The Golden State Warriors are red hot right now. They're a very fun team to watch, and they get a lot of press, but there's one guy that I rarely see anyone talking or writing about. I think the Warriors have an All-Star that everyone is overlooking.
The Sydney Morning Herald also thinks he's underappreciated.
It's interesting to me that Bogut's name doesn't come up much given how fantastic he's been all year, especially compared to last year:
| Andrew Bogut (2012-13) | Andrew Bogut (2013-14) | Average C (2000 - 2014) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WP48 | .153 | .290 | .099 |
| POP48 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 0 |
| Points | 11.4 | 14.3 | 18.4 |
| Defensive rebounds | 10.8 | 13.4 | 9.1 |
| Offensive rebounds | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.3 |
| Total Rebounds | 15.0 | 18.1 | 13.4 |
| Assists | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| Turnovers | 2.1 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
| Blocks | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.2 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Fouls | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 |
| True shooting | 46.3% | 61.1% | 54.3% |
| Field goal attempts | 11.2 | 10.7 | 14.7 |
| Free throw attempts | 2.3 | 2.3 | 5.0 |
Bogut is having a career year in rebounding and shooting efficiency, and no one seems to be noticing! And I strongly suspect that when the All-Star game comes around, he'll be on vacation. Durant, Howard will be voted in. One of Love or Griffin will be voted in, and the other is guaranteed to be picked by coaches. Aldridge won't be left off the squad given Portland's record (even though Batum and Matthews deserve more of the credit). The coaches won't leave Timmy off the squad either.
Then, considering that Curry is a lock for all-star status, is there really room for the coaches to pick a guy like Bogut, who averages only 8 points a game? I doubt it.
Don't get me wrong, I think Iggy has been a big difference maker for them as well, and guys like Green stepping up their game have helped, but I find it a little sad that no one is giving Bogut the love he deserves. Remember how Warriors fans were all pissed off about trading Ellis for him? I'm wondering how many of them would want to revert that trade now. Dude's playing like a franchise center. I'll take him in a dogfight with Hibbert right now.
Many fans are calling the NBA a point guard's league but I see a lot of unexpectedly great centers emerging this year. Bogut is one, and Robin Lopez is another, Miles Plumlee, John Henson, and Steven Adams are emerging as studs, and even Mason Plumlee has been one of the few bright spots for the Nets. DeAndre Jordan is kind of going nuts right now. Hibbert looks like the beast he was in 11/12. Chris Andersen has replaced Anthony in the Heat's rotation (I'm not sure what's more stupid -- the Nuggets amnestying him or the entire league not snapping him up before the Heat finally did). Dwight Howard is almost back to being Dwight.
I think this is becoming a big man's league. Oh, wait, actually I always thought it was one and that the small ball pundits were kidding themselves.
(The Heat don't play small ball because LeBron James is not small).