by SkipToMy_Lou on Sun Nov 06, 2005 6:50 pm
Jae wrote:Against Miami, 6 points, 6 rebounds 1 assist and 2 steals. For some bizarre reason he hardly got any minutes in the 4th quarter, which is strange considering how he took over in overtime against Philadelphia but awell. The Bucks are really impressive.
by Andrew on Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:22 pm
Andrew Bogut Earns $220,000 a week, but life is lonely for our NBA superstar
by Adam Harvey for The Sunday Telegraph
Andrew Bogut may be living his basketball dream, but he has already found it can be lonely at the top.
He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in front of an arena full of fans cheering his name but goes home to a cold apartment after the game. "It's kind of hard to make friends," agrees Bogut, who was transplanted into Milwaukee after two seasons playing basketball at the University of Utah. "All of my friends go to college in Utah. Most people I know are in Utah. It does get lonely, but it's actually pretty hectic here at the moment. My mum was here a couple of weeks ago - she helped me move into my apartment - and I've got a friend coming over at the end of this month."
But thankfully, there are some compensations.
A wheel man
Wearing a tracksuit and thongs, the 2.13m Australian lopes past a gleaming cavalcade of fat, midnight-black four-wheel drives leased by his millionaire Milwaukee Bucks teammates: a pair of Hummmers, a GMC Yukon, an Escalade and a Range Rover, all with shiny mag wheels and tinted windows.
Bogut stops beside his car - and if the thongs weren't already a giveaway to his nationality, the vehicle might as well have a kangaroo painted on it. It's a Pontiac GTO - a rebadged Holden Monaro - with a towel draped over the rear seats.
The car, the towel, the thongs: it's almost as if a Melbourne surfie took a wrong turn at the beach and wound up in America's midwest. Most surfers, of course, don't earn a pre-tax wage of $220,000 a week. The 20 year old basketball is barely two weeks into his first six month season with the Milwaukee Bucks - a season that will gross him an estimated $US4.2 million ($5.7 million).
Not bad for a boy from the suburbs of Melbourne who learnt his craft a backyard hoop near his parents carburettor repair shop. :It means I can buy things without really thinking about it," says Bogut of his growing bank balance. "But I haven't really spent any money, except on a computer."
Chef Wanted
Outside of training, Bogut is busy running errands. This week's task is to post things back to Australia and find a chef who can prepare meals for his 2AM return after night games. "I can cook," he says, "but when you coming home at 2AM or 3AM after a game, it's really tough to get everything ready."
His sole hobby, outside of sport: "Just get a DVD and relax on the couch - I just got the whole Sopranos series. I purposely didn't watch it on TV so I could watch them all at once." This strange lifestyle - 3am dinners, Sopranos, marathons and epic work days - peaks at interstate arenas, especially Milwaukee's Bradley stadium.
Next Big Thing
On Tuesday night, Bogut was the first player announced to the home crowd. The huge roar was a clear signal that the young Australian is already a big deal in Milwaukee. Bogut's number six jersey hangs at the front of stands selling Bucks merchandise. An "authentic" Andrew Bogut singlet costs $220; a Bogut Bobblehead action figure sells for $33.
The real Andrew Bogut cuts an impressive figure. He's one of the tallest, most solid players in the NBA competition and, at 111 kg, usually the heaviest player on the court. Bogut's big shoulders and pumped biceps testify to the strength needed to ward of opponents like Shaquille O'Neal.
High Hopes
Bogut was a big scorer with Utah, but coach Terry Stotts has asked the young Australian to focus on his defense and rebounds. That means his score sheet may not be as impressive as usual, but Stotts says Bogut has the maturity to put the team ahead of his ego.
The tactic seems to be working: the Bucks are winning, the fans are happy. In the $155 seats five rows from the court, fans Corey Smith and Calvin Hardy hope Bogut will help the Bucks repeat their glory days of the early 70s, when the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the team to an NBA championship. "Bogut really wanted to come to Milwaukee," says Smith. "That made a lot of people very happy. A lot of people are happy to be the first pick, but not always happy to come here."
Basketball writer Ian Thomsen says Bogut's desire to play with the Bucks is probably more about money than Milwaukee. "Most players don't care about the city they're in - they care about the money they're making," he says.
Whatever his motivationm Bogut says he's happy in his adopted city. "I don't think it's as a bad a place as New York. There's so much attention on the Knicks, and the media kills them if they don't do well. We're expected to do well, but we're not expected to win the world championship straight away."
Source: The Sunday Telegraph, November 13th, 2005
by J@3 on Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:54 pm
BOGUT
BOGUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
THANK YOU BOGUT
Bogieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
BLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE ANDREW BOGUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BOOOOOOOOOOOGUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!
OMFG BOGUT!!!!
YOU DA MAN
GET THE F**K OUT OF HERE TERRY! BOGUT!
Transaction wire: Bogut hired as player coach
Wow, Bogut is the man
player of the game = andrew bogut
*starts singing national anthem*
by spreeul8r on Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:22 pm
by Jugs on Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:55 pm
by Fenix on Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:14 pm
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