Warriors' Andrew Bogut doesn't sound optimistic about return date

Andrew Bogut is not being soft. 

Playing through a rib fracture is legitimately health-threatening, introducing the possibility of puncturing a lung. Nevermind that a player is likely to be easily winded and suffer through pain and discomfort performing even the most basic basketball maneuvers, it simply makes no sense to ask a player to risk playing through it.

And so, it's hardly surprising to hear the Golden State Warriors speak in somber tones about Bogut's current injury and lack of timeline for a return.

"I've got to be careful, because if it cracks I'm looking at a punctured lung. You'll see me in the hospital with a tube coming out of me," Bogut said. "It's one of those things people have played through, but this is too close to comfort for me."

Bogut fully cracked a rib in the past and said that this injury is not quite as bad, but even then a cracked rib generally takes about six weeks to heal.

"It certainly does not make us a better basketball team," head coach Mark Jackson said.

Bogut's absence would have an obvious impact on the Dubs in the playoffs, and it's unlikely they'll be able to work around it enough to topple the Clippers or Thunder in the first round. With Bogut, an elite back-end defender and the spine of an impressive defensive unit, sure, an upset is possible. Without him, they need to hope Steph Curry gets hotter than even Steph Curry has gotten before.