Larry Sanders Takes Shot at Cavs’ Signing of Andrew Bogut

One person who apparently isn’t happy with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ signing of Andrew Bogut is free agent Larry Sanders. He may have been the player signed by the team had Bogut gone elsewhere and the situation has resulted in Sanders taking to social media to offer a comparison between the two players.

The 6-foot-11 Sanders is four years younger than the 32-year-old Bogut, but hasn’t played in an NBA game since Dec. 23, 2014. Two months after his last NBA game, Sanders obtained his release from the Milwaukee Bucks, citing off-the-court issues.

Sanders has career numbers of 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, compared to Bogut’s career production of 10.0 points and 8.9 rebounds. This season, Bogut’s scoring has dropped to 3.0 per game, though his rebounding remains stable at 8.3 boards per game.

Bogut was brought to Cleveland to help the Cavaliers during what they hope will be a long postseason run. He was a member of the Golden State Warriors in each of the last two NBA Finals against the Cavs, with 58 total playoff games to his credit during his first 11 seasons.

In contrast, Sanders has just four games of playoff experience from the 2013 postseason and also has plenty of controversial off-the-court baggage. The most recent instance was his arrest last June in Los Angeles.

Ironically, both Bogut and Sanders began their careers as first-round selections with the Bucks. Bogut was the top overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, while Sanders was chosen with the 15^th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft.

No other NBA team has acquired Sanders, which makes it a possibility that the Cavaliers may re-visit signing him during the offseason. However, the social media jab at Bogut may give the team second thoughts, given the strong chemistry amongst the members of the squad.