OAKLAND – Warriors center Andrew Bogut was so frustrated around midseason
over the lack of progress from a maddening ankle injury that he began to
contemplate having to retire, he told NBA.com on Thursday. That seems long
ago now that his successful recovery continued to play a major role in the
improbable playoff heights for Golden State.
Bogut said he “was getting close” to having to give it serious
consideration, but that he was not at the point of having to make a decision.
The plan, he said, was to try and finish this season on an encouraging note,
work during the summer to return to peak condition and aim for a healthy
2013-14. If that went bad, all options would have been on the table.
“I didn’t get to that point,” he said before the Warriors practiced in
advance of Game 3 of the second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs on
Friday night at Oracle Arena, “But it was definitely [something] I started
to think about. I never got to a point where I thought, ‘This is it. I’m
done.’ But I thought, ‘If this goes on for a year or two, there’s
definitely a chance that I think about that.’
“I was really bad. The physical part of it is one thing, but the mental part
of it’s the other. It was a tough time in my career. You always just start
questioning yourself, and whenever you do that as an athlete, I think it’s
probably not a great thing. When is this going to subside? When am I going to
feel better? Am I going to be back to the same level I was playing at before
the injury? How long is it going to take? Why is it taking so long? [I am]
medically cleared to play, but am I being soft? Am I not going hard enough?
Am I going too hard? Too many questions in your mind. I was frustrated.”
Asked if he ever thought his career could seriously be in jeopardy, Bogut
told NBA.com, “I never got to that point, but I was starting to get there.
[I] come back at the start of the season and it doesn’t respond well, [so] I
had to take three months off. It just becomes monotonous doing the same rehab
every day and not seeing results. I’m doing the same thing every day. People
don’t know, practice is at 11 [a.m.] and I am in here at 8:30 doing my rehab
for 2 ? hours and strength and conditioning and conditioning and getting my
shots up, getting my rhythm and seeing no results — I was real frustrated.
“The goal was to try and get to the summer and then work on my body and see
how it is next season. But, obviously, now I’m starting to feel much better.
My body’s starting to respond a little bit better. It’s a positive sign. My
goal was in the playoffs to no matter have a good playoff campaign and kind
of forget about the season. It’s kind of worked so far.”
Yeah. Kind of.
Bogut, after 24.6 minutes in 32 games during the regular season, is at 29
minutes in the first eight postseason games — the six in the first-round
victory over the Denver Nuggets and the first two of the Western Conference
semifinals now tied 1-1 against the Spurs. Even though clearly less than 100
percent – Bogut and coach Mark Jackson won’t estimate how close Bogut is to
full strength – he is the defensive presence Golden State long desired, a
facilitator for the offense being led by perimeter players and a vocal
leader. The playoffs have been his response to anyone who questioned the
trade for Monta Ellis in March 2012.
“I think he likes the fact of winning and finally feeling good, physically,”
Jackson said. “I think at the end of the day, no matter who you’re talking
to, with the question marks were around the trade and all that, he has to
have a chip showing folks it made sense. It’s well-deserved for him and
great to see because if we had to do it all over again, it was unanimous.”
Jackson was asked about the trade Thursday, in the context that moving Ellis
created a clear path for Klay Thompson to blossom at shooting guard along
with adding Bogut.
“It helped change the culture,” Jackson said. “Obviously, it was easier to
pull the trigger because we knew what we had in Klay and it was time for him
to be a starting two-guard. And he does everything right.”
How did the deal change the culture?
Jackson paused four seconds.
“It helped change the culture,” he finally said.
Anything specific?
“You know.”
He meant addition by subtracting Ellis. Jackson said it without saying it.
http://tinyurl.com/ck43lw3
Bogut季中時因為腳踝傷沒啥恢復
一度曾考慮退休
他說他當時的目標是想辦法先撐完這季
到2013-14季想辦法保持健康一整季
如果沒辦法的話將慎重考慮離開NBA
他說除了身體上的傷外
心理因素也影響很大
他計畫將在暑假時好好練身體