Bogut the Flying Dump Truck is Back!

Hopefully Andrew Bogut’s most significant flaw will not be that he tends to hang dangerously on the rim after dunks. At 7 feet tall and weighing 260 pounds, the 26-year-old Australian has the frame of a bulky center yet runs and finishes off the break like a small forward. The result and risks are comparable to driving a dump truck as though it were an Audi. As a result, a lot of the time Bogut needs to hold on to the rim just to slow himself down, land property and avoid crashing into the stands. But as you’ll see in the video of Mr. Bogut taking one of the nastiest spills of the decade last spring, this can sometimes be a very dangerous tactic.

A man that size should not be flushing two handed dunks at that speed.  The fall dislocated his right elbow, broke his right hand and severely sprained his wrist. He’s lucky it didn’t do more; he’s lucky he didn’t break his neck. Remarkably, recovery time was only six weeks and while Bogut missed the rest of the season and the payoffs, he’ll be ready for the 2010/11 season.

This is good for beer swilling Milwaukee Bucks fan. Last year Bogut averaged 15.9 points, 2.5 blocks and 10.2 rebounds. His 175 blocks ranked second in the league behind Dwight Howard and Bogut was selected for the All-NBA third team. The Bucks finished with a 46-36 record and made the playoffs for the first time since Bogut was drafted 1^st overall in 2005. And even without their focal center for the playoffs, the Bucks managed to take the Atlanta Hawks to seven games in the first round. So things are looking good for the Bucks, and on top of the fact their star center won’t be using a motorized wheelchair to get around this summer Bucks management has been extremely active, signing free agents John Salmons, Drew Gooden, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins.

One thing Bogut does need to improve, apart from not hanging on the rim like an obese trapeze artist anymore, is his 15-footer.  With underperforming low post skills and the fact he’s almost unstoppable on the move; a short-range jump shot would really open up his game, possibly putting him at an All-Star level. Just please Mr. Bogut be careful.