Andrew Bogut Goes After Critics Who Are Calling Kevin Love Soft


Andrew Bogut might be on the opposite team of Kevin Love, but he’s not going to let people who aren’t playing in the NBA Championship talk trash about the Cleveland Cavaliers center. Andrew Bogut isn’t pulling his punches in defending Love, calling those who call him soft “idiots.” Bogut’s very strong words seem to stem from an injury very similar to Love’s that he suffered during the season. Bogut, The Golden State Warriors center, had some problems getting over a concussion a few months ago. Now that Love is going through the same problems during the NBA Finals, Bogut thinks people who have claimed Kevin Love is taking too long to come back from his own concussion don’t know what they’re talking about.

Andrew Bogut
[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
Andrew Bogut missed two weeks at the end of October and the beginning of November with his concussion. ESPN reports Bogut has called it the worst injury of his career and that his girlfriend said his entire personality changed. It’s really quite impressive that Bogut has called the concussion the worst injury in his career, because he’s had some pretty bad ones. Those include a fractured elbow back in 2010.

It then makes sense that the center is willing to take on all comers when discussing Kevin Love. Love had to miss Game 3 of the NBA playoffs after he took an elbow to the head in Game 2. According to his teammates, the Cavalier is incredibly frustrated that he had to miss a game. The talk that he’s soft because he’s still in the concussion protocol makes even less sense when taking his frustration into account.

It should be pointed out that it is not even a little bit up to the player to decide when he’s going to play when he’s going through the concussion protocol. Bogut and Love can attest to the fact that the decision is taken out their hands precisely so they don’t feel like they have to rush back to the court in order to prove their worth. In order to defend Love, the Golden State Warrior explained his thinking about this kind of injury

“You can be a hero now in the NBA Finals in 2016, and in 2021 you will be sucking food through a straw. And you won’t give a [expletive] about what you did in 2016.” Andrew Bogut said when talking about his support for Love being kept out. As Fox Sports points out, Bogut knows what he’s talking about. This is an injury that doesn’t have a ton of physical signs. There aren’t too many ways to treat it either. Concussions are largely something people just have to wait to go away.

Andrew Bogut
[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
Andrew Bogut can certainly attest to that last part. He understands that the Warriors were likely waiting anxiously for Bogut to come back from his own concussion. As of Thursday evening, Love still hadn’t been cleared to go up against Bogut and the Warriors in Game 4. It’s clear the Cavs being without their big man isn’t what’s driving Bogut’s recent support. Bogut says his own concussion was the first of his entire career and it’s clear he wouldn’t wish that kind of thing on anyone.

Bogut’s statement is a rare expression of support for a close rival who is locked in a bitter fight for the championship of the league. At the same time, it’s a show of support for someone who is going through the same thing Bogut himself went through and wouldn’t wish on anyone else. For that, Andrew Bogut has showed he has real class, and it’s a safe bet Kevin Love is thankful for him taking on his critics.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]

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