Andrew Bogut breaks his leg less than a minute into debut with Cavaliers
Andrew Bogut’s debut as a Cavalier lasted less than a minute. The veteran center, who was recently bought out by the 76ers and was excited to join the defending champions, broke his leg soon after entering a game Monday against the Heat.
Bogut jumped out to guard Miami’s Okaro White, who faked a second-quarter shot at the three-point line and tried to drive past the seven-footer. But White’s right leg hit Bogut’s left shin, causing what the Cavs said was a fractured tibia.
LeBron James said after the game, a 106-98 Heat win in which Bogut was officially recorded as having played 58 seconds, that he heard the bone break. He added that the injury “let the air out of the whole building” at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.
Bogut was expected to help fill the role of big man behind Tristan Thompson, particularly in the ongoing absence of Kevin Love, who is out with a knee injury. Instead, depending on the severity of Bogut’s fracture, the Cavs may cut him, paying him the $385,000 to which they had agreed, and sign another frontcourt player. TNT’s David Aldridge speculated that the team might pursue Larry Sanders, who stepped away from the NBA after the 2014-15 season but met with Cleveland in February.
Bogut had taken less money than he could have made elsewhere to sign with the Cavs, saying before the game (via the AP) that it was his “best opportunity to try to win a championship.” He said he had “the luxury of having four or five teams recruit” him, but also took into account that with James, he’d be “playing with one of the best, if not the best, players to play the game.”
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The decision had “nothing to do with” a chance to take revenge on the Warriors in another possible Finals matchup, according to Bogut, who was traded by Golden State to Dallas before the season to make room for Kevin Durant. Bogut missed the final two games of the Warriors’ loss to the Cavs in June after injuring his knee.
Injuries have plagued Bogut’s career, following his selection by the Bucks as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. After seven seasons in Milwaukee and four more with Golden State, he played in 26 games for the Mavs this season before getting flipped to the Sixers in a trade for Nerlens Noel. Bogut might have thought that was a short stint with a team, but his Cavs career may have just ended in less than a minute.
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