Here we go again? Bogut to miss 2-4 weeks

by Frank Madden on Nov 19, 2009 8:04 PM CST in News Comment 8 comments

Just when it was starting to be fun to be a Bucks fan, this happens. Figures, right?

The Bucks announced today that Andrew Bogut will miss up to a month thanks to the so-called "left leg strain and contusion" he suffered in the waning minutes of last night's win over New Jersey. Bogut suffered the injury on a loose ball under the Nets' basket, playing one more possession before walking to the locker room under his own power. It was hoped the injury would be a minor one, but an MRI today said otherwise.

As always seems to be the case when Bogut gets injured, the Bucks' description isn't particularly informative--kind of like the "leg sprain" Bogut suffered in October 2006 (His whole leg was sprained? What does that even mean?) or the misdiagnosed back injury that ended his season a year ago. As you might remember, Bogut took less than a month to recover from his leg sprain, which was initially thought to shelve him for 6-8 weeks. I'm not sure how similar this injury is, but hopefully he again beats expectations and is back in a week or two (and yes, I'm blocking out what happened last year, when the exact opposite happened with his back injury...happy thoughts, happy thoughts).

Bogut's injury comes just as Michael Redd is getting healthy, so if you were looking for an experiment to demonstrate the relative values of each guy, now you'll get it. In Bogut's stead you can obviously expect to see more of Dan Gadzuric and Kurt Thomas, and Francisco Elson might even make an appearance. But after a strong start to the season, Gadzuric hasn't played more than nine minutes in any of the Bucks' last four games, and Thomas hasn't played in three of the Bucks' last five (maxing out at six minutes). The Bucks will probably be going small more regularly as well, so don't be surprised to see Ersan Ilyasova getting more minutes in the pivot. How well the Bucks can hold the fort without Bogut is unclear (see our poll), but it will clearly have a lot to do with Brandon Jennings' ability to continue shouldering the scoring load. All we can say is this: feel better, Drew.

Poll

Andrew Bogut is out...what now?

In Brandon we trust.

357 votes

And thus begins the Bucks' annual downward spiral.

232 votes

589 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 8 comments |

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Comments

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh.

This is terrible. Who backs up Danny G? The terror communicated in all levels of that question should rock you to the core. This way, Bogut gets back in time to join his sub .500 team on a vicious West coast swing. Oh, and he won’t be an All Star now.

I somewhat believe that the Bucks have some “No more than two decent or better players shall take the court” curse placed on the team by Ernie Grunfeld or some German who wasn’t allowed to watch the game with his pig in 1915. At least Jennings didn’t blow out his knee. Bogut is tough and should return earlier than scheduled, though I have no faith in our training staff to diagnose/treat anything.

by MadTown Hoops on Nov 19, 2009 11:53 PM CST reply actions

Here's my question:

Does this give Andrew Bogut the dreaded “injury prone” tag? Does he already have it? Or is it just normal for big men to miss a bunch of games here and there?

"Brandon Jennings needs a nickname before he gives himself one. Oh wait, Young Money, he already did."

by Mitchell_M on Nov 20, 2009 7:30 AM CST reply actions

When will Redd come back?

If not friday, when? Are they holding him out to see how things shake out with Delfino/Bell or just being cautious? Or does Redd need more time to work on sliding defensively and moving side-to-side?

by Bellringer21 on Nov 20, 2009 7:50 AM CST reply actions

I’m a little concerned about why Kurt Thomas hasn’t been playing much so far. Could he be injured, not showing much in practice…or was Skiles just saving him for situations like this as part of the master plan?

In any case, we’re much better off than we were last season. Ilyasova is providing more support defensively than Villanueva could ever dream of, and that has to make life easier for whoever is playing at center.

by richardhkirkando on Nov 20, 2009 7:56 AM CST reply actions

In a classic Skilesism, coach said Thomas was too slow to get playing time.

by MadTown Hoops on Nov 20, 2009 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

He’s definitely not mobile enough to defend most PFs, so I’m not surprised the KT/Bogut combo didn’t last. But I am a bit surprised that Gadz took his backup spot.

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Nov 20, 2009 5:53 PM CST up reply actions

Hello Frank!

Hi there Frank!

Thanks for the comment on my blog. Hope to see you drop by more often.

Now back to the post. This must be a real blow too the Bucks amazing run this season. It was pretty tough to carry on with REDD and now with BOGUT, things might just be more complicated for them.

But let’s not push the panic button here. They still got plenty of talent in Kurt THOMAS and Francisco ELSON. I believe both of them can step up to the plate.

For now, it’s not about individual but more as a collective and teamwork. I’m sure the Bucks wil prevail.

VAMOS ARGENTINA!!! Please visit my blog @ http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com

by sivanjohn on Nov 20, 2009 8:37 AM CST reply actions

I am the one who coined the rule “never count on Danny G”, yet here we are, Gadz with an opportunity to redeem himself in full measure if he can play 30 minutes of run, defend and rebound type basketball.

Don’t shoot it in the half court. Don’t bobble outlet passes, just play within yourself like you have been doinfg for 5 minute stretches this season thus far. You have played under control, stay that way.

Now, will that happen? We’re all gringing, we’re all scared to death to give the reins over to the erractic, foul prone, turnover prone Danny G.

Whichever Gadz shows up will have a huge impact on how we handle these next (say) ten games. This off season we need to address our lack of talented big men.

by upnorthfan on Nov 20, 2009 3:40 PM CST reply actions