Photo: AP/Lynne Sladky
The long-awaited return of Andrew Bogut finally occurred on Wednesday night in a 117-102 win over the Indiana Pacers. Golden State fans have earned a reputation for being the best fan base in basketball. They showed that once again in giving a standing ovation for the star center, who had been out for a month with a knee injury. Bogut contributed with four points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Nothing was extraordinary out of his performance, as he dealt with some rust. Steve Kerr confirmed that Bogut came off the bench to help get his conditioning and rhythm back.
The bench role for Bogut continued in an emphatic 114-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden State shot 50 percent that included 36 assists out of 43 field goals made. It was fitting that they were moving the ball so well on Marc Jackson’s return to Golden State. The former coach has been exposed over the past few months in seeing how more effective players like Bogut and Harrison Barnes are in a free flowing offense. The days of playing isolation basketball with the stud backcourt duo are long gone.
There still seems to be resentment between both parties, especially when Bogut admitted that he doesn’t have any relationship with his former coach. It has become evident that Steve Kerr has rejuvenated Bogut’s career in a massive way. Andrew had four points, five rebounds, three assists, and a highlight reel block on Timofey Mozgov. It was another convincing win for the Warriors on their home court.
Andrew Bogut | First 2 games of 2015
Bogut made his first official start last night against the Utah Jazz. In a comfortable 116-105 win, Andrew had nine points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes of action. The Warriors exploded in the third quarter by outscoring the Jazz by 44 to 27. All five starters played less than 30 minutes. This game wasn’t much of a test for the best team in the NBA.
Golden State has a busy week coming up with four games. It starts tonight at home against Miami. Then they go on a two-game road trip starting in Oklahoma City on Friday. That game will be nationally televised, along with a Saturday night showdown at Houston. They end the week with a home game against Denver on Monday. At 30-5, it’ll be interesting to see if Golden State can head into all-star break with single digit losses. That would be an remarkable achievement for any team to accomplish.
Photo: AP/Jason DeCrow
Bojan Bogdanović is back in Brooklyn’s starting lineup, although that hasn’t added an actual winning boost. To make matters worse, star point guard Deron Williams is out indefinitely with a fractured rib. Brooklyn was already experimenting with him coming off the bench. Lionel Hollins has tried several rotations, yet a consistent winning formula hasn’t occurred. The Nets are in the midst of a six-game losing streak.
Two home losses to the lowly Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are major causes for concern. They lost 88-81 and 90-88 in both respective games. Bogdanović minutes increased, as he scored six points in thirteen minutes against Philadelphia. The minor scoring boost seems to have lured Hollins into inserting him back in the starting lineup. Sergey Karasev isn’t enough of a scoring option for a team that desperately needs scorers. If they can’t score more than 90 points against the worst teams in the Eastern conference (besides the Knicks), then that speaks volumes of their scoring struggles. All of this is speculation on my end though.
Bojan Bogdanović highlights against Detroit
The struggles continued for Brooklyn against a revitalized Detroit Pistons team. They shot 29 percent from three-point range in a 98-93 loss to them. Bogdanović started his first game since December eighth against Cleveland. Bojan was more aggressive in inserting himself in the offense. Instead of waiting for the ball by the three-point line, there was actual movement from him within the offense. Bogdanović was cutting into the lane and chasing down loose balls. It was a positive 14-point effort on five of eleven shooting in 27 minutes. Another impressive statistic from him was leading Brooklyn with a plus six in point ratio, when he was on the court. A positive sign for Hollins to realize that he should be receiving these type of minutes on a nightly basis.
Things got even more interesting in a 113-99 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday. While Bogdanović continued to play more assertive, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard were slugging it out. Howard’s reputation has grown towards becoming one of the most unlikable players in the league. That escalated in angering one of the all-time greats into a mild skirmish. Houston controlled the game, which was expected in being the superior team. Bogdanović played fairly well in scoring 13 points, along with five rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes. Besides missing an embarrassing open layup, Bojan looks more comfortable in dribbling and becoming more a playmaker. His defense still needs significant work, but that hopefully comes with experience.
Brooklyn’s downward spiral has led them from being 16-16 to 16-22. A short week could be needed for an older roster, although the matchups feature top-ten opponents. They play Memphis at home tonight in what should be a scrappy affair. The week ends with back-to-back games against Washington on Friday and Saturday. It’s hard to see Brooklyn ending their skid against those teams. The only positive is that Bogdanović seems to have earned his place back into the starting lineup. There was great concern that he would be in the doghouse for the rest of the year.
Photo: AP/Brent Smith
Damjan Rudež continues to be an afterthought in Indiana. It was expected that minutes would be hard to come by when the roster was at full strength. As offensively challenged as Indiana has proven to be throughout the season, Rudež didn’t prove that he could be consistent enough to be productive off the bench. In a 117-102 loss to Golden State and 107-103 win over Boston, Rudež failed to play a minute. Head coach Frank Vogel actually rewarded him with nine minutes in Saturday’s 93-92 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Roy Hibbert and David West both dealt with significant foul trouble. Rudež failed to impress in nine minutes by missing his only shot attempt.
Rudež surprisingly received double-digit minutes for the first time in over a month. In a 110-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he received 17 minutes and was fairly productive. Damjan scored eight points on three of six shooting, which included two three-pointers. It was a promising performance in rekindling his shooting stroke. That wasn’t enough to topple Mo Williams, who had the most bizarre 52-point performance in recent memory. This was a very disappointing loss for Indiana to digest. It was only the third road win for Minnesota all season long.
At 15-25, Indiana has some stern tests ahead of them. A home game against a red-hot Pistons team on Friday should prove to be a difficult challenge. An away trip to Charlotte on the following night does seem like a winnable game. The week ends with a Monday night visit to Houston. A road game against one of the most talent-filled rosters in the NBA doesn’t bode well for the offensively challenged Pacers. Expectations shouldn’t be set high for this week, as they try to stay afloat in the hunt for the final seed in the Eastern conference.
~Written by Allen Strk
Twitter: @Allen_Strk
Guys, can we stick to one name when commenting? Is it that difficult? I will change your name to Handball
dont flatter yourself buddy, i just put your name to make fun of you for some stupid comment you made a couple months back, and i guess the computer saved it
Damn someone is actually trying to post as me. I’m becoming as famous as Ziva now. Oh no.
Finally someone mentions handball the World Cup is going on and no coverage from the site:/
damn……poor effort by the handball team today.
안녕하세요, 여러분의 위대한 국가로 게임을 즐기는 것은 행복 IAM. 나는 나의 오랜 시간이 방어와 유로 컵 우승을 바랍니다.
What Korean guy on the repka??????
No Korean is being asked to play for the repka. Are you referring to the guy going to RNk Split? If so, I suggest you should take some language lessons. There is no mention of the savez going after him.
@Armada…….I don’t want Mamic there. That is known. But, I also want luxurious elements when attending events. When I go to dinner, I don’t go to a shit restaurant, do you???? When I shop for clothes, I go to a nice store with nice brands, don’t you???
I prefer to have a roof over my head to avoid the elements and other standard items.
The NBA and WNBA has become the biggest gay sport in the world. Who the F cares for it anymore?
No mention of the Korean guy on the NT.
Who cares if they suck? Dude, are you just soul less or is this part of your ‘Ziva Istina’ character on here?
Hypothetical situation:
The NT brings on more Eduardo’s and foreigners, the NT drastically drops in form.
But…. let’s imagine Kajzerica was built with all the bells and whistles promised (Good concessions, HD board, WiFi)
You would be ok with catching games there while Mamic remains puppetmaster, with even more majmune wearing our dres on field, stinking it up….
but as long as you have your WiFi, a cold Ozujsko and maybe some tasty snacks – you would be fine with that?
joj
Blame Radic for not brining in Rudy T.
Hezonja has legit NBA 2 guard skills and will bang it on you!
Šarić is like a Chandler Parsons with less 3 and more low post game and competes like a BEAST!
Bender is like a right handed Kukoc in a no hand checking NBA.
That is a legit 2-3-4 for 10 years !
Hamilton at 5? Tomic has been solid too.
If Spain can produce point guards by the bushel why can’t Hrvatska ?
Repesa has been solid and brought us back to respectability.
Be nice to get a Rudy Tomjanovic level coach to take us to the medal rounds.
Met him years back at MSG when he was doing some scouting at a college game.
Told him I was Croatian and he said “What’s up brother.” This was during the dark age of the early 2000’s when we sucked. He wanted to be involved but … Sve znaju .
We have always had the best talent but not the best coaching to mature that talent.
My son is 7 and plays soccer and basketball against the world in Bronx, NY and it is a “Stereo type” lift to show him elite Croatian players at the highest level.
Before each match/game U boj U boj U boj..
Needed him to lock up an elite 8 year old who was dropping buckets on our 6/7 year old crew and after I told him ZDS.
Croatia is so deep in all of us.
Bog I Hrvatska
Ziva
Quality drinks and food? A Coors Light and chicken fingers is like 18 bucks at MSG. Enjoy.
@Mate,
Where are you writing us from?
The difference between you and I is that I am proud of Bogdanovic and Rudez. They are in the NBA. That is a huge accomplishment for any player, especially from a small country like Croatia.
“I think the disappointment of guys who are in bench roles with little impact turn off a lot of people here.”
Bottom line is that fans like winners. I bet that no one cared about Vrankovic in the 90s when Drazen, Toni and Radja were around. Today, Stojko would be having a better season than Bojan and Rudez. We had zero croatians in the NBA for what 6 years?
Also, I’m liking this Hamilton kid. Add Bogut to the list and we have 4 players in the NBA with others on the way.
handball tomorrow
Who cares if they suck. As long as they have HD, quality drinks and food and wifi coverage. That is all you need to enjoy a game.
That’s the only reason I brought it up because it’s the “Mecca”
MSG has sucked since the 90’s….
The mecca of what? Losing? Fair weather fans? “Celebrity Row?
Come watch the worst team in the league, with nosebleeds starting at close to $100!
Go Warriors. They are light years ahead of my pathetic Knicks.
We have a new Korean player on the NT and you homos are talking basketball.
“Golden State fans have earned a reputation for being the best fan base in basketball.”
Well written and well deserved. I hold fans to a higher stander and when it comes to basketball, the Warriors fans made me feel like I was almost at a European soccer game. They stand the entire game, stray away from the typical American DE-FENSE chants and are loud. I am a Bulls fan but my team in the West is the Warriors precisely because of their fan base. If you ever get a chance to go to a Warrior game, go to a playoff game. You can’t beat it…though I’ve never been to MSG so I’m not sure. I went to the United Center during the 90s and it wasn’t as loud as Oracle.
Mate
Not at all, I get your frustration. You weren’t ignorant at all. With Brooklyn being a complete mess right now, they seem to be headed in somewhat of a youth movement. I’m sure that Bojan will start to get more minutes. Can’t say the same for Rudez. Thanks for supporting weekly. Really appreciate it.
and @Allen
Sorry if I came on ignorant of your other responsibilities. Keep up the good work
@Denis
It’s not that I don’t like the NBA or Croatian talent, and I’m sure they’re great people, but some of these guys are having issues that make it hard to follow. I really hope their play improves on the court and make us something to be proud of, but right now, I think the disappointment of guys who are in bench roles with little impact turn off a lot of people here.
Regardless, I really do appreciate the updates and great reporting and wish you all the best going forward. Just hoping that the boys get some better minutes to help create some excitement for Croats around the NBA
I understand that some of you want coverage of “Croatian basketball players around Europe”, however, we just don’t have the man power right now. We are always taking applications for new writers. 🙂
@Allen,
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Keep up the great work on Croatians Around the NBA.
@Mate,
“It is depressing to read about Croats who, quite frankly, no one cares about. ”
Why don’t you care about our players in the NBA?
Rudez and Hamilton are good people. I dont think Rudez will hang in the nba much longer but I root for him and wish him luck. Hamilton should be on the national team ASAP.
@Soul Champ,
Well, I do wish that Bogut wore the checkers, but I wish him the best for Australia unless they face Croatia.
Fans like winners and winners only. It gets frustrating following and supporting the “11th guy off the bench.” I’m glad you and I are the same. Thanks for the comment.
FIRST WE HAD THE BRAZILIANS. NOW WE HAVE THIS GUY.
http://newamericamedia.org/2015/01/croatia-seeks-to-naturalize-korean-soccer-player-for-its-national-team.php
@ Allen
Another educated Hrvat…join the crew Brate.
For the Stari dečki ovdje we remember when our boys were world class ballers.
I root for these young guys with all my heart.
Still wack that our arrogance thwarted locking up Bogut when he was 19!
I am going to support the basketball movement here, while I am true jock sniffing nogomet fan I actually been Ballin my whole life.
I am going to find us the next lead guard.
There has got to be a young Hrvat who can be a Goran Dragić.
Here’s to Bogut winning an NBA chip for us all.
I don’t care if he was raised by Kangaroos my man is pravi Hrvat!
ZDS
Mate & Soul Champ
I would love to watch Saric weekly and cover his play. The fact is that I have other things going on with my life. I go to school (junior in college) and write on other sites (Falcons/MMA related). It’s hard enough to put time into following/watching these NBA players daily.
I appreciate the praise about the reporting. It warms my heart greatly. The NBA is the premier league that I can watch daily. Every Euro league is hard to track on a weekly basis. Where can I have access to watch these games live? Also how about the time differences? You got to take these things into consideration.
You can make a fair case about Rudez not having much interest. I still think many value Bogut & Bogdanovic, especially now that both players are back.
Agreed with @Soul Champ
It is depressing to read about Croats who, quite frankly, no one cares about. There’s been a huge push on this site to get highlights for studs like Saric in Europe. This is becoming a very unpopular thread. Personally I would rather read this if we included Saric.
I really hope our boys improve and get minutes, but I find it hard to see great reporting and detailed summaries go to waste on “so and so did not play again because he’s the 11th man on the rotation”
Thank you Allen.
@ Allen
You write well detailed articles about irrelevant performances.
When Šarić – Hezonja – Bender make their way to the league we will remember these days when you layed down the foundation.
I wonder if you could give some updates/links on the above three as they represent the future Croatia in FIBA and the NBA.
@ Svima
Could you imagine Dražen in the new hands off NBA. He would have been better than Curry. Remember he was a ball handling lead guard that was quick. He got into too much weight lifting as he wanted to deal with the physicality of the league. Same thing for Kukoč. When I see Dragić flow into the lane I remember what would have happened to our boys back in the day.