Mozgov’s Transition To The NBA

Thats why he wasnt starting because they have an established 5, Sasha Kaun, I just hope he gets minutes against the US and we can see what he is for real.

“I think it’s going to be easier for him in the N.B.A. than in Europe,” Blatt said. “He’s not going to have to be a lead player…

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Mozgov come off the bench for Russia? Not exactly a “lead player” is he?

_’antoni has never had a “Robin Lopez role” in his offense (or defense, what little there is) though, I think that’s the issue.

true but what lopez did last year for phoenix was in a similar system. and D’Antoni played Jared Jeffries significant minutes…

he meant being a lead player in his russian team Kimki—– but coach Blatt is considered oen of Europes best coaches as hes also American so his view means a lot…… google him.

Kaun is a different player than mozgov- kaun is more rugged but not as good on offense as mozgov

I for one is cautiously optimistic about the roster this year and i am very curious to see Mozgov play against the best the NBA has to offer. Based on clips we know that he is very adept at the pick and roll and he runs the floor very well. He also stands his ground against other C and he alters shots. There’s a lot that he needs to work on such as shooting, rebounding; but these things are fixable through practice and hard work. _avi_ Lee improved his shooting during his time her, why cant Moz?

You know what Myles – it all ends up to dantonis decisions– he has to let rookie mozgov play through his mistakes and not bury him on the bench like darko.

in a summer where mike probably had power to the transactions made- he mustve approved the signing so he should use him and not waste his contract

yeah, he is a bench player but he was their leading scorer against Greece. So I guess he was the “lead player” for that game..

One thing that does stand out is his FG% of .632

This game always looks for dominant centers but there are never that many of them in the league at the sametime…..mozgov has great potential and I believe in him……not only does have skills on both ends, he has amare as a teacher and dantoni as a coach.

I’m not a Mike D’Antoni hater but I don’t think having him as a coach is necessarily a good thing for a traditionnal center.

i have to believe dw has a voice in this.
i’m sure he has positioned timofey as a ‘rik smits type’ player.
i know there are differences, but there are a lot of similarities too.
rik smits got a lot of pt his first year in indiana.
i expect the same for timofey if he plays like we have seen so far.

Correct me if I’m wrong but Rik Smits was the 2nd pick in the 198X draft. And his jumpshot was absolutely unstoppable.

that’s why i put ‘type’ inside quotes.
timofey has shown he goes to the rim stronger.
he also is more active in pnr.
but they both are lean big men and run well and can shoot.
but that being said, read the whole nyt article.
it presents a nice balanced critique.
more importantly, because he will be new to amerika, we must all ENCOURAGE HIM AND BE POSITIVE IN HIS INITIAL MONTHS.
he needs the media’s support in the adjustment.

Rik Smits was considerably more talented than Timofey Mozgov. Mozgov is an undrafted NBA player. Smits was 2nd pick in the 1988 draft. You’re clearly not helping him by comparing him to Rik Smits who was an All-Star center. The media will kill him if he has to face overly high expectations.

who klnows if he approved the signing..

presumably he “approved” the acquisition of Darko — a similar player — who never got burn.

HaS has a point.. this guy cant even start for the Russian team.. good grief.

tallest greek is what? 6-7?

but they’re both white and 7 foot plus so the comparison hold up.

Being a geezer, I remember Smits well, and he was never a “lean big man.” He was a big man. Nothing lean about him at the time. Maybe in comparison to today’s players who spend considerably more time in the weightroom than players of the past, he would be considered lean. Back then, he was what we called “a horse,” and that was a compliment.

lol yeah. I wouldn’t compare Mozgov to Rik Smits just yet. I heard Kyril Fesenko a few months ago, and I think thats a more fair comparison, although Mozgov looks smaller but more fluid.

ew’re talking about this guy like he is Hakeem Olajuwon for sh!tsakes..

he is an undrafted free agent signing.. from Russia..

he will be playing (practicing actually) for a “Coach” who loathes traditional centers..

the Robin Lopez role in PHX run completely counter to anything _’Antoni ever did in his career.. in fact it is what drove him out of PHX..

What the new coach in PHX has done is different than what was there before by leaps and bounds ..

the only similarities are Nash, the team name and the fact the coach once was on _’Antoni’s staff.

Agreed, but since only his first year is guaranteed, if I recall correctly, coach should have to find enough time to make a decision on him this year. If he can’t play, no sense using the roster slot or cap room for him after this season.

Still not sure Herb is the best big coach for any of these guys, either.

How many undrafted european “steals” have there been that this guy is “The Answer in the Middle?”

Has the Mozgov coverage been excessive? I don’t think so, especially considering the amount of time devoted this offseason to players who aren’t even on the Knicks.

He’s an intriguing player, an intriguing signing, and a complete unknown to most. He should be getting covered as he enters the world stage this year.

Presumably, this guy will have to play a role for the Knicks this year imo. Depending on how much Amare is willing to play center(which doesn’t sound like much), Dantoni’s own lesson(I’d say last years Lee failure was a good lesson in that regard and it sounds like Dantoni knows that but I guess you never know), and our own roster composition I’d say Mozgov has to be looking at some minutes.

Amare might be able to play 10-15 minutes a game at center, I’d imagine Turiaf would be around the same number, maybe a little higher at 20, and maybe Randolph for 10 minutes(at the most I would think). That leaves some minutes for Mozgov.

And apparently the Blazers really wanted Mozgov last year and he turned them down. To go along with that his agent apparently told a Russian website that Mozgov will be the backup center. He expects to play, and I really hope he does.

I think D’Antoni plays guys that work hard and play the game the right way(Darko never worked hard in practice) regardless if they are defensive or offensive players. Brian Skinner/Kurt Thomas/Jeffries/Raja Bell have all had roles for his teams before. It just so happens that the cornerstone players he’s had so far are all soley offensive players (Nash/Amare/Lee)

Mosgov can fullfil a role with this team. Defend/block shots/pass from the high post and get out of Amare’s way. Turiaf can start/Mosgov can back him up..neither of them will play more then 20 minutes each. At all times Amare will guard the weaker low post player. Randolph can back up the 4/3 spots and have a substance defender to back the guards up.

You can’t teach height/mobility and this kid as a lot of both.

‘considerably more talented’
that’s conjecture.
time will tell.
but i agree about creating expectations too high.
but you made me think what about the 1988 draft.
take a look.
i am much happier with timofey than let’s say
seikaly, will perdue, or eric leckner.
that get’s me to the 17th pick.
i give knicks brass credit.
and look f/w to his potential development….

ds,
take a look at my last reply a bit above.
i gather from your posts you’ll appreciate it.
just for comparison to the the 1988 nba draft.
not to set the bar too high with timofey compared to rik smits.
but to say i’d rather have his potential than any other center in the 1st round that year.
enjoy.
and go timofey; we’re rooting for you.

the coverage hasnt been excessive .. the expectations are.

the coach likely looks at the “Lee experiment” as a major success of his tenure..

Never mind that Lee’s defense regressed every year under this coaching staff and became a complete turnstile by season’s end.

no longer the gritty, histle player he became a player who fill sup a stat sheet with empty stats and Losses on the record.

Why would he view it as a success? Filling up the stat sheet means nothing to a coach when the team isn’t winning. Now his job is in jeopardy as it should be and he himself has mentioned Amare as being the power forward this year several times in interviews.

I choose to view Mike Dantoni as an actual human being capable of learning from his mistakes. That might be an error in judgment on my part, but I’d prefer to look at and treat Dantoni in that way rather than as a caricatured strawman who’s the reason why we stink and who’s incapable of the slightest improvements in thought and general humanity.

I like Timofey man, and I see your point Knicks613. But it’s putting ridiculous expectations on Mozgov to start comparing him to Rik Smits at this point imo.

Like I said above, I think Fesenko from the Jazz is a better comparison for now in terms of the contributions we can expect from Mozgov right off the bat.

Honestly I’ll be VERY happy if Mozgov can become a legitimate bench player in the NBA.

But comparing him to Rik Smits is crazy.

Lopez would’ve seen a lot of minutes under Mike D’Antoni.

He’s skilled and very athletic.

Can’t blame MD because he left before Lopez was even draft lol, be fair.

drafted

I don’t think he sees it as a major success.

And David Lee’s defense used to be overrated in my eyes anyways.

agreed.
my initial point was that i was sure dw has used that name in private discussions.
not to set the bar but to say as a draft pick with some of the same tools looking at potential.
but i’ll stop making the comparison for fear of being misunderstood and because it is too much.
and we’ll let timofey develop as best as he can.

Don’t know if ppl have been paying attention but TRADITIONAL CENTERS no longer exist…there is hardly any more back to the basket or elbow throwing…… so dantoni is perfect for that young man.

Seikaly and Perdue could play. Seikaly had some good years and Perdue was a good back-up. I’d be happy if Mozgov is as good as either of them considering that there really aren’t many undrafted undiscovered euro/russian players out there who are capable of becoming starting NBA centers on any but the weakest of NBA teams.

BTW, are you just looking at stats, or did you ever see Seikaly or Perdue play when you knew something about the game?

No shots intended, just curious about the level of knowledge that many posters had twenty-two years ago.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Dantoni is the perfect coach for Mozgov and I don’t expect much this year from him.

But I just don’t see any alternative: It doesn’t seem like there’s enough minutes to go around at center unless Amare is willing to play there 20+ minutes a game, which based on the quotes/thoughts of both Amare and Dantoni seems impossible to me at the time(although I guess it could happen).

And while Darko was thought to be a good fit for the system he clearly wasn’t that good when he played in his limited minutes at the beginning of the year(again, don’t get me wrong, he deserved many more minutes, especially in light of Lee’s shortcomings.)

I think Mozgov will be a perfect fit for Dantoni honestly at like 5-12 minutes per game. He’s big, contests shots, runs the floor well, and is almost exclusively a pick and roll player on offense from what I have seen.

Who knows? Just looking at the minutes I think he might have to play some, and again I think a decent comparison is Fesenko or maybe a worse version of Robin Lopez.

The point exactly there ain’t no traditional centers in the NBA now. Dwight Howard ain’t even a traditional center nor Paul Gasol, its a speed league at all 5 positions and if we need Mosgov to help this team win may God help us.

As I asked higher up, how many of the guys you talk about from the 1988 draft did you see play? Stats are one thing, but unless you actually saw them play and knew the game at the time, I find it less than valid for you to say that you’d rather have Mozgov than Seikaly, for example. Seikaly had some good years and probably would have fit better in D’Antoni’s system and had a better career today than he fit in the traditional center role of his time. He was a guy who could play the five spot facing the basket.

guaranteed if you ask _’Antoni what about the positives over the past two years he would point to Lee’s game. In fact i think i remember him saying as much in interviews.

i would hope he can learn from his “mistakes” and adjust — I was HOPING for that when he was brought in and gave him a complete pass on his record until 2010 — but all the “little things” that we’ve been carping over for the past two years are endemic of a man sooo set in his ways that he refuses to think he needs to change anthing. that is why i think he will NEVER win a chip (either with the knicks or any other team) and why i am firmly against him as the coach of my favorite basket ball team.

Lee’s defense “over-rated?” LOL. To say he played defense was to over-rate him, according to some around here.

he still refuses to hire a defensive coordinator

he still refuses to hire an advance scouting staff

he still refuses to play a a traditional center

he still refuses to expand his rotation

he still refuses to make in game adjustments

should I continue?

But is Herb Williams perfect for the young man?

in _Antoni’s system his ideal 5 is a jump shooter.. not a banger (Lopez).

The guy played Shaq for close to an entire year, even though he was clearly past his prime and not nearly as effective. That qualifies him as willing to play a traditional center in my mind.

He also ALWAYS makes in-game adjustments. Whether those are succesful or not is another thing.

Coaches are egotistical creatures…They have to be to get any type of response from their players. I for one don’t blame him for balking at Kerr’s insistence on him hiring a defensive coordinator and adjusting his system, due to the success that he had with it in PHX.

Who wouldn’t say that Lee’s game was a positive the past few years? He went from being a backup player to a legitimate all-star contender in many’s eyes. Dantoni pointing Lee’s development out as a positive doesn’t mean that he thinks the “Lee experiment” at center was a success imo.

boots,

no problem. i was comfortable making the comparison because i am old enough to have seen both of them play live.
while rony had a real good nba career, i would always discount it because he played at syracuse (a joke towards my bro because they never won; indiana-keith smart).
certainly, if timofey could approach that it would be some achievement.
will perdue was fortunate to be a bull and did play a long time.
but never justified a 11th pick.
eric leckner avg 4 and 3 over 7 years.
so as i said, i am happy having timofey where we got him.

Herb is perfect for the golf course… doing community relations with starks.

didnt mike say that they worked him out and he liked him alot especially his shooting???

Mosgov will prove all you faithless knuckleheads wrong and then you are going to change your tune and start riding his jock! We all will certainly see! HaS stop riding everybody’s negative jockstrap! I got your number ralph mouth!

Fair enough, just wondering. Thanks for the detailed polite response.

It’s not how one start, is how one finish! Who cares if he’s not a starter or the go to guy? You guys be trippin! It’s about winning! Oh yeah, most of you are starving and expecting Championship next year! My bad.

I am starting to wonder if Turiaf is better than Mozgov at the 5. Mozgov is bigger, faster, and looks like a much better scorer. We talk about Turiaf like he is a real center when he is about the same size as Amare. Id rather see Amare at the 5 and AR at the 4 against weaker teams down low, and Amare at the 4 Mozgov at the 5 against stronger teams down low. Another factor is I dont and I dont think most Knick fans believe Turiaf will be a part of the Knicks future, but Mozgov can be. Unless Turiaf is clearly better, which I dont think he is, wouldnt it be better to develop Mozgov. Turiaf will be better in a role where he comes of the bench for short spurts of energy. Im just saying that Turiaf shoudnt just be handed the starting 5 spot.

hey,
we’re all pushing for the same result.
more wins. playoffs. championship!
and smart coaching!!!

“ew’re talking about this guy like he is Hakeem Olajuwon for sh!tsakes..”

Who is? You’re pretending that he’s getting more love than he actually is in order to justify your constant negativity. He’s a knick and he happens to be the only one playing in the worlds; what else is there to talk about.

The only expectation i have heard is that he’s going to get playing time. That’s too high?

I wasnt being negative, I was actually wondering why he wasnt starting. This explained it to me. I have faith in Mozgov.

Rik played his college ball in Poughkeepsie at Marist College. I saw several of his games back then. He was a very skilled offensive player even before the NBA. He could post up and had great footwork. He didn’t run the floor well and had to retire prematurely as his feet broke down.

He wasn’t a Mozgov type at all.

He’s definitely going get minutes that’s all that matters at this point. We’ll see how it works out.

In all honesty this won’t be the team we will know of by the All Star break. I’m sure there will be a trade which will have lineups interchanging. But for now not a lot to talk about with this team its not like we have a Superstar that’s like Lebron or Kobe or Durant that will have us talking about guaranteed wins or mvp titles so we are stuck with video clips lol

Channing Frye would be his man!

if Mike said that it just goes to my point..

So how is his mid range game?

the only thing mozgov and smits have in common is skin color and hair cut.

with a title like “Mozgov’s transition to the NBA” and the superlatives being thrown around here he is being treated like some prodigy coming here to save the team.

you must not be reading the comments.

ds .. you and me know that he played Shaq under protest and that was a principle reason why he left.

would you say that PAt Riley didnt adjust his style when he went from the Lakers to the Knicks?

not in the playoffs.. when the games count.

David Lee used to be more of a hustle player but he’s never been a “good” defensive player.

I never said Lopez would be his ideal center.

But he would DEFINITELY play BIG minutes under MD.

Can you please write a post or two without calling names or insulting people? It is getting tiresome, especially from a relatively new guy on the forum.

Please contribute with your knowledge rather than your rudeness.

why doesnt Mozgov start for the Russian team?

is Kaun that much better?

you hinted Kaun is a better defensive presence.

how have the minutes been allocated?

we’ll never know so agree to disagree..

i personally dont think Mike would consider Robin a “good rookie” and doubt be would know how to use him (given EVERYTHING we’ve seen from him to date).

“definitely”?

by minutes do you mean 5 or less? or over 12?

[...] Source [...]

How about some video of what Curry is up to this summer? I have no doubt he’s working hard to earn his 11 million dollar salary for what promises to be yet another productive season.

Nothing is “definite” with our coach, save for a complete lack of commitment to defense.

Do u really want to see a video of him sitting on the couch eating Doritos?

Well

1st Robin Lopez didn’t play much in his rookie season under Alvin Gentry because he was not NBA ready. The “good rookie” argument doesn’t add up here.

2nd Mike D’Antoni played Steven Hunter against the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals 4-5 years ago. He didn’t even have Lopez’s skillset. Lopez can run, jump, block shots and even shoot jumpshots. MDA would love to have him.

Lol. Sadly, I suspect that may be the case.

Can anyone come up with a bigger disgrace of a professional athlete (in terms of lack of effort or caring) than this guy? He makes Oliver Perez look like Jim Thorpe.

No, from what Dantoni has said and the fact that Shaq seems to love Dantoni I think he really pushed for the trade for Shaq. That’s what it seemed like to me. He wanted Curry to fill a similar role for him that Shaq did, but it just didn’t work out obviously.

I think Dantoni left because Kerr clearly wanted him to change his style and was demanding he hire a “defensive coordinator”. While Kerr may or may not have been right, I don’t necessarily hold it against Dantoni that this request was too much for him, on account of how succesful he was in PHX before Kerr came along.

Perez is way worse, mainly because he refused to go down to the minors and workon his game, and would rather sit in the pen and do nothing but collect a check.

Sadly Clyde that is exactly what Eddy is doing. He could have agreed on a buyout that would be fair for both parties involved but Eddy said no deal he wants all of his money so what can you do. This is the same man that didn’t play in the summer league because he forgot his sneakers nuff said.

give him 3 years he will be good,the best center since ewing,i also think this coach might kill his growth..

Steven Hunter averages 13 minutes per game during the 04-05 season.

then 14 per in the playoffs.. hardly a ringing endorsement.

Lopez averages 19 plus.. big difference.

do you really think _’Antoni endorsed Shaq..

Of course Shaq loved _’Antoni.. with short practices and a lax style ..

i think Shaq loved the PHX training staff the best.

At least Perez remembers to bring his cleats to the ballpark, and returns phone calls from his employer.

When i talk about players I like to be realistic about them, seeing him play and knowing what type of offense we run I really do think he can help us right away atleast 15 minutes a game…He is smooth/Athletic and really big which players his size usually can’t move like him, He can finish and block shots, does he need to work on his reboundin and post moves..yes, but I do believe he has the makings of a solid player in this system for us.

Robin Lopez is more than 6 minutes per game better than Hunter.

Some of you guys act the Knicks discovered this great center in Russia. He is a freaking back up center there. For the love of god and not to sound stupid, don’t compare him to any past or present allstar in the NBA.

Most of you guys know better but the rest are drinking the mosgov vodka and cool aid

in the 04-05 playoffs that you refer _’Antoni played a SIX man rotation in the first game with Hunter as the sixth man gettng 30 minutes

in subsequent games he was the seventh man playing 12-15 minutes.

Amar’e played center in a plainfully small lineup with Marion at the PF.. going up against Tim Duncan it’s no wonder they lost.

Besides Amar’e Hunter was the ONLY player with ANY size on that team.

to say the “Coach” likes dumpy centers because he played Hunter that season is a stretch.. who else was he to play? Zarko Cabarkapa? the immortal Jake Voskuhl?

that roster was simply poorly constructed to match up against bangers like Duncan and Nazr Mohammed in the playoffs.. Hunter was arguably the 7th best player on that roster after Barbosa.. no one else got ANY burn DURING the season so what were they to do during the playoffs?

goes to my point about what wins playoff games. Defense and depth.. both run counter to how this “coach” plays and prepares.

Shaq came into that situation trying to be ULTRA accomodating.. Adopting the Big Cactus monicker after wearing out his welcome in Miami and gaining like 80 pounds there.

He was thought to be on his last legs after injuries wrecked the end of his MIAmi experience.

Like I said, the training staff in PHX is the best in the league. They got Shaq in shape to make some sort of a comeback or that was going to be his last stop in his career..

If I remember correctly there was mad tension around the Shaq trade in PHX. Ownership and management were sick of losing to the Spurs and WANTED some more size than Steven Hunter and a bunch of scrubs. The ownership adn management realized they weren’t getting anywhere in the playoffs with the speed ball game so they did the Shaq trade (for Marion) as a last ditch effort to win with Nash.

Shaq HAD TO know he was coming there as unwanted by the “coach” and the “coach” proceeded to leave the next season.. Coincidence?

THANK YOU!

dude You have to understand…STATS/MINUTES ALL OF THAT IS SO IRRELEVANT AND YOU CAN’T GO BY THAT 100%, ALmost all of the EURO players who have succeeded averaged a ton less minutes and points etc cause its just a different game over there…You have to look at the potential of that player, his skill set etc and how it may fit your system…Sasha Kahn is a solid Center, BUt if you watched the Mosgov games in FIBA like i have im telling you, I have never seen a BIG GUY HIS SIZE move as fluid and as well as he does, he can finish and block shots and pick n roll is his bread and butter which well IS WHAT MIKE D LOVES IN HIS CENTERS…Does the kid need work on his game ofcourse but I think he has the makeup and Skill set that fits mike d’s up tempo game

There was “mad tension” about the trade because it was obviously a major, major deal and signaled the end of the run and gun Suns.

But Dantoni seemed awfully excited about the trade for someone whose hand was supposedly forced by management according to you.

Here are his comments about the trade:

“Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said he was wholly in favor of the trade because of the quality of player O’Neal.

“It just makes us better,” he said.

The coach is well aware of widespread criticism of the deal because of a belief that Shaq is no longer a formidable player.

“I think you’re wrong,” D’Antoni said. “He is not going to come to Phoenix and lay an egg. He is focused and ready to roll. He wants to show the pundits that this was a great trade.”

According to you and several others on here, Dantoni refuses to play big men and doesn’t want to, and is unwilling or unable to change.

Isn’t this evidence enough that Dantoni is willing to play a big man? I thought this was the same impulsive stubborn guy that would either refuse to play Shaq if they traded for him or wouldn’t care enough about “communication” to get along with Shaq if he didn’t like him.

Did you watch the pre-game press conference this year when the Cavs were in town? Shaq went out of his way to come in while “”coach”" was speaking and say hi and joke around with him. This is the same Shaq who has thrown every other coach under the bus, and who would have absolutely no reason to go out of his way to be nice to the “”coach”" if he didn’t like him.

As I said before, the “”coach”" left because Kerr was demanding he completely change his game plan. Dantoni refused, Kerr went about things his way, and then brought in his “coach” and the Suns failed to make the playoffs that year. Only when they went back to Dantoni’s style did they experience success.

for a big dude he moves well,he needs the rite nba coach to take him to the next level,we all know this coach will teach him all O an no D,that if he doesn’t do a Darko to him..

the kid got tools just needs some more polishing.

your rite,i don’t think rubio ever started for spain rite,along with alot of other that came to the nba came off the bench in the euro league

I think it’s funny how all the haters on here keep referring to darko as some sort of victim. As if he’s some great NBA player and our coach put him in the ‘dog house’ for no reason. Now your using darko’d as a verb to describe benching players for no reason?

Hey guys darko sucks he’s thte biggest bust in NBA history. If you have to resort to defending darko as a way to bash the coach than i think you ran out of arguements.

As I said before, the “”coach”” left because Kerr was demanding he completely change his game plan. Dantoni refused

and bringing in Shaq was the last straw.. so the ‘coach” left the next year.

lmao,darko don’t suck he’s more useful than curry,but this coach will take the knicks no where.

i dont think anyone inferred that Darko is some great NBA player..

conversely i’d hardly call him the biggest bust in NBA history. After all he is on his THIRD NBA contract.

I would say that every time he has been given the OPPORTUNITY he has earned another contract. Funny that once he got to Minny he did EXACTLY the things that we needed him to do in NYC yet never got the opportunity to see him do.

And it’s not hind sight. Most here who bring him up where clamouring to see him get some minutes to AT LEAST use his fouls and stop the parade to the basket that was emblematic of our defense last year.

Fact of the matter is Darko stands as a perfect example of how this “Coach” treats a player with a similar game as the new Russian..

DArko as a “victim”? hardly.. but the :Coach” does control one thing and that is minutes played and he did not get a fair opportunity in NYC to show the things that he showed in Minny to earn a new contract.

goodjob Big

Tallest Greek player is 7-0 (although listed as 6-12 lolwhat?). There are only 3 players under 6-7, and they’re all guards.

Here’s a fact worth noting: this was an EXTREMELY low risk manuever by Walsh; what’s the downside? The Knicks had some cash available (hey Donnie haters–when was the last time you could say that?!) and they spent a modest amount of it on a young, athletic, yes, raw, 7-footer.

I’m sure you naysayers were Jonathan Bender fans after his first game last year. Before you pass judgment about MosGov, let’s check him out for a season. If, at season’s end, he has average more than 10 mins a game I’ll do cartwheels naked through Times Square.

Mozgov went undrafted 2 years ago. He would have easily been a mid-first rounder if he had waited and come out this year. Draft Express had him listed as their #2 Euro free agent prospect.

But yes the Rik Smits comparison is ridiculous, Rik was 7-4 with a totally different style of game.

But Eddy would be taking less money so its understandable, ollie would not.

Lol!

I like the Robin Lopez comparison.

I also like the goal in the article of being a 15 minute a night guy at the end of the season. Reasonable expectations are best.

A guy who sets screens and gets offensive boards is actually really important for the overall success of the SSOL. I.E. Kurt Thomas.

Mike D wants guys who give 100% effort and don’t bark or whine at talking orders. Mozgov seems a great fit in that respect.

if he plays against the usa he should own tyson chandler or kevin love. well kevin love is awful on D

“true but what lopez did last year for phoenix was in a similar system.”

Are we hiring Alvin Gentry?

“and D’Antoni played Jared Jeffries significant minutes…”

Not sure what you’re saying here. Are you comparing Jeffries to Lopez?

“Mike D wants guys who give 100% effort”

Explain _avi_’s play then.

Or Harrington’s.

nothing is ever gonna be figured out by these petty disagreements.Like Gallo,Randolph,Azubuike ETC.we are all just gonna have to wait a few years,and then whoever is right,can say “I TOLD YOU SO”

I see your hardon for david lee hasnt gone down.Its not like he was the worst player in the league

I like the Bill Russell comparisons

I hope this kid pickny is right

Nah, I hate even mentioning his name, but it’s annoying to hear people say _’antoni likes guys who give 100% effort when the 2 guys who were leaders on the team in minutes last year lacked exactly that and were still rewarded all the minutes they could handle.