Warriors center Andrew Bogut has played in just 12 of the team’s 54 games this season while recovering from ankle surgery. (Bill Baptist/Getty Images)

Less than a month since he returned from a three-month injury absence, oft-injured Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut is again “out indefinitely” with back spasms, head coach Marc Jackson told the media on Friday night.

After showing symptoms early Friday and undergoing an MRI, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Kyle Bonagura, Bogut had been listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The results of the MRI have not yet been made available.

Bogut played on a minutes limit in four of the Warriors’ first five games this season, but sat out from Nov. 7 to Jan. 28 while struggling to recover from the ankle surgery he underwent last season. The team, which was 27-16 when he returned, has lost six of its last seven games to drop to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

The big man was only recently cleared to play in back-to-back games, which he did earlier this week Tuesday at Utah and the following day at home against Phoenix. He has yet to play in four straight games in a Warriors uniform.

“At the end of the day, we realize this is a process and for a guy who has not played in a long time, you’re going to go through your body reacting to it, but we’re going to stay true to the process,” Jackson said. “We know how important he is to this basketball team and this is something we didn’t expect, but at the same time, we’ll take care of it and move forward.”

The 7-foot Australian is averaging 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game over 12 games. He was acquired in a multi-player deal that sent guard Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks at last season’s trade deadline.

Despite a targeted Dec. 1 return, all signs point to Warriors center Andrew Bogut not being available until 2013. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

Despite reports last weekend from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut would return to action in a Dec. 1 game against the Indiana Pacers, there is now reason to believe that he is still far from being healthy enough to practice, let alone play in a game.

Bogut, who turned 28 today, continues to rehab a lingering ankle injury that traces back to January, and he might not see minutes in a game until next year, according to his Nov. 27 interview with reporters in which he said his ankle is “just not right yet.”

Bogut said it was perhaps “stupid” to make his debut with the Warriors on the first game of the season this year; he’s never missed a season opener but said he should have sat it out in this case. He ended up playing in four games this season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18 minutes per game before going back on the shelf.

His shooting ability right now is limited to touch-shots and he can’t do a lot to move laterally to create his own shot, he said. The Warriors seem to be faring fine without him, as the team is off to a respectable 8-6 record so far this season. The ankle injury is still at the point where it swells up if he engages in “strenuous activity” for two or three consecutive days. He wouldn’t give a timetable for his return, but if history is any indication, he likely won’t see a lot of game-action this season; he played in only 12 games last year with the Milwaukee Bucks and has been plagued by injuries since leaving his native Australia for the NBA in 2005.

Warriors center Andrew Bogut remains sidelined in his recovery from a fractured ankle that he suffered in January. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images)

Six days ago, the Warriors announced that they would sideline starting center Andrew Bogut for seven to 10 days in order to rest his surgically repaired left ankle. That timetable will now be extended, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Steinmetz.

Golden State coach Mark Jackson said Wednesday that Bogut would not travel with the team on its upcoming three-game road trip, which ends on Monday.

“We’re going to stick true to the rehab and try to get him as strong as possible and when he’s ready to play, he’ll play. But he won’t be on the trip.”

“He’s going to continue to rehab and when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. I don’t even think it makes sense to put a number on it.”

The news means that the earliest Bogut will return would be Nov. 21 for a home game against the Nets. He fractured the ankle in January while playing for the Bucks, who traded him to the Warriors in March along with Stephen Jackson for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown.

Bogut has appeared in four of the Golden State’s first seven games this season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in about 18 minutes per game. He played just 12 games last season — none for the Warriors.

The Warriors are shutting down center Andrew Bogut for 7-10 days according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle via Twitter:

Andrew Bogut to be shut down next 7-10 days, according to Coach Jackson.—
Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) November 08, 2012

Bogut has struggled in his return from left ankle surgery in late April, even while limited to 20 minutes per game by doctors and the team. The Warriors planned to limit Bogut’s minutes until December, but that plan has changed.

“It was a more in-depth surgery than people think,” he said. “I’ve got to be patient with it, but it’s tough.”

“I’m being pushed and pulled from all angles,” Bogut told USA TODAY Sports late Friday night. “My agent, the doctors and trainers here, they want me playing (at full health) in February and March and April because if I try to do something stupid now, I could have a setback. I understand both sides of it.”

Bogut was traded with Stephen Jackson by the Bucks for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown in late March.

Andrew Bogut has a new team, but when he’ll first take the court and actually play for them is anyone’s guess. The veteran center says the Golden State Warriors will probably rest him for the rest of this season, according to the Australian Associated Press.

“The last thing they’ll want to do is rush me back to play in a couple of games,” said Bogut, who’s on the mend from a broken left ankle. “I’ve got to have scans at the eight-week point after I broke my ankle. If the scan says we want you in the boot for another three or four weeks, or they don’t want me resuming too quick, it will come down to missing the season.”

Bogut broke the ankle in a Jan. 25 Milwaukee Bucks win over the Houston Rockets. He’s spent the last seven weeks resting the ankle and preparing for a comeback; the Bucks then traded him to Golden State on Tuesday, along with Stephen Jackson, for a package including Monta Ellis.

The ankle is just one of several injuries that have plagued Bogut in recent years. Elbow, wrist and hand ailments have bothered him ever since a freak accident in an April 2010 game against the Phoenix Suns, in which he fell down while attempting a dunk.

Bogut says that while he’s unlikely to play for the Warriors this season, there’s still a chance he’ll be healthy and ready to represent Australia at the London Olympic Games this July.

“It’s a tough question to answer right now,” he said. “To be honest, I haven’t given it a whole lot of thought. Without talking myself up, I think I’m as professional as they come. I have my own workout and training facility in Melbourne, I’d be rehabbing and training like I would for any other event, and we have enough lead-up games to the Olympics to get ourselves ready.”

Finally, the NBA trade deadline action is underway — the Golden State Warriors have agreed in principle to trade Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The deal will be officially completed late tonight.

In itself, this deal is a big one, as Ellis ranks ninth in the NBA with 21.9 points per game, which should give the Bucks an immediate jolt in their push for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. But there are further repercussions as well — Ellis’ move may derail the Orlando Magic’s chances of keeping Dwight Howard.

Ellis was on Howard’s “wish list” of players Orlando could acquire in order to convince Howard to stay in free agency this summer; with the high-scoring guard now off the market, the Magic just scramble for a Plan B.

As for Bogut, the Bucks are losing one of the best centers in the game when healthy — the Aussie averaged 12.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game last season — but ankle and elbow injuries have limited the big man in recent years.

In related news, Wojnarowski has learned that the Bucks plan to keep star guard Brandon Jennings, their lottery pick in the 2009 draft.

The Milwaukee Bucks are looking like a fringe playoff team — despite being just 17-24, they’re nipping at the heels of the New York Knicks for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, currently just one game back. But evidently, the Bucks are considering blowing things up anyway. SI’s Sam Amick reports that both Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings are candidates to be dealt before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

Bogut fractured his left ankle on Jan. 25 and has been out ever since; he’s expected to miss at least another month. But the Bucks are hoping to move him anyway, with the understanding that his value isn’t exactly at its highest while the veteran center wears a walking boot. The Warriors and Wizards are among the teams rumored to have expressed interest.

As for Jennings, the third-year point guard is having a solid season, but sources told Amick that Jennings could be available “for the right price.” Jennings, a lottery pick in 2009, drew the ire of the Bucks’ front office with comments made to ESPN.com in early February about a possible departure.

In addition to Bogut and Jennings, their two stars, the Bucks continue to look for avenues to unload the contracts of Stephen Jackson (one year, $10.1 million) or Drew Gooden (three years, $20.1 million). Both players are candidates to be included as throw-ins in a deal for Bogut or Jennings.

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will be out indefinitely after suffering a fractured ankle in Wednesday’s game, according to the team.

“Andrew returned to Milwaukee (Thursday) morning to be evaluated by Bucks orthopaedic physician Michael Gordon, M.D., and to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on his left ankle. The results of the MRI identified a left ankle fracture which will keep Bogut out indefinitely,” general manager John Hammond said in a statement.

Bogut was confident following the game Wednesday, saying: “I know I didn’t break a bone.”

On the season Bogut is averaging 11.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut will be sidelined at least one week after suffering an ankle injury last night against the Houston Rockets according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“It wasn’t good,” Bogut said. “I knew when I came down I was in some trouble. Keeping optimistic, everything’s fine with the X-ray, but that’s to be expected. I know I didn’t break a bone.”

The injury occurred when Bogut went up to try to block a shot by Rockets guard Kyle Lowry and came down on Lowry’s foot. Bogust twisted his left ankle and limped off the court with the help of Bucks trainer.  According to team trainers, the best-case scenario would be a severely sprained ankle, which would likely to sideline Bogut for a week or more.

The Bucks (7-10) rallied without Bogut to win its third straight road game, defeating the Rockets, 105-99.  Thus far this season, Bogut averaged 11.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut has rejoined the team after missing four games for undisclosed personal reasons, according to the Associated Press. Bogut admitted flying home to Australia and that the incident included a family member at a hospital, but he revealed few other details.

“It’s something that doesn’t happen to most regular people,” Bogut told the AP. “When it does, you have to address it.”

Bogut is averaging 14.3 points and 10 rebounds a game for Milwaukee, who dropped all four games in his absence.

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut did not appear at Tuesday night’s game with the Utah Jazz due to personal reasons, according to the Associated Press.

He had tweeted Monday about heading to Utah after the Bucks’ loss to Denver that night, but he wasn’t at the team shootaround Tuesday morning, according to the AP.

On to the next one. No road win is easy…. Flying to Utah shortly.—
Andrew Bogut (@AndrewMBogut) January 03, 2012

Bogut is averaging 14.3 points and 10 rebounds a game for the Milwaukee, who entered Tuesday’s game 2-2.