Andrew Bogut saw himself forced to find a new team when the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant. Needing to clear salary cap space, the Warriors had to move on from their starting center.
Bogut was a highly sought-after center after his time in the Bay. The Aussie is a strong defender and great passer and screener on the other end of the floor. His skill-level and leadership ability made Bogut a great target in free agency.
Bogut’s decision, though, came down to Dallas and Houston. With both teams wanting his services, Bogut eventually chose to join the Mavericks. He spoke with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon about that decision:
“I’m not saying Houston has a bad culture by any means, but my agent (David Bauman) has a familiarity here,” Bogut said. “I’ve known a lot of players that have been pretty happy here when they were here. Richard Jefferson was one of them. And then the city — I like the city, so it all made sense.
“Rick Carlisle is also one of the best coaches in the league,” Bogut continued. “He knows how to get the best out of his players. He’s very, very smart and makes great adjustments. He’s a guy you want to play for. Obviously, [Mike] D’Antoni is a pretty good coach, too, but probably not suited for my style of play. I would have probably had to drop about 20 pounds to play in his system. They play a tough system, get up and down the court.”
These are all very legitimate and sensible reasons. The Mavs are known as a first-class organization by most players who go there. Carlisle is indeed a magician who makes the most out of the talent he has. And yes, Andrew Bogut would find it incredibly difficult to play for D’Antoni in Houston.
