The Milwaukee Bucks moved on from Andrew Bogut when they traded him to the Golden State Warriors this offseason. Bogut has been injured too often during his tenure to be considered a consistent performer, so the Bucks seemed willing to move on and try something new, grabbing Warriors guard Monta Ellis in the deal.
Now Bogut has to acclimate to a new environment in the Bay Area with a Warriors team that's wanted a good center for a long time. Bogut talked with Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated and provided a very candid interview. You can view an excerpt of it after the jump.
SI.com: How has this whole whirlwind been for you? You're familiar with hype from having been a former No. 1 pick. But this is a team where the fan base has been dying for a winner for a long time and you just got thrown on that hot seat in terms of being the guy. What has it been like?
Bogut: Well, first of all, it's a fresh start for me. These days, to be seven years in one spot in any pro sport is a pretty long tenure. But it has been a whirlwind. I got the call Tuesday night, packed my bags Wednesday morning, was here Wednesday night, went through all the physicals and have been here ever since.
I know NBA history pretty well, so I know a lot about the [Chris] Mullin, [Tim] Hardaway era -- Run TMC with Mitch Richmond and so on. I was a kid during all that. Obviously, I didn't know the history to the point of one playoff appearance in I think it's 16 or 17 years. That was all brought to my attention. I know Monta was a fan favorite, so a lot of people were disappointed to see him go. But in this league, I know you've got to give up something to get something, so hopefully I can be that guy to help us get back to the playoffs.
To view the full interview, click here for the full feature from Sports Illustrated.
To discuss the trade for Bogut and how good it'll be for the Warriors to have a healthy big man, hit up Golden State of Mind. To discuss what Bogut was like during his tenure in Milwaukee, check out Brew Hoop.