UPDATE 4/4 4:41 AM: Bogut’s injury is actually more serious and more complicated than originally thought. According to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, not only is his right elbow dislocated, but he also suffered a right wrist sprain and broke his right hand. Gardner’s source indicated that Bogut will likely undergo season-ending surgery. However, the team has not indicated officially that Bogut’s season as over, as they have yet to release a timetable for his recovery.
4/3 10:15 pm: Milwaukee has been startlingly good since the All-Star break. It’s easy to point to Milwaukee’s acquisition of John Salmons as the clear reason why they’ve suddenly made the jump from mediocre to high-quality, but even more central to the Bucks’ success (not just over that stretch, but all season) has been Andrew Bogut. He’s quietly become one of the top centers in the league both offensively and defensively, yet seems to consistently cede the spotlight to Salmons and Brandon Jennings.
Bucks fans and the NBA world at large may soon find out just how good (or really, how bad) the Milwaukee would be without Bogut. After finishing on the break with a two-handed flush in the Bucks’ game against the Phoenix Suns tonight, Bogut lost his balance on the dismount and ended up twisting his elbow in completely unnatural and disturbing fashion.
According to Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times, the team has disclosed that Bogut has a dislocated elbow, but an x-ray showed no broken bones. No word yet from the team as to the specific timetable for his return, but it’s a fair bet that Bogut will miss significant time.
You can see Bogut’s injury here, but be warned: it’s not pretty. This isn’t a tweaked ankle or even a nasty collision, but a blatantly painful contortion from a big athlete hitting the ground with a ton of momentum. If you’re bothered by cringe-worthy injuries, I’d pass on it.
With so much focus in recent weeks being on NBA players speaking out on social issues, it’s worth remembering that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been one of the most vocal athletes in America on these things for decades. The Hall of Fame and all-time leading scorer in NBA history addressed the Democratic National Convention on Thursday evening, urging voters to vote for Hillary Clinton in November, and opened his remarks by introducing himself as Michael Jordan, because “Donald Trump couldn’t tell the difference.”
You can watch the video of his speech below:
In the weeks since Kevin Durant announced he was signing with the Golden State Warriors, we have yet to hear Russell Westbrook speak on his former teammate’s decision. This week, ESPN.com’s Royce Young indicated in a podcast interview that Durant was telling Westbrook and others in the days leading up to his decision that he was coming back to Oklahoma City. He later walked back his report, saying he misspoke. On Thursday, Durant himself told The Vertical‘s Shams Charania that he never said any such thing, or misled Westbrook or anyone else about his intentions.
“It’s false,” Durant told The Vertical on Thursday. “I didn’t say that – words about me telling Russell or Nick that I would stay or leave never came out of my mouth. We met as teammates, but no promises came out of it. In this day and age, I can’t control anything people claim out there. Someone can go out and say something random right now, and people will believe it.
“I never told Russell or Nick [Collison], ‘All right, guys, I’m coming back to the Thunder’ – and then a week later, I decide not to. Never happened. I don’t operate like that. I heard people say that story, but it’s not the truth.”
So that settles that.
CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls have signed guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Bulls acquired Dinwiddie in a trade with Detroit last month and waived him three weeks ago. He spent two years with the Pistons and appeared in 12 games last season, averaging 4.8 points and 13.3 minutes.
The Bulls announced the move Thursday.