Cleveland Cavaliers: Replacing Andrew Bogut

Andrew Bogut’s career with the Cleveland Cavaliers was likely cut short on Monday after he suffered a fractured left tibia 58 seconds into his debut. What options do they have now?

Andrew Bogut, we barely knew ye. Just when things seemed like they were coming along for the Cleveland Cavaliers, boom.

Cue the “only in Cleveland” or “they’re cursed” saying. In only 58 seconds, the Cavs’ career of Bogut began and ended.

In the second quarter, as Bogut was going for a block on Miami Heat forward Okaro White, White faked him out and drove to the basket, but in the process, he fell down and tripped Bogut.

It led to him crawling over to the sideline in pain and it would later turn out to be a fractured left tibia.

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On Wednesday, he was ruled out for the rest of the season and postseason.

This is a huge loss for the Cavaliers. Many fans think that he wouldn’t see action if the Cavs were to make the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, but in the Eastern Conference, he will be needed. He would definitely be a factor against the San Antonio Spurs.

They will potentially be going up against the likes of Jonas Valanciunas Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, Myles Turner or Marcin Gortat. I have no doubt that Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye could get it done, but having a player such as Bogut is priceless.

He’s not only an intimidating presence, but is one of the best shot-blocking centers in the NBA. He also brings that toughness to the position that can’t be taught.

If the Cavs are to go against those guys, it would tough for them to get anything inside with his skills. Fans saw Monday how easy it was for the Heat to score in the paint.

Most of the game, they didn’t even dribble penetrate, they just ran through the backside and got the easy layup. Nobody switched or had any desire to defend the inside.

It was an embarrassment and was one of the worst overall performances I’ve seen by this ball club all season.

Now the Cavs are back at square one.

Who do they sign to replace Bogut?  Where do they look now? That’s an answer easier said than done.

Waiving Bogut is the route the Cavaliers will take, but it isn’t ideal.

The biggest need for the Cavs was a rim protector. He is one of the best in the NBA and signed for the pro-rated veteran’s minimum at only $400,000.

Cleveland Cavaliers

He will be a free agent at the end of the season and with this current injury, it is doubtful he lands another lucrative contract.

So why not bring him in next season for camp? Let him get acclimated to coach Tyronn Lue‘s system and play under it for a full year–hopefully.

I think he would be more impactful for the team learning the system through camp than on the fly as he would this year. It also fills a void they will have next season, anyway.

It should be hard for any team to want to cut a passing, blocking, elite screen-setting big, and it would be a mistake if the Cavs did.

If they decide to sign a replacement big, the player that should be waived is DeAndre Liggins. With J.R. Smith on the way back soon, along with Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver, there will be a logjam at shooting guard.

He will be the odd man out. They would lose another wing defender and a bigger point guard, but there isn’t any place for him on the team. It’s a wasted roster spot that can be utilized by a replacement big.

Within the past few days, there have been a number of different names floated that the Cavaliers could sign to replace Bogut. While some of them are intriguing, they won’t fill the void left by him. Some have even mentioned bringing back Anderson Varejao–which is insanity.

Varejao will always be a fan favorite for the Cavaliers, but he doesn’t have anything left. There’s a reason the Warriors waived him and why he barely saw any action during the Finals last year.

He can’t even flop as well as he used to anymore.

Larry Sanders is still a name linked to the Cavs. He had a workout with the team last month and never got a call back since they chose to sign Bogut. On paper, he sounds like the right choice, but he has a lot of baggage with him.

He allegedly lied about an arrest he had last June in California when he was questioned by the Cavs and other clubs.

There’s also worry that, mentally, he might not be all-in during games. Sanders walked away from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015 due to anxiety and depression issues. Is he ready to put his focus 100 percent back into the NBA? That is a question not yet answered.

It’s also alarming that no team has signed him since Bogut inked his deal with Cleveland.

While Jared Sullinger, DeJuan Blair, Keith Benson, Eric Moreland, Jason Thompson and others have been mentioned, there is only one player that I could see coming in and producing immediately.

J.J. Hickson.

He was drafted by the Cavaliers in 2008, and was supposed to be the “help” that LeBron James would have for years to come.

Obviously, it didn’t work out that way.

After James’ departure in 2010, Hickson was expected to play a bigger role with Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison,  but it never got to that. He lacked consistency and was mediocre on the defensive side of the ball.

Since then, he’s played for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards.  He hasn’t been that impactful power forward that fans thought, but he is serviceable at this point in his career.

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He’s currently playing for the Fuijan Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association and is having a monster year. He’s averaging 24.5 points per game and 13.4 rebounds–and he’s playing small forward!

It’s not the greatest competition in the world, but averaging that many points at any level is impressive.

He’s undersized at 6-foot-9, but he always played bigger. He’s worked on a mid-range shot. A three-point shot isn’t in the cards–he’s just 2-for-13 from deep with Fuijan this season. Bue Hickson was always a good rebounder and good in transition offense.

He’s not great in pick-and-roll or transition defense, but none of the available options are much better. Hickson would also be able to give Kevin Love and Thompson a break, and offensively, the team wouldn’t miss a beat. With Bogut, scoring would be scarce.

Hickson would be able to be incorporated with the small-ball Lue likes to play. It could be a problem for opposing defenses having to handle him along with Thompson and Love on the offensive boards.

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No player the Cavaliers sign is going to make up for what Bogut could bring to the team, but Hickson would be the best fit and option for them to go–and this time, he won’t hold up any trades for Amar’e Stoudemire.