Former Philadelphia 76ers Andrew Bogut Breaks Leg in Cleveland Debut

After a whirlwind trade and a cup of coffee in Philadelphia, former 76er Andrew Bogut broke his leg in his Cavaliers debut.

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On one hand, everyone expected the Philadelphia 76ers to make a trade during at the NBA Trade Deadline this season. On the other hand, few people expected Andrew Bogut as the team’s target, or even part of the exchange.

While initially viewed as a sign and trade by many insiders, Bogut now looks more like a salary dump. After less than a week on the 76ers roster, he agreed to a buyout in order to sign with a contender. The 76ers ultimately ended up with an ascending talent in Justin Anderson, who has already been a minor revolution for the struggling squad, and Bogut signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And then this happened…

Boom Boom Pow

Only 58 seconds into his Cavaliers debut against the Miami Heat, Andrew Bogut fractured his tibia and is out for the season.

Andrew Bogut held significance to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many viewed him as that piece to get the Cavaliers over the hump and favored to run for back to back NBA titles. The injury to Bogut forces Cleveland to search far and wide for more firepower to take on the Golden State Warriors.

While Andrew Bogut’s bad break unfortunate situation doesn’t effect the Philadelphia 76ers in any way going forward, it is incredibly ironic for all parties involved. In fact, Bogut’s mishap personifies the way the 76ers season has gone so far: a great plan that ultimately failed to live up to expectations.

Next: Inside Justin Anderson’s Breakout Game for the Philadelphia 76ers

What Log Jam?

The Philadelphia 76ers recently had an abundance of big men. Days later, with a similar number of centers, the Philadelphia 76ers now find themselves without a single healthy center on their roster.

After the trade of Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor were benched to knee injuries. Even second year player Richaun Holmes is banged up now. The 76ers were forced to take an injury exemption in order to sign power forward / center Shawn Long to a 10 day contract.

Although he ultimately projects as a power forward, Long played 15 minutes at center on his first day on the 76ers roster, scoring 13 points and 7 rebounds.

While nobody is looking for Joel Embiid numbers, Long shows promise in his first NBA game. Ultimately he brings far more promise for the team than Andrew Bogut does. Despite the next stretch of games may not be a lot of fun to watch, the minutes being given to the team’s younger players should prove invaluable.

Adding Injury to Insult

Dealing with injured players is very familiar to the 76ers. But frustration is building with the fans. , Another season is derailed by injuries to important players like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Jerryd Bayless. At what point do we wrap Dario Saric in bubble wrap to insure his safety?

The 76ers made the Nerlens Noel trade for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut and a heavily protected first round pick. Ultimately the team couldn’t trade Bogut before the trade deadline.

Salary Dump, Or Recycle Center?

Nearly everyone viewed the trade as fairly one-sided. On one hand, I firmly believe that Justin Anderson has the potential to be a really good player for the 76ers in the coming years. On the other hand, even I have to admit the Noel trade should have been handled better. While the idea of trading Bogut for another player seemed like a good idea at the time, it was futile.

I’m all for taking a chance on potential, but at some point the 76ers need to cash in their chips and build the contending team we have all been waiting 3+ years to see.

While first round picks are great, it’s hard to argue any upside for Bogut. The 76ers did not get the salary dump premium. The 76ers had to eat Bogut’s salary.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Prospects: Is Shawn Long the Sixers Next Power Forward?

Why didn’t the Philadelphia 76ers hold out for a package of Justin Anderson and say Seth Curry, the Mavericks 26 year old shooting guard with a 43% three-point shooting percentage? That trade scenario seems a whole lot more conducive to winning basketball games in both the short and long term. Instead, the Philadelphia 76ers felt like trade beggars, forced to take on an over-the-hill center like Andrew Bogut, or say an oft-injured Tiago Splitter. Philadelphia 76ers fans have has always Trusted The Process. Hopefully Bryan Colangelo can deliver our moment soon.

Former Philadelphia 76er Andrew Bogut Breaks Leg in Cleveland Debut

By Matty Breisch | Mar 8, 2017