Andrew Bogut has been ruled out indefinitely after an X-ray revealed that he has a fractured rib.
The Golden State Warriors center initially sustained the injury last Thursday after the Denver Nuggets' Kenneth Faried elbowed him, but he continued to play over the weekend before having the X-ray on Monday.
The 29-year-old told reporters: "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. It's one of those things people have played through, but this is too close to comfort for me.
"It definitely wasn't as bad until I fully cracked it. I thought I was winded for a second, but it wasn't going away. I ended up going back in the game for the last possession [of regulation]. I don't know how.
"I'm going to dedicate the summer to learning how to play while avoiding contact at all costs, I guess, moving out of the way, not taking charges and not trying to block shots. All of my injuries have been high-impact injuries. I put my body on the line to try to take a charge or block a shot and, unfortunately, I've been on the tail end of them."
The injury typically has a recovery period of six weeks, but the team, who will be involved in the upcoming playoffs, have not placed a timetable on his return.
Sian Cowper
