New Jersey Nets shooting guard Keith Bogans suffered a torn deltoid ligament and fractured left ankle at the end of Wednesday night's loss against the Detroit Pistons and will undergo surgery on Monday, the team announced Thursday. The New York Post's Fred Kerber reports that the injury is season-ending.
Bogans had played just five games with the Nets, averaging 18.8 minutes, 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. The defensive-minded wing nonetheless provided a stable veteran presence, which was especially useful during the injury absence of rookie guard MarShon Brooks.
With 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter of New Jersey's 99-92 loss on Wednesday, Bogans rotated to help on a driving Greg Monroe. But his help was ultimately futile; Monroe dunked the ball anyway and Bogans injured himself in the process.
Avery Johnson was furious about the injury after it occurred, noting that New Jersey's inability to follow the game plan resulted in the injury.
"My reaction is it's really tough when we're screaming like 50 times, ‘We don't want Monroe to go left. He's a left-handed player he has two left hands.' We're screaming, ‘We don't want him to go left,' but we still allow him to go left and dunk on us. And, as a result, Bogans gets tangled up inside and comes down wrong. It's just unfortunate that we didn't execute and defend somebody's individual strength, and Bogans gets hurt on the same play."
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