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Andrew Bogut Has Officially Been Waived, What It Means For The Champs

By Quenton S. Albertie

Mar 6, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; New Cleveland Cavaliers center Andrew Bogut (6) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; New Cleveland Cavaliers center Andrew Bogut (6) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Larry Sanders has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Andrew Bogut will be waived to make room for his former teammate.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have just waived Andrew Bogut, the former Golden State Warriors center who they’ve faced off against in the last two NBA Finals, to make it possible for the team to sign Larry Sanders.

The highly-anticipated arrival of the Sanders may make the Cleveland Cavaliers fans’ more excited than the arrival of Bogut. However, the truth is that Bogut was more game-ready than Sanders, who played his last game on December 23, 2014.

Bogut, who averaged 3.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Dallas Mavericks this season also contributed with 1.0 block per game. Bogut has been one of the best rim-protectors in the league over a lengthy career and started in 651 out of 671 career games.

The former first overall pick is a skilled passer and his rugged 7-foot-0, 260 pound frame was going to do wonders for a team that’s expected to be out until April and has a starting center in Tristan Thompson who is undersized but played by opponents like he’s a 7-foot-2 behemoth due to his presence on the glass.

Then he got injured 58 seconds into his debut as he collided with Okaro White on the perimeter and the impact caused him to fracture his left tibia, a season-ending injury. An injury LeBron James said he heard happen instantly.

Now, Sanders will get the chance to make the impact that Bogut was expected. It’s unreasonable for anyone to expect Sanders to play more than 10 minutes per game but in that short time, it’s reasonable to expect Sanders to make a defensive impact.

For his career, he’s averaged one block every 11 minutes. Even in his rookie season, a situation much like the one he enters now, due to his lowered weight and lack of experience playing in the current NBA scene, he averaged 1.2 blocks in 14.5 minutes per game. In a short time, Sanders showed he could be one of the best to ever play center. That type of talent doesn’t just disappear.

Most players who fail to make comeback attempts but are talented players (Greg Oden and Brandon Roy come to mind) couldn’t keep up with the game physically. That shouldn’t be a problem at all for Sanders.

At 28-years-old, Sanders is still in his athletic prime although a full offseason will do wonders for his muscle mass.

He’ll be able to destroy pick-and-rolls with his speed, length and effort. He’ll be able to guard on the perimeter, a necessity for big men in today’s NBA. He’ll be there for lobs, putbacks (averages 2.0 offensive boards per game) and be able to finish above-the-rim running in transition.

Bogut, who was Sanders’ teammate in Milwaukee for two seasons, is a player who Sanders considered an early mentor. While he may be happy to be signing with the team it may come with a bittersweet taste. Sanders will spend the first leg of his NBA return with the Canton Charge as the Cavs try to ready him for the playoffs.

Related Story: Cleveland Cavaliers Sign Larry Sanders To A Two-Year Deal

What do you think of the tradeoff between Andrew Bogut and Larry Sanders? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.