Andrew Bogut And The Warriors Look For Playoff Redemption
Playoff time has finally arrived for Andrew Bogut and the Golden State Warriors.
It’s the time of year when legacies can be transformed into heroic status, or take on legendary goat status.
The Warriors’ Andrew Bogut is all too familiar with how a player’s image can be forever etched and shaped into the league’s eternal memory during playoff time. How a player is perceived by the media, and amongst their own peers is often created during these tense playoff battles.
So, when Bogut either physically — or in the minds of some people, mentally — couldn’t participate in last year’s first round playoff matchup against their rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, jarring criticism came from all directions.
There where whispers that he was soft, that he lacked toughness. They were accusations uttered not only in media circles, but by many of the Warriors’ own fan base.
Boguts’ availability, or lack thereof , has been the focal point of most debates when it comes to predicting how far the Warriors can advance in the playoffs.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knew the importance of having a healthy Bogut available come playoff time, and has done a great job in managing the center’s minutes.
Kerr actually received some flak from angry Denver Nuggets fans when he sat Bogut, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala during a March road game in Denver.
Many of the complaints came in the form of emails from fans who traveled to the game with the hopes of seeing the best team in the Western Conference at full strength. But Kerr and the Warriors had their eyes on the bigger picture.
"“If somebody spends a lot of money, they deserve to see the best players, the guy that they came to see. On the other hand, as coaches we have to do what’s best to prepare our teams for a really long year.” Kerr told reporters after the game."
Kerr has not only focused on limiting Bogut’s minutes but has been brilliant in utilizing the whole roster, and not allowing his starters to be overloaded with heavy minutes.
Bogut was given new life under Kerr, and the big Australian center has credited his head coach with turning his career around.
“I don’t think it’s so much a physical thing, for me it’s a big mental thing, having a coach that has confidence in me, even with the scorers in Curry and Klay, to say, we want you to be aggressive and look for your own shot, it does wonders for my game,” Bogut told Slam Magazine in November.
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Bogut has been a critical component in Kerr’s revamped offense, where ball and player movement, has replaced the isolation schemes implemented by former coach Mark Jackson.
Over the course of the year Bogut is averaging 23.6 minutes per game compared to over 26 minutes last year, which has resulted in a dip in personal stats but an increase in personal health.
“He’s great. He’s very engaging. He’s a normal guy, were definitely not used to that in a head coach,” Bogut said of Kerr
The Warriors have never looked to Bogut to provide eye-popping numbers, nor has he ever hinted at being disappointed at his lack of offensive touches.
Boguts’ mere presence on the court transforms the Warriors from playoff contenders to championship contenders.
His presence in the high post allows Curry and Thompson to work in space, and his passing skills have been vital to the Warriors’ highly efficient and productive offense.
The Warriors are entering the 2015 playoffs with the NBA’s best record at 67-15, and a near historic home record of 39-2. But an early playoff exit could make those extraordinary accomplishments completely moot.
Andrew Bogut will have a major hand in determining if this will be a season enriched with great memories of a historic championship season, or one filled with disappointment and another heartbreaking ending.
The road to the championship starts Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, where Bogut and the Warriors will get their shot at redemption and cementing their place in history.