On an epic night in Cleveland, tears and Champagne flowing over the Warriors’ first title of the Steve Kerr era, Andrew Bogut had become something of an afterthought. When people look back on those 2015 Finals, they’re likely to start with the Game 4 decision to replace Bogut with Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup — and as the climactic sixth game drew to a close, Iguodala was named MVP of the series.
It was that kind of NBA career for Bogut, who announced his retirement from basketball this week. Once the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, forecast to change the landscape of NBA centers, he spent years battling injuries and the forces of doubt. But the insiders knew him well, a man of relentless desire and exceptional court sense.
The Warriors will never forget him.
He was good for about 25 minutes a game in his best years with the club, always starting, rarely finishing. Kerr called him “crucial” in setting the tone for a given evening: playing tough defense, blocking shots, poised at the top of the key to ignite offense sets with his screening, passing and a knack for envisioning developments before they occurred. The Warriors weren’t a very physical team before he arrived, nor did they have any kind of offensive flow, but Bogut played a huge role in changing all that, and he was a strong, good-humored presence in the locker room.
If you had a few minutes, he could run down all the major injuries he’d suffered over the years: back, knee, ankle, and a severely dislocated right elbow that never quite recovered. However it felt if he sank a free throw in his Golden State days, the next one could be a fresh adventure with an entirely different feel.
Because his offensive game bore little resemblance to its magnificence in Milwaukee, and because he always seemed to be hurt, there was outrage among the fan base when general manager Larry Riley and assistant GM Bob Myers — backed by the support of owner Joe Lacob and consultant Jerry West — pulled off the March 13, 2012 trade that sent Monta Ellis to the Bucks. When Lacob took the microphone to address the Oracle Arena crowd on the night of Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement, he was taken aback by the full-throated chants of “We want Monta!”
Riley had been under fire, and in fact lost his job six weeks later (reassigned as director of scouting), but that proved to be a master stroke. With Ellis out of the picture, Stephen Curry was allowed to flourish without complication. Klay Thompson found a place in the starting lineup. The Warriors, particularly Draymond Green, received invaluable lessons from Bogut on the art of defense.
Roughly a year after that championship night in Cleveland, the aging, weary Bogut was shipped off to Dallas. He bounced around the league for a spell, fittingly climaxing his career with 11 games for the Warriors at the close of the 2018-19 season, but his focus had turned to the Australian national team, for whom he competed in the 2004, ’08 and ’16 Olympics. He thought he’d have one more shot, but the pandemic-forced postponement of the 2020 Games sent him a message.
“I just can’t physically and mentally get to 2021 with the way the body has been,” Bogut said on his “Rogue Bogues” podcast. “I mean, I could, on a lot of painkillers and with a lot of physical and mental anguish, but it’s just not worth it at this point in my career. The last two years have been a real challenge for me just to get out of bed in the morning some days, let alone go to a training session or a game.”
John Coates, chief executive of the Australian Olympic Committee, told reporters that “Andrew was so much more than a big man. He had an aura about him ... I know it must have been a difficult decision for him, but the great athletes know when it’s time.”
Vision of the future: It’s a post-pandemic Warriors game at Chase Center, and Bogut shows up without advance notice. As he says hello to old friends at court level, fans begin to recognize him. There are shouts and cheers, building into a full-blown ovation. Heartfelt appreciation for the man who made a difference.
The brothers Johnson
There was occasion to check Google this week, in search of the most admired brother combinations in sports. So many great names came to light— DiMaggio, Alou, Esposito, Charlton, Manning, Gasol — but repeatedly no mention of Rafer and Jimmy Johnson. What a terrible oversight. Jimmy, the younger brother, was a 49ers cornerback of such formidable reputation, teams rarely threw in his direction. An all-around athlete who starred in the hurdles and broad jump at UCLA, he was named All-Pro four straight years (1969-72) and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When Rafer died on Wednesday, he was remembered not only as a decathlon legend of the 1960 Olympics, but as a gentleman, humanitarian, activist for social justice, and so much more. Longtime Bay Area sportswriter Art Spander was a classmate of Rafer’s at UCLA and warmly reminisced on artspander.com, concluding, “There has never been anyone like Rafer Johnson.” ... Stunning: In his first game as the Mississippi State quarterback after transferring from Stanford, K.J. Costello passed for an SEC-record 623 yards in a win over LSU. It’s been a disaster since then. Costello threw a combined seven interceptions in the next two games, got benched by coach Mike Leach (formerly of Washington State), then lost his job outright. ... Maybe it’s not that surprising if you’ve watched some of the truly authentic arms in the collegiate game. Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler comes quickly to mind. ... Postscript to the debacle in Denver, where a virus outbreak forced the Broncos to start a wide receiver at quarterback against New Orleans last week and became the first team to complete just one pass in a game since the 2005 49ers. Does anyone remember Cody Pickett? He went 1-for-13 in a 17-9 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field. Starting due to injuries to Alex Smith and Ken Dorsey, along with the trade of Tim Rattay to Tampa Bay, Pickett sealed his fate that day. He never took another NFL snap.
Bruce Jenkins is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: bjenkins@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1
The Link LonkDecember 05, 2020 at 05:35AM
https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/article/Why-the-Warriors-will-never-forget-Andrew-Bogut-15777142.php
Why the Warriors will never forget Andrew Bogut - San Francisco Chronicle
https://news.google.com/search?q=forget&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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