
It's been a long wait for Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut, but he has finally received medical clearance to begin working out again.
Bogut, who missed 43 games last season with an incomplete stress fracture in his lower back, received the green light to begin workouts after undergoing medical tests last week in his native Australia. "This day couldn't come soon enough for me," Bogut said in a statement released by the team. "I'm looking forward to a productive summer in the gym and being in top form for training camp and the 2009-'10 season."
Said Bucks general manager John Hammond, "We're extremely happy to report the results of the scan showed Andrew's injury to be healed and his doctors have cleared him to begin his offseason workouts."
Bogut missed the final three months of the season and the last 31 games because of the injury. His final game was on Jan. 31, when he had nine points and six rebounds in 16 minutes in a victory over Atlanta at the Bradley Center. There initially was some hope that Bogut would be able to return late in the season but his injury had not properly healed by then.
Bogut, who also missed three games early in the season with a bone bruise in his left knee, averaged 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes in 36 games. At the time of his injury, Bogut was one of 11 players in the league averaging double figures in both points and rebounds and was one of 13 players averaging a double-double for the season.
Late in the regular season, Bogut was asked what kind of shape he would be in when he was finally given clearance to begin working out again.
"I'll be pretty bad," he said. "But it's the offseason and I probably would have taken some time off, anyway. I think most guys would be in the same situation, taking some time off and start working out in June or July."
Bogut said he wanted to work on his total game during the offseason but especially his free-throw shooting. Bogut made 56 of 98 free throws this season (57.1%).
"I just want to work on everything," Bogut said. "I want to have more confidence in my outside shot. I think it's there. I just need to get in the gym and shoot 1,000 shots a day. I want to improve my free throws. My stroke is great, it's just all mental for me. I'll get in the gym by myself and just work on that. My defense was better this year. With (coach Scott Skiles') system I became much more confident in the defensive system."
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