NESN

Bucks’ Andrew Bogut Struggling in Aftermath of Last Season’s Arm Injury

A year ago, Andrew Bogut was the next great big man in a league sorely in need of a next great big man.

He was five years removed from being a No. 1 draft pick, he was throwing down double-doubles with ease, he was on his way to his first All-NBA selection, and he had led the Milwaukee Bucks back to at least relevance, if not quite greatness, in the Eastern Conference.

Things have taken a bit of a downturn since. It was April 3, 2010, when the Bucks hosted the Phoenix Suns, that Bogut fell hard on his right arm finishing a dunk against Amare Stoudemire. He broke his hand, dislocated his elbow, and put not only the Bucks' season, but his entire career in doubt.

Bogut hasn't been the same since, and neither has his team. The Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last spring, coming up short in a seven-game thriller with the Hawks. Bogut has turned from one of the game's most reliable young big men into a ticking time bomb of injuries.

He's missed games this year with back spasms, with a bruised knee, and now he's got a muscle strain near his ribcage that should keep him out of action a little longer.

Bogut missed Friday night, when the Bucks got their rematch with the Suns. They lost, 102-88. He's likely to miss Sunday against the Celtics as well.

It's sad, because Bogut's Bucks were beginning to emerge late last season as somewhat of a Boston rival. They were physical, they were chippy, and they didn't back down from the Celtics. It was entertaining basketball.

Will the Bucks give the Celtics a game even without Bogut? Maybe. But it just won't be the same.