After Kevin Durant chose the Golden State Warriors in free agency, they had to trade Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes to the Dallas Mavericks because of the salary cap. Ahead of the Warriors 116-95 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday, Bogut spoke about his old team. Bogut said he was disappointed about the trade, but he understood why it had to happen. He also had some candid words when asked about the organization questioning his durability after a Game 5 knee injury in the Finals ended his postseason & the many other injuries he’s had. Bogut also talked about the Thunder who had a 3-1 lead over the Warriors before shockingly losing the Western Conference Finals.
Q: You took some hits on the way out of town, though. Your durability was questioned …
A: “Oh, who cares? I don’t care.”
Q: Even though it seemed like it was coming from the inside (of the Warriors)?
A: “But that’s how it is. I don’t buy into the sources thing. I don’t buy into all that (expletive), because this league is so two-faced and everybody is so fake. The same people who made those comments will see me tomorrow and shake my hand and ask me how my family is. This league is full of people who are full of (expletive) and shallow, and that’s what you figure out in pro sports. It’s very hard to meet a genuine person who you can call your friend in this league. That’s just the reality, and I understand that.
“People can take parting shots. I didn’t have a great Finals series obviously, with the injury, and finish off the way I wanted to, but that’s the way it goes. I’m not bitter about it. I could have played better definitely, especially on the offensive end. But I think defensively that I provided something for them that really helped that team win games.”
Q: How much have you watched them, and what do you see on the defensive end – where they’ve been struggling?
A: “I haven’t seen a lot of games. I’ve seen two halves. I saw the San Antonio game, and I saw the Lakers game (both losses). Moving and stuff (from the Bay Area to Dallas), and getting League Pass set up, doesn’t help. It’s an adjustment for them. Obviously (Warriors forward) Draymond (Green), we had a really good sync defensively where when he got beat I was there. When I got beat, he was there, and it was automatic. We didn’t have to talk about it. It was just reads. We knew how to play, and Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) did a good job of funneling guys to me and Draymond. Obviously they have to adjust to that when they go small now.
“I think OKC exposed us a little bit last season (in the seven-game conference finals) when we went small and they went big. They kind of exposed it. They went the anti-death lineup, which was staying true to who they were and should have beaten us hypothetically, so I think they’ll figure it out. I think it’s a long season. The season is too long. They’ll get in a groove here pretty soon, I’m pretty sure. Hopefully it’s not (on Wednesday night).”
