Andrew Bogut's debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers seems surreal, tragic even. One moment he found himself playing for the Cavs for the first time and one minute he was on the floor writhing in pain because of a fractured tibia. Since recuperation and therapy will take quite some time, many are asking who will take his place.
The Cavaliers added Bogut into their team to add some extra firepower as they defend their NBA title. The Australian might have been a positive force to the team but that won't happen anymore because of the injury.
The fractured tibia will take 12 - 16 weeks to heal and then, he will have to undergo therapy. In short, Bogut will be rendered 'unusable' the whole season. So what will happen to the Cavs? There are some interesting options the team can take.
Bogut is a hulking and formidable figure in the court so some are suggesting to get another player who's got a similar size to the Australian hooper. Two names come to mind when size is the criterion - Larry Sanders and Anderson Varejao.
There are reports that Saunders has been sending feelers that he wants to return to the league after an abrupt retirement years ago. The former Milwaukee Bucks player is a strong defense player making him a good choice if the Cavs are looking beyond the team.
Former Cavs Varejao is also a good choice for two reasons - he is LeBron James' good friend and has already established rapport with the team so it would be easier for him to blend in again.
If they won't take either Varejao or Sanders, another option might be Thanasis Antetokounmpo. The problem, however, with Antetokounmpo is that it's not really clear at this point what kind of impact he can do for the team. As much as he is a good player, Antetokounmpo is still a work in progress.
It seems like the Cavs are faced with a big dilemma and they can just choose not to do anything about it at all.
