Boomers centre Andrew Bogut has been cleared of major ankle damage after stepping on Kobe Bryant's foot in Australia's Olympic loss to the United States.
Bogut played just 11 minutes in the 116-85 quarter-final defeat on Wednesday and there were fears he had picked up a significant injury after coach Brian Goorjian said the ankle "doesn't look good".
But a team spokesman said it was not as bad as initially feared - a relief for NBA side Milwaukee after Bogut inked a new deal last month reportedly worth upwards of $70 million over five years.
"He had an MRI and it looks pretty good," the spokesman said.
"It looks nothing more than a sprain.
"He'll have further assessment in Melbourne but it doesn't look as bad as initially feared."
Bogut was due to return to Australia on Thursday.
Source:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... mpics/2008
Bogut cleared of major ankle damage
21st August 2008, 17:20 WST
The Milwaukee Bucks can breathe a sigh of relief after Boomers centre Andrew Bogut was cleared of major ankle damage after stepping on Kobe Bryant's foot in Wednesday night's loss to the United States.
Bogut played just 11 minutes in the 116-85 quarter-final defeat and there were fears he had picked up a significant injury, with the Australian centre hobbling noticeably after the game.
It would have sparked major concern with the Bucks, who just last month signed Bogut to a five-year, $US72 million contract extension.
Australian coach Brian Goorjian said earlier on Thursday the ankle "doesn't look good" and that it had "popped" on Wednesday night, but a team spokesman said scans have shown the injury isn't serious.
"He had an MRI and it looks pretty good," the spokesman told AAP.
"It looks nothing more than a sprain.
"He's heading back to Australia tonight and has already left the (Athletes') Village.
"He'll have further assessment in Melbourne but it doesn't look as bad as initially feared."
It was the second time in less than a month Bogut had hurt an ankle, but he has time to recover before the 2008-09 NBA campaign commences in October.
He will have a short break in Melbourne before joining the Bucks for their pre-season campaign as he gears up for his fourth year in the NBA.
Asked if he expected a call from a concerned Milwaukee front office, Goorjian replied: "I don't think it's that kind of severity, I really don't.
"One of the things with Andrew is I think we've been good for him.
"Everybody that comes from outside teams and plays in this, goes back to their team a better player.
"I think Andrew grew a lot in this tournament and got better with us.
"I think we're talking about a 48-hour thing. Not a month from now. I think it'll settle down and he'll be fine."
Goorjian said the Boomers need to better manage their prized asset in the future if they are to contend for a first Olympic or world championship medal.
"He's played a lot of basketball and that's the situation with the international play," Goorjian said.
"He's playing year round and a body his size it's a hard thing to manage and get right.
"Clearly he came in a little bit underdone and hasn't been with the group a lot and a lot is demanded of him on this team.
"He is the building block, but we need to have the Andrew Bogut thing right in order to medal."
Source: http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx ... ame=508372
