Andrew Bogut was set to square off against his former team, the Golden State Warriors, and in the lead-up to that, the Aussie center took an opportunity to get some things off his chest in a recent interview with Sam Amick of USA Today Sports.
In particular, Bogut was miffed when asked about his offseason trade to the Mavs, which was surrounded by rumors that certain people within the Warriors’ organization had concerns about his health. Here’s what Bogut had to say:
“But that’s how it is. I don’t buy into the sources thing. I don’t buy into all that (expletive), because this league is so two-faced and everybody is so fake. The same people who made those comments will see me tomorrow and shake my hand and ask me how my family is. This league is full of people who are full of (expletive) and shallow, and that’s what you figure out in pro sports. It’s very hard to meet a genuine person who you can call your friend in this league. That’s just the reality, and I understand that.”
There’s no question that the NBA is a ruthless business sometimes, and it’s understandable that Bogut might feel a certain way about being jettisoned from a team whose historic run last season was in no small part predicated on his presence as a rebounder, passer, and defensive anchor.
It probably doesn’t help that the 2-5 Mavs have had a rather brutal start to the season. But Bogut at the Mavs have reasons to be optimistic. Harrison Barnes has been on an absolute tear as Dallas has won its last two games, and they’ll try to keep that momentum going against Golden State tonight.
