Posts tagged AndrewBogut at FanHouse

During Saturday night's overtime game between the Celtics and the Bucks, Kevin Garnett and Andrew Bogut had themselves a little dust-up. Bogut caught KG in the face with a (somewhat Kobe-esque) follow through, and Garnett responded with an open-handed smack to Bogut's face. Here's a look at the incident, which at the time resulted in a technical foul for both players.



The league is said to be looking at taking further disciplinary action, and frankly, I don't see how they can't. Clearly, this not simply another case of "KG being KG," where the league can choose to ignore his actions because he's an "emotional" player. Please. The man plainly and intentionally swung at Bogut in retaliation for getting hit on Bogut's follow through.

While Bogut's contact was incidental, I don't think even the most rabid of Celtics fans would say the same for KG's slap. If Steve Nash can get a game suspension for simply walking over to break up a fight, Garnett should get at least that much for so obviously trying to start one.

UPDATE: The league has weighed in, and Kevin Garnett has indeed been suspended for one game. The suspension will be served tomorrow night when the Celtics host the Knicks.

I can't vouch for the veracity of the supposed Twitter feed of Shaquille O'Neal. It seems like it's real -- there are repeated references to sponsorship by Vitamin Water, of which Shaq is an endorser and shareholder. (Need a reminder?) As Nate Jones relayed, O'Neal tore up Milwaukee last night, taking full advantage of Friday's rest. Apparently, the alleged Shaq didn't think too terribly highly of Bucks center Andrew Bogut. Here's a, um, tweet from late last night (via BSoS):

On the plane back to #PHX, another Suns W. Bogut is Erika Dampier with a beard.

Oh snap! Erika Dampier is, of course, Shaq's long-lived nickname for Dallas hacker Erick Dampier, a wall of a man good for blocking a few shots and giving a few hard fouls. Shaq's had "battles" with Damp as a Laker, a Hot (singular of Heat?) and now as a Sun. And no, Shaq isn't a fan.

The rest of the Shaq Twitter feed is similarly hilarious; let us pray it's legit. For instance: Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer. Or: Guys know if they need an instant bucket, they can come to me. As the son of Jor-El, it's in my nature to help others and save the universe. Shaq is America, people.

When Suns' head coach Terry Porter mentioned before the season that he was considering resting Shaquille O'Neal at various times throughout the season, I took it as him saying it was something he may do occasionally. As it turns out though, it appears to be the rule rather than the exception so far, and (needlessly) doing so at this point in the season cost the team a game that would otherwise have been winnable last night in Chicago.

The Suns planned to give Shaq the night off in Indiana, when the team was playing the second game of a back-to-back, and the big fella had put in 24 strong minutes the night before in New Jersey. In fact, Shaq was dressed in a suit up until about 20 minutes before tip-off, but was called to action after starter Matt Barnes left the team to be with his fiancee, who was giving birth to a set of twins. O'Neal played less than 12 minutes though, and with Amare Stoudemire blowing up for 49 points, the team got by without him.

After a day off, the Suns traveled to Chicago, but decided to give Shaq a night of rest because they again were facing back-to-back games, and the thinking was that tonight's opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, would pose a bigger challenge in the paint than the Bulls. The Bucks have Andrew Bogut; the Bulls play Drew Gooden and Joakim Noah. But with the Suns already missing one of their starters, did they really need to give Shaq a night of rest, just six games into this young season?

When Scott Skiles took over in Milwaukee, there was a lot of hope that he would take the young roster and develop a defensive identity without his prototypical reliance upon players that are, say, less than dynamic.

You know the old expression, you want to make an omelet, you have to deal with Luke Ridnour and Malik Allen. Or something.

Anyway, as the Bucks defense improves, including a stout effort Sunday night versus the Knicks, the youth movement got a little boost from the injury bug. Luke Ridnour, the point guard Skiles traded for to run his offense, came down with back spasms during the Bucks loss to the Raps a few nights ago. The result was sparkplug point guard Ramon Sessions coming in to add 30 points and 17 assists in two games.

Many wondered why the Bucks added Ridnour when they had the explosive Sessions. But Ridnour has shown an ability to get Andrew Bogut involved and operate the offense. Sessions also has significant problems on the defensive end. Still, there has to be a balance between Sessions' explosiveness and Ridnour's savvy. Maybe this is the break that helps Skiles opt for the more dynamic rotation, just as Charlie Villanueva's production has increased with opportunities. Skiles needs to continue to give the young players with upside a chance to avoid being, well, Skiles.

It's hard to believe now, but once upon a time the Central Division was a powerhouse. As recent as 2006 it sent all five of its teams to the playoffs, and in 2007 it featured the top three records in the East. But last year? Only two made it to the postseason, including the disappointing Cavs, who followed up their NBA Finals appearance by winning five fewer games than the season before and failing to score as many points as they gave up.

Can the Central regain its luster in 2008-09? Well, the Pistons are still the Pistons, which means their ticket to the postseason is already punched, and the Cavs are tagging along for the ride so long as LeBron James is around. The Bulls, Pacers and Bucks will still bring up the rear, but at least there's honest-to-goodness hope they're headed in the right direction after making a series of offseason moves. Let's take a look at the most compelling storylines.

Good news today out of Australia, as Andrew Bogut's ankle MRI came up with no indications of ligament damage or any other serious problem. "It looks (like) nothing more than a sprain" said Australian Olympic coach Brian Goorjian, in an interview with The West Australian.

So now need to freak out over the dreaded "give gigantic contract extension and watch superstar go down in flames" nightmare. Bogut should be okay. Which is good, because the Bucks need to find out in a hurry how he's going to fit with the retooled Milwaukee squad as John Hammond continues the rebuilding process. And with Richard Jefferson, a (hopefully) healthy Michael Redd, Bogut, and super-stud Joe Alexander, the Bucks might be able to make some noise this year. But starting off with an injury sustained in what was ultimately a fruitless Olympic effort would have been a poor way to show that he's worth the money. So good save here.

A final interesting note from the article says that the Coach Goorjian didn't expect a call from the Bucks front office. Really? They hadn't given one yet? Because if I'd just handed over possibly $70 million plus to a guy and he comes up limping and needing an MRI playing for your club? I'd have called, sent emails, faxes, carrier pigeons and sent up smoke signals to try and find out everything I could about the situation. But that's just me. I tend to put a lot of value into $70 million.

It was bound to happen. When you put players on the floor and have them going full speed, injuries are going to amass, the same as any other sport. When it's players fighting for the pride of their countries, it's even more likely. But man, Bucks fans have to be asking "Yeah, but why did it have to happen to us?"

Less than a month after inking a five year,$60 million contract extension, Andrew Bogut was bravely trying to fight off the American horde pounding at his country's Olympic basketball doorstep. And in the process, he ended up twisting his ankle while trying to stop Kobe Bryant from getting to the basket (not an enviable task in its own right), and the result was him hobbling off the floor. No big deal, these things happen all the time. But a report out of the Salt Lake Tribune indicates that Bogut said he suspects the two words you don't want to hear after the game.

Ligament damage.

He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and we hope everything works out well. And hey, maybe it will. After all, this is the Bucks, and they always seem to catch the breaks, right? Right? Aw, man ...

During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.

Can the Team USA transition game be stopped? Through five pool play games, no one came even remotely close to slowing Team USA's fast break. The central challenge, beyond the overwhelming speed and finishing ability of every single player in red, white and blue, is that the Americans get out in transition so freaking often. The pickpocketing ways of Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul make up one avenue. LeBron James has been an interior disruptor, and the team flies off his deflections, steals and blocks. The team runs out on defensive rebounds, with Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh looking for an outlet guard, and those guards (Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant, mainly) getting the ball up the court quickly. Even on the rare opponent make, the Americans push. How do you stop all that? You don't. You try to limit it as much as possible, by protecting the ball and slowing the game to a crawl. But nothing you do will prevent a few breakaway dunks from going down.

Can Australia be effective in the half-court offense? The wonderful Xs and Os of Basketball blog took a detailed look at Australia's versatile half-court offense recently, showing how many different ways the Aussies set up shop. Certainly, it's a better system than Germany or China offered, and it's a slower, more deliberate movement-driven offense than Spain runs. (Spain tends to be a bit free-wheeling and quick; Australia is closer to the old slow Princeton ... though there are serious differences.) The United States hasn't been tested in the half-court, really -- it has blown its opponents up way out at midcourt and built big leads before the foe can get settled. With Patrick Mills running Australia's show, the Boomers should be able to get into their offense early. At that point, it will be up to the Americans to show they can play real halfcourt defense.

During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.

Can the Team USA transition game be stopped? Through five pool play games, no one came even remotely close to slowing Team USA's fast break. The central challenge, beyond the overwhelming speed and finishing ability of every single player in red, white and blue, is that the Americans get out in transition so freaking often. The pickpocketing ways of Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul make up one avenue. LeBron James has been an interior disruptor, and the team flies off his deflections, steals and blocks. The team runs out on defensive rebounds, with Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh looking for an outlet guard, and those guards (Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant, mainly) getting the ball up the court quickly. Even on the rare opponent make, the Americans push. How do you stop all that? You don't. You try to limit it as much as possible, by protecting the ball and slowing the game to a crawl. But nothing you do will prevent a few breakaway dunks from going down.

Can Australia be effective in the half-court offense? The wonderful Xs and Os of Basketball blog took a detailed look at Australia's versatile half-court offense recently, showing how many different ways the Aussies set up shop. Certainly, it's a better system than Germany or China offered, and it's a slower, more deliberate movement-driven offense than Spain runs. (Spain tends to be a bit free-wheeling and quick; Australia is closer to the old slow Princeton ... though there are serious differences.) The United States hasn't been tested in the half-court, really -- it has blown its opponents up way out at midcourt and built big leads before the foe can get settled. With Patrick Mills running Australia's show, the Boomers should be able to get into their offense early. At that point, it will be up to the Americans to show they can play real halfcourt defense.

Russia's had a bit of a rough effort this effort, losing to both Lithuania and Croatia in tight contests. At 1-2 in group play, the Russians needed to beat Australia to guarantee the Group A fourth seed, with its lovely berth into the the medal round to likely face the winner of U.S.-Spain. Australia, who like Russia had only beat Iran this tournament, seems an inferior opponent, based on the fact Russia is the reigning champion of Europe.

No matter. The Aussies walloped Russia, winning 95-80. Andrew Bogut was a beast (for the first time this summer), Andrei Kirilenko's offense was manure on ice. As such, Russia's done ... and Australia will move into the medal round. The team seems assured the fourth seed -- getting #3 would involve a) beating Lithuania, and b) Croatia losing to Iran. I'm not sure which is more unlikely, because they both have no chance of happening (unless Lithuania rests half the roster).

For Russia, the impact isn't much deeper than it is for coach David Blatt, an American in Europe who receives bountiful bundles of praise and gets mentioned for NBA jobs now and then. His reputation -- as it was built in both Euroleague club play and FIBA Europe last summer -- has been that he can get ye old "more than the sum of the parts" from his teams. That may be right (I imagine it is, he beat Spain in Madrid), but this result -- finishing as one of the four worst teams in Olympic competition -- has to undercut the unorthodox career he has built to date.

Blatt's biggest question has to be about whatever's wrong with Kirilenko. AK-47 simply dominated the European tournament last summer, dropping 29/8 with 3 steals and 3 blocks against Lithuania, and played well in the Finals. His mild Olympic performance makes no sense.