AUS - Fresh start for Bogut after trade to Warriors

OAKLAND (NBA/Olympics) - The Golden State Warriors have pulled the trigger on a trade that has landed the franchise Andrew Bogut.

The 27-year-old Australian has missed the last 25 games with a fractured left ankle and is thought to have requested a move from the Milwaukee Bucks, who chose him with the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

When healthy, Bogut is one of the best centers in the league.

The Warriors also acquired Stephen Jackson in the deal with Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown moving in the opposite direction.

“We’re extremely excited to acquire a player the caliber of Andrew Bogut, who we think is certainly one of the top centers in the NBA,” said Warriors general manager Larry Riley.

“He will add an element of toughness to our team and will provide us with scoring, rebounding and a defensive presence in the middle.

"We’ve lacked those elements in recent years and think that Andrew’s addition will be a key factor in the growth of our team."

Speaking to the Australian media just hours before the deal was confirmed, Boomers legend Andrew Gaze said: “Sometimes you need a new environment to make a fresh start but time will only tell if it's been a productive move for him."

Bogut has been dogged by injuries.

In 2010, just months away from the FIBA World Championship, Bogut went up for a dunk in an NBA game and crashed hard to the floor, dislocating his right elbow, breaking his right hand and spraining his wrist.

That fall prevented him from playing for Australia in Turkey.

His last appearance for the Boomers came at the 2008 Olympics, when he averaged 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Bogut made his Olympic bow four years earlier when the Boomers competed at the Athens Games.

Just when he will play for Golden State remains to be seen.

He was hurt on January 25 and the Bucks said at the time he would have a recovery timetable of 8-to-12 weeks.

On February 24, Milwaukee announced that Bogut had a CT scan and that the ankle was "healing properly" and surgery wasn't planned.

"An additional scan on the ankle, which was injured in a January 25 win against the Rockets, will be performed in approximately one month,” the club said.

"The initial recovery timetable of 8-to-12 weeks has not changed."

At the time of his latest injury, Bogut was averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 12 appearances for the Bucks.

He also missed four games this season because of personal reasons and he sat out another with a concussion.

Basketball Australia will be keeping their fingers crossed that Bogut returns to the court and represents the country at the London Games.

At the time of his injury, the chief executive of Basketball Australia, Larry Sengstock, said: "He's a key part of our team, and a key part of our potential success. Everything does now focus on the key period between now and the first game of the Olympics.

"He's massively important. He's one of the star figures in international basketball right now.”

Gaze believes Bogut wants to be with the Boomers in London.

"The reports I'm hearing have been very good,” he said.

“My understanding is that he's very committed and wants to play.”

FIBA