Advice to Mozgov: Avoid being another Weis guy
Here comes the first indication as to whether the Knicks made a good investment or wasted their money in signing Timofey Mozgov. And if that sounds a bit extreme, then you must be new around here.
The entire Knicks organization will be watching -- starting with Euro scout Kevin Wilson, who has a lot riding on this one -- to see how Mozgov fares against the very athletic U.S. team this morning (Thursday) at 11 a.m. on ESPN. One thing we'll learn quickly about Mozgov is how he can handle pick-and-roll defense and if he can avoid foul trouble against quicker, athletic and explosive opponents.And if he can offer a little more that Fredric Weis did on this career-defining play:
[Bloghost note: U.S. players with the potential to repeat Vince Carter's Weis-breaker: Andre Iguogala, Russell Westbrook and Rudy Gay...just in case you're wondering.]
Mozgov has had a nice run through the FIBAs with Russia with averages of 12.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.8 minutes and he is shooting 63.8 percent from the field. The Knicks have been pleased with what they've seen, but there is no reason to believe the 7-1 center into the starting five spot or even predicting he'll make an immediate impact.
What we know so far from the sampling we've seen at the FIBAs is he has very good hands, has impressive agility, embraces the lost fundamental of boxing out and isn't at all shy about physical contact. But it all comes with an asterisk, because most of the testing has been done against smaller players (though it's tough to call Greece's Sofoklis Schortsanitis, at 6-9, 360 pounds, "small").
Against the U.S., he still won't face a great deal of size, either. Tyson Chandler, at 7-feet, is the lone true center on the team and he'll probably spend most of his time going up against Russia's starting center, Sasha Kaun. So that means Mozgov will likely see minutes against the likes of Kevin Love and Lamar Odom.
Mozgov definitely moves well for a 7-footer and that's why I'm very curious just to see how he handles the up-tempo, constant motion game that the Americans play. The Russian team, overall, is a very tough team, especially on defense, and they'll try to slow the U.S. down and exploit their two weaknesses in the halfcourt game: outside shooting and inside scoring. Mozgov, with his length and agility, could play a big role in this.
Or he could wind up using his hands way too much and get lost in switches on the pick-and-roll and find himself frustrated on David Blatt's bench.
Either way, he is still in a comfort zone because the game is played under international rules. He'll have to adjust to the real NBA game later this month, when he arrives for training camp with the Knicks.
And then the critiquing can start all over again.
