The news of DeMarcus Cousins' pending MRI has sped up the timeline for Andrew Bogut to rejoin the Golden State Warriors, just in time for their pre-playoff run. Still holding the top seed in the West with a one-game advantage over the Denver Nuggets, head coach Steve Kerr still envisions Bogut as the perfect handcuff for Cousins.

Prior to a Saturday night showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kerr pondered the possibility of Cousins missing the game:

“You could picture us going into this game tomorrow, without DeMarcus (Cousins), and it’d be: ‘Who the hell is going to guard Steven Adams?'” Kerr said on Friday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Bogut can provide us that insurance policy.”

Cousins checked Adams for most of the game on Saturday, but upon news of his recent sore right foot injury, Kerr will be forced to rely on his trusty 7-footer earlier than expected:

Bogut was previously expected to join the team for Thursday's home game against the Indiana Pacers, but this latest curveball has forced the Australian big dipper into action rather sooner than most thought.

Kerr is equally confident his new addition will provide the defense the Warriors could need without Cousins:

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“Whether it’s injury, foul trouble, whatever,” Kerr said. “Bogut’s one of the best defensive centers I’ve seen in my life. Watching him on tape (in Australia), he looks fantastic.”

Golden State will take on the San Antonio Spurs as part of a four-game week that will see them finish out a four-game road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday before the Warriors return home to play Indiana on Thursday and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

If Bogut does indeed play, it will give him 14 games to tune into NBA shape before the start of a long postseason run.