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IF Andrew Bogut is amenable toward going, and trusting Australian medical opinion and practice over that of the US, I’d punt and take him to Rio.

When Bogey went down in Game 5 of the NBA Final after clashing with JR Smith in mid-air, it looked very bad, but the news there’s no structural damage to his left knee is a huge relief to all.

Bone bruising of the knee is an awful injury because every step you take reminds you. Rest is the required treatment and the recommended 6-8 weeks of it takes us into the Olympic Games.

So what value would Bogey be, you well could ask? It’s not as if he can be riding a bike to retain some measure of fitness – because that’s bending the knee (a lot!) and doesn’t qualify as rest.

So we’d have a less-than-fit Bogut manning the middle. Desirable?

Well no, not anywhere near as desirable as having a fully fit Bogut, obviously.

But it’s not undesirable either. The man has a huge heart and put his own wellbeing at risk a year ago when managing a back injury to ensure the Boomers qualified over the Tall Blacks.

His locker-room presence alone is a huge asset. Standing in the defensive keyway scaring the bejeezus out of driving opponents even moreso.

And his fitness would improve as the tournament goes on.

The Aussie medics would be all over him so my vote – which, just quietly, counts for nothing – would be to take him to Rio, provided he wants to go.

That argument about the extra pressure taking Bogut would put on Aron Baynes, David Andersen and any other big to stay healthy is a straw-clutch and spurious. Without jinxing anything, how many injuries has Australia suffered during Olympic Games tournaments?

I recall Luc Longley getting hurt late in the Sydney tournament and while I’m not saying there haven’t been others, I’m struggling to remember them, suggesting their significance was not impactful.

“The way he went down and had to be carried off, you never want to see that for anybody and especially with somebody you are going to be teammates with in a couple of weeks,” Matthew Dellavedova said, after the Cavaliers’ 112-97 victory over Bogut's Warriors at Oracle Arena.

“He is huge for our chances (in Rio).

“Last year when we played New Zealand and that European tour, he just brings so much to the game on both ends and is a really smart basketball player and great teammate.”

The contention by Andrew Gaze that the Boomers should send an urgent SOS to Ben Simmons to have him reconsider his Rio availability reveals just how much he has lost touch with the program.

One of the strengths of his last Boomers team at Sydney 2000 was its camaraderie and singleminded focus to medal.

Bringing in a Ben Simmons now, especially after he repeatedly has said he wants to focus on his NBA debut, would make this Olympic Games about Ben Simmons and not about winning a medal.

What’s more important right now to Australian basketball?

The next FIBA World Cup and Tokyo Olympics in 2020 will be where Big Ben clocks on – if he wants to – and makes a statement.

Right now, medalling in Rio has to be the top priority for the Boomers and that means selecting a team which can do it.

For me, that includes Bogut at 70 per cent over whoever is next in the line.

Provided, of course, he feels upto it.