Warriors shut down Bogut for at least a week

Shutting down one of their starters due to an ankle injury has become normal for the Golden State Warriors.

Last year, it was Stephen Curry. Today, it was Andrew Bogut.

The seven-foot center will rest his surgically repaired left ankle for seven to 10 days. The news was announced by Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

Bogut has played in four of five Warriors games this season, averaging 18 minutes per game. He sat out Saturday’s game against the Clippers in Los Angeles as a precaution because the Warriors played the previous night and the team did not want to overwork him.

Mark Jackson: "He doesn't feel like he's 100 percent, and he is clearly not."

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) November 8, 2012

Bogut said he rushed back too soon and his ankle hasn't gotten better since he's been playing

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) November 8, 2012

Jackson said it is not a setback, but "it's the right time."

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) November 8, 2012

Bogut wanted this, Jackson said, so he can get stronger. Ezeli will start at center at least next three games

— Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) November 8, 2012

The Warriors don’t have much frontline depth, so they need Bogut to come back as quickly as he can. Rookie Festus Ezeli will be thrown into the bull ring and will be expected to produce. So far this season, Ezeli averaging 16.4 minutes per game, but he’ll be forced to play a lot more. It might be wise for Ezeli to stay out of foul trouble.

The Oakland Tribune’s Marcus Thompson is reporting that Bogut approached his coaches about sitting out the next few games.

Warriors team officials should take some ripping for allowing Bogut to come back so quickly if he wasn’t ready. I’m sure they wanted him out there as soon as possible so the fans could see what they got for trading away Monta Ellis, but they shouldn’t have let Bogut on the court before he was fully healthy.

I think it’s safe to say Bogut won’t be fully healthy at any point during this season. But if he has to sit out more than 10 days to play through the rest of the season, he should do it now. If he has to miss two or three weeks in November to play in March and April, the Warriors can survive without him now.