Cleveland Cavaliers: Larry Sanders Pays Homage To Andrew Bogut After Signing

After the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Andrew Bogut on Thursday, Larry Sanders payed homage to the big man.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Andrew Bogut on Thursday and after Larry Sanders responded to the news with an Instagram post showing he and Bogut in the same picture talking.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRKYjDbhoOQ/?taken-by=thereal_larrysanders&hl=en

In the comments of the Instagram post, Sanders had this to say about the reasons for posting the picture:

"“It’s hilarious to me that no one understands this picture, basically Bogut is my OG…he taught me a lot in Milwaukee…that the big dawg lol and I don’t say that often”"

Sanders, who worked out for the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the trade deadline, had a significant chance of signing with the defending champs.

He looked good in the workouts and, according to cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, head coach Tyronn Lue seemed to like him as both a person and a player:

"“I don’t think his talents went anywhere. Being able to block shots, run the floor, being athletic. I don’t think that’s going to change. It’s just a mindset of, ‘Does he really want to play the game and does he still love it?’ If his mindset is right, he can definitely still play.”“It was good. It was good,” Lue said. “He’s a good dude. I know he has some negative things said about him, but just meeting him for the first time, just talking to him one on one, I mean, he’s a great guy.”“You never know, you never understand until you’re around that person and you’re able to talk to that person. With me, everybody I meet always has a clean slate. You have a clean slate until you do something wrong, so he was a great dude just talking to him.”"

In general, the doubts surrounding Sanders involved his motivation after leaving the NBA to deal with personal issues and his physical conditioning after missing the last two seasons dealing with those personal issues.

However, Sanders now seems to be a happier person although he was battling depression two years ago. That his confidence hasn’t been shook although he hasn’t been signed yet is promising when looking at his motivation. That he looked good in his workouts with the Cleveland Cavaliers in particular is promising when looking for evidence that he can perform physically.

The 28-year-old Sanders can still sign with the Cavs this offseason as Bogut is unlikely to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The camaraderie of the Cavs will benefit Sanders as well, as the Cavs are a close-knit and unselfish unit with a lot of veteran leadership and genuine good guys.

At 6-foot-11 and a career average of 1.8 blocks per game, Sanders has a bit to be every bit of the rim-protector that Bogut is. Sanders treats shot-blocking like an art, showing a unique understanding of angles and avoid fouls in his shot-block attempts. In 2012-2013, Sanders averaged a career-high 2.8 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game. Sanders, who is also an elite rebounder, especially on the offensive end, also averaged a career-high 9.5 rebounds and career-high 3.2 offensive rebounds that season.

Sanders played as Bogut’s backup for two seasons before Bogut was traded to the Golden State Warriors. That ultimately opened the door for Sanders to be the Bucks’ starting center. Sanders’ career year in 2012-2013 led to Milwaukee signing Sanders to a four-year, $44 million contract extension. At the time, general manager John Hammond had this to say about Sanders:

"“By combining his God-given ability with hard work and determination, Larry has developed into one of the top young defensive players in the league,” said Hammond. “He is a very important part of what we are doing in Milwaukee, and we’re excited to announce his contract extension.”"

Unfortunately, Sanders suffered a fractured orbital bone the next season after an elbow from James Harden and was subsequently ruled out for the season. Before the injury, Sanders was averaging 7.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. The season after, Sanders left the league to deal with an addiction to marijuana, anxiety and depression after two drug-related suspensions, one at the end of the 2013-2014 season and one in the middle of the 2014-2015 season. Sanders was averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 21.7 minutes per game.

Sanders’ story for the Player’s Tribune, a brief mix of triumph, tragedy and talent, is revealing and gives his fans hope for his playing future. Hopefully, the Cleveland Cavaliers revisit the Sanders signing in free agency. He would be a valuable piece of the puzzle for a team that will be championship contention for the foreseeable future.

Showing dismay about Bogut’s signing could have shown a lack of mental and emotional fortitude that would have potentially effected team’s determination about his readiness to return to the NBA. Showing respect for the signing might have nudged the needle in the right direction for Sanders and eased the Cavs’ concerns.