As Andrew Bogut met with his new Golden State Warriors teammates for lunch on Friday, an unusual guest joined him. It was his head coach, Mark Jackson.
"I couldn't believe he was eating lunch with us today," Bogut said during his introductory news conference with the San Francisco media. "I wasn't used to that. He seems very much like a player's coach."
Bogut will have a lot of adjusting to do as he moves from Milwaukee to Oakland and from the Eastern Conference to the West. After seven years with the Bucks, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2005 on Tuesday was traded to the Warriors, along with Stephen Jackson, for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown.
Now with Golden State, Bogut will attempt to revive a career that has become sidetracked by injuries in recent years.
"The season I came back from my elbow injury (2010-11), I was playing through a tremendous amount of pain," Bogut said. "I had no feeling in my right arm in some points of the games. I rushed back and probably came back too early. But the lockout really helped me rehab my arm properly.
"I have no problems with my elbow right now, and I don't anticipate any in the future."
Bogut was nearly an All-Star in 2009-10, when he averaged a career-high 15.9 points, along with 10.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. But his elbow-dislocating, arm-breaking fall from the rim in April 2010 — just weeks before the Bucks were to begin their first playoff series since Bogut's rookie year — ended the 7-foot Australian's season and set back his career.
So far this season, Bogut has played in just 12 games, but that has nothing to do with his elbow or arm. He missed five games early on to tend to a family issue and soon after returning fractured his left ankle. That injury will likely keep him out the remainder of this season.
"I Googled my last two injuries and realized they weren't chronic," Bogut said. "These aren't issues of being overweight or out of condition. These are just freak occurrences. Hopefully all that bad luck is gone. I don't want to be hurt."
Though Bogut said there are "going to be a lot of good memories" from his years in Milwaukee, he is happy to get a fresh start.
"I got the call on Tuesday night, and I was very excited, and I had a smile on my face to get an opportunity to play in the Bay area," Bogut said. "The next day was more sad to say goodbye to Milwaukee. But I can't wait to move forward with this franchise."
Bogut always had a special connection with Bucks fans and took that to the next level when he started Squad Six. The hand-picked group of the loudest fans he could find will continue to be a fixture in Milwaukee even after Bogut's departure.
"The fans supported me through tough times and good times," Bogut said. "There were a lot of ups and downs, some good years and some bad years. They welcomed me with open arms."
As for his relationship with the Bucks as an organization, Bogut said, "there's no hard feelings."
As Bogut was meeting with the media, his former team was in the very same building as Milwaukee prepared to take on the Warriors. For the first time in his career, Bogut was on the bench opposite the Bucks for the game.
Golden State will not be playing in Milwaukee this season, so Bogut's next trip to Wisconsin — other than to move all of his belongings — will not be until next season.
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