Golden State Warriors Playoffs 2014: Coping Without Andrew Bogut (Photo: via Bleacher Report)
WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — With Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut sidelined indefinitely with a fractured rib, it will be up to the bench to fill in the gaping hole that Bogut has left behind.
Starting in place of Bogut will be backup center and eighteen-year veteran, Jermaine O’Neal.
“He’s a veteran, puts pressure on your defense because of his ability to post up,” head coach Mark Jackson said today at practice, “I also like the fact that he’s got a lot of miles and rather than having him sit and go into a game where everybody else is in rhythm and loose, right now my thought process is to have him start the game, impact the game immediately. We can always go to Draymond (Green) outside of that.”
Green seems ready, as usual, for anything that’s thrown at him.
“Just the same thing I’ve done all season,” forward Draymond Green said of his role in the playoffs, “Just go out there, whatever assignment that Coach assigns me to, go out there and try to get it done. I’m never really sure what that is, I just play it by ear. Whatever the team needs at that moment, or just try to bring that to the team, help us get a win.”
According to Klay Thompson, despite Bogut’s absence, the team remains confident.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in ourselves individually and as a team,” Thompson said today before practice, “From the first man to the fifteenth man on this team, we feel like we can compete with them as long as we trust each other as a team. It’s going to be a great series.”
Like Green, in terms of preparation, O’Neal won’t change his mindset much and will have the same approach as he would have even if Bogut was healthy.
“I’m going do what I’ve been asked to do anytime I’ve been in the starting lineup or having to play extended minutes, but again this is the playoffs,” O’Neal said, “Obviously we would’ve loved to have (Bogut), but no matter what, even if he was playing, we still would have had to elevate our game. A seven-game series is a chess match. You’re playing the level that you’ve been playing and if it doesn’t stay at that level, then I don’t think you can be effective because teams are going to make adjustments.”
Still, Bogut’s abilities will be missed.
“He sets great screens and he’s a great passer as a big,” said point guard Stephen Curry, “When he’s at the top of the key and he’s able to look side-to-side and figure out who’s open, the dribble hand-off is pretty effective when he’s in there. We’ll miss that, but with Draymond and J.O. and Mo (Marreese Speights) — they play differently, so you have to adjust — but our play calls will be the same and I think the way that we’ll get our shots will be the same.”
“Injuries happen and they’re something that you can’t control, but other guys have to be ready to step up,” Green said, “And me being one of those guys in the situation, it’s an opportunity you have to take advantage of. You never want to see guys go down. You never want to see guys get hurt, but it does allow other guys the opportunity to showcase what they can do and bring what they can bring to a team to help win.”
So now, third-string center Hilton Armstrong now moves to second-string.
“Anytime I have the opportunity to try and step up and show what I have and help the team as much as possible, I’m going to try and take advantage of it,” Armstrong said, “I love to play defense. That’s why I have this passion for the game, so I just try to talk to everyone on the team, just like a quarterback and I’m trying to let everyone know what’s going on. They can’t see what’s going on behind them, so I’m the one back there pointing and talking most of the time.”
O’Neal emphasizes that it’s not about doing more in Bogut’s absence, it’s doing what you’ve always done best.
“You have to focus on just doing that. Sometimes you tend to try to do more than you’re capable of doing,” O’Neal explained, “I’m ready for the chess match. That’s really just what it comes down to. I’ve been through a lot of battles and playoff feel and I know how intense it is. I’ve had a great experience with that, so I’m very prideful and I’m very competitive, too.”
“(Bogut’s) a big-time presence down low, altering shots, blocking shots, taking charges, getting rebounds,” Curry added, “So we’re going to have to do it by committee. We’ve got some capable guys to fill those minutes and it’s going to be important that we be as physical as possible a five-man unit when we’re out there, to try to make up for ‘Bogues’. We’ll be able to do some different things, be a little quicker, switch a lot more, but we’ll definitely miss him.”
Even Doc Rivers, coach of the Los Angeles Clippers is wary of the dynamics of the Bogut injury.
“You look at their record, they’ve been pretty good with and without (Bogut),” Rivers said, “In some ways, they’re more dangerous because they go small. They stretch the floor even more, so I don’t know how much it has an impact.”
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