New York Knicks Vs. Boston Celtics: Tonight Is a Big Night For Timofey Mozgov
Well Knicks fans when the team made the acquisition of Timofey Mozgov, many of you questioned who he was and why he was deserving of a three-year, $9 million contract.
From here on out you get to see if he did. The Knicks have named Mozgov their starting center and tonight they tip off against the Boston Celtics, a team that should prove to be a perfect test to what this kids got.
Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal should be good indicators of whether or not Mozgov is ready to bang with the real centers of the NBA. Yes, both of them are out of their primes, but they provide good representations of what the typical 7'0'' should be like to guard.
They both are easily capable of putting up 12-16 points a game with the right minutes and defensively can body up with the best of them.
Mozgov MUST rebound the ball better if he is this teams long-term solution at the center position. He needs to really get in their faces and box them out hard. This team has been having trouble rebounding the ball and he needs to do his part in fixing that.
The other important thing for Mozgov is that he needs to stay on the floor by eliminating stupid fouls. I know it's only been two games, but even during the FIBA World Championships this guy has been picking up moving pick violations like it's his job.
He's a more than capable player for Mike D'antoni's "Run 'N' Gun" system and should be able to be a solid Pick 'N' Roll guy for the rest of the season and his career.
So Knicks fans, tune in tonight and hopefully you will see an improved Mozgov from the last two games that avoids dumb fouls and works hard on the glass.
If he can play a good game tonight then you should be excited about this season because any production we get out of this kid is a plus for it is unexpected and other analysts barely even consider him when posting their Knicks team predictions for the season.
If you aren't satisfied, remember he is young and he is VERY raw. These things may take a while, so DO NOT give up on him.
I'm out. Knicks vs. Celtics. 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
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