Cavs Give Up Two 1st Round Picks (!) for Timofey Mozgov
By Jason McIntyre
Timofey Mozgov, the 7-foot-1 Denver Nuggets rim protector, has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs, who found out after 30 games that the team needed some tinkering, traded 6th man Dion Waiters earlier this week for help on the wing (Iman Shumpert) and now are closing in on interior help in the form of Mozgov, who is 31st in the NBA in blocks (1.17 per game).
According to Woj, the Cavs parted with two 1st round draft picks – from Memphis and Oklahoma City – for Mozgov. If that sounds like an expensive price, it is, but maybe not immediately. Both of those picks are protected and it’s unlikely the Cavs would have seen them this year (barring injuries in OKC), and perhaps not even next year.
Mozgov is best known as The Guy Who Blake Griffin Detonated On in 2010. Despite being 7-foot-1, Mozgov doesn’t always dunk when he’s around the rim. It’ll be interesting how the Cavs divide up their frontcourt minutes: Tristian Thompson, Kevin Love and Mozgov. Given coach David Blatt’s history with Mozgov – he coached the center on the Russian national team – Thompson’s going to have his minutes cut.
Did the Cavs run this one by LeBron? I get that Sam Dalembert isn’t the decent interior player he once was, and at 33, his career is just above over, as the Knicks waived him this week. I’m surprised they didn’t even give him a shot before swinging a deal for Mozgov.