The Golden State Warriors' move to sign Andrew Bogut as an "insurance policy" appears to be a masterstroke after it was confirmed NBA All-Star centre DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a potential season-ending injury.
Cousins, who spent a year recovering from a left Achilles tendon tear, suffered a torn left quadriceps muscle pursuing a loose ball in the Warriors' historic game two playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
"The injury will sideline Cousins indefinitely and he will begin rehabilitation immediately," the Warriors announced after their big man underwent an MRI on Wednesday (AEST).
The San Francisco Chronicle reported the Warriors are preparing for the possibility of playing the rest of the playoffs – a two-month campaign if they make their fifth-straight championship series – without Cousins.
If he suffered a minor tear he might miss only a couple of weeks, but a more serious tear could require at least six weeks of rehab.
Bogut and the Warriors' other back-up centre, Kevin Looney, will fill the hole left by Cousins' absence.
Australian veteran Bogut, a key member of the Warriors' 2015 championship team before he was traded the following year, said on Monday he expects to start alongside All-Stars Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
"It'll still be match-up dependent but I anticipate I'll probably be starting games and playing the first [handful of] minutes and then coming out," he told reporters.
The Warriors pursued Bogut during his MVP stint with the Sydney Kings in the NBL, with head coach Steve Kerr labelling the 34-year-old "as an insurance policy in the front court".
The Clippers, down 31 points during the third-quarter, pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA play-off history on Monday to win game two 135-131 in Oakland.
The best-of-seven western conference first-round series stands at 1-1, with the next two games – Thursday and Saturday – in Los Angeles.
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