The Golden State Warriors have been very fortunate this offseason that they have remained extremely healthy, as the NBA season is set to start in about a week. So far, their biggest injury is to head coach Steve Kerr, who has taken a leave of absence as he recovers from back surgery, although he is expected back for the regular season. On Thursday night, Andrew Bogut suffered a broken nose against the Houston Rockets and will undergo minor surgery, but he is not expected to miss any regular season time, according to Ethan Sherwood of ESPN.
Bogut is scheduled to undergo the surgery on Monday, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, but he is hoping to get back for the final preseason game. This is Bogut's fourth time breaking his nose, so he has been there before, which means his timeline can likely be trusted. However, he will have to wear a mask when he comes back, and it is possible that the Warriors could take it slow with him.
Bogut was trying to protect the rim when Houston Rockets guard K.J. McDaniels went for a dunk, but he got hit in the nose, which led to the break. McDaniels missed the dunk, but Bogut was called for a foul, which actually made him more upset than the fact that he had a broken nose.
"It is what it is. Just more pissed off that I got called for the foul because I didn't touch him at all. My nose hit his fist, called for a foul. This is actually the third time I've been called for a foul when I got my nose broken," said Bogut.
If Bogut were to miss any time due to the injury, Festus Ezeli would likely step in as the starting center, and that could actually be helpful for the Warriors. Ezeli is eligible for a contract extension and both sides are working towards a deal, but the Warriors would love to see what he can do as a full-time starter before paying him. Ezeli is seen as Bogut's replacement when his contract is up after the 2016-17 season.
The 7-foot Australian was kind of phased out during the playoffs last season and has dealt with a lot of injuries in his tenure with the Warriors, but he is still a big key to their defense. Last season in 65 games, Bogut averaged 6.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game. Bogut will likely be back for the Warriors opening game, but if he is not, don't expect him to miss too much more time than that.
