Timofey Mozgov Scores 13 in Loss to USA
by Seth on Sep 9, 2010 1:35 PM EDT
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PrintWhen Knicks fans win and America wins, everybody wins! The United States team pulled away in the second half to knock Russia out of the FIBA World Championships, but Timofey Mozgov got his chance to spin and looked pretty sharp in backup minutes. Here's a quick summary of what we saw:
- Timofey backed up Sasha Kaun and definitely outplayed him. He probably could've snatched more of Kaun's minutes had he not been in foul trouble throughout the game. Be it on loose balls, moving screens, or shot contests, Mozgov is a physical player, and his timing and positioning will have to be a little sharper if he ever wants to get major NBA minutes. That said, Mozgov won't be getting major minutes this season, so he's welcome to foul away. The Knicks could use that physicality...well, maybe not the moving screens.
- One of Mozgov's fouls came when Derrick Rose drove to the rim and Timo pasted his shot against the backboard. The refs whistled a phantom foul, but not a single Knicks fan saw the call because we were all changing our underpants.
- Russia played a ton of zone, and often switched when they found themselves in man-to-man. Mozgov thereby found himself stranded at the top of the key a lot, but did a solid job of granting quicker players like Kevin Durant and Chauncey Billups a step while still contesting their jump shots. He actually got a piece of a Durant jumper and deterred a few others.
- Kenny Smith would call Mozgov a "shallow water" player because he didn't score at all outside the immediate vicinity of the rim. He did plenty of work, though, setting screens high, low, and on the baseline, and rarely planting himself in one spot. Timo picked, rolled, set up, then rinsed and repeated if the ball didn't come his way. He's a delight to watch off the ball. And when the ball did find him, Timo showed he has what it takes to catch and finish with contact. Mozgov connected some dunks with contact, and also showed the ability to hang and adjust with hands in his face.
- Rebounding-wise, Mozgov was as advertised. He did a nice job boxing out, but didn't really get after boards like you'd hope he would. Particularly on the offensive glass, there were a handful of loose balls that Timo might have secured if he'd committed a bit more. He'll need to step up that aspect of his game to distinguish himself on these newly David Lee-less Knicks.
- Sasha Kaun is shaped like a trapezoid.
All in all, Mozgov held his own against NBA talent and lived up to his billing as a flawed but effective player. Nobody anywhere is saying he'll be a hall-of-famer, but I expect him to be a contributor on this season's Knicks if Mike D'Antoni grants him the minutes. Mozgov has an excellent feel for the pick-and-roll, and the physicality to tussle with NBA players, and I see no reason why he can't be a rotation player on day one. Timo 4 lyfe.
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i want mozgov starting by the end of the season
whos with me …. hes a better fit for the offense then turiaf and he plays good d for a guy is size
"plays good d for a guy his size" = completely false statement
I always see this term about certain players but no one ever actually explains why. They just say it just to say it without knowing what it means at all.
If anyone can actually explain WHY Mozgov is a good defender then cool, otherwise “X player plays good defense” is a completely false statement.
We all arent journalists
you have to look within a statement sometimes to get an answer..i know that may lead to misconceptions..but shit.. “plays good d for a guy his size” isnt falst..how can it be..its a opinion.
But yea, that quote means(imo, from watching the games)that though he is 7’1", he is very agile and holds lateral quickness that few centers his size have. He is more than capable of staying in front of his man. But again, he played a lot of top of the key defenst..guarding the likes of billups and other smaller players..so his post defense is not something that was on display against team USA. Team usa is small though.
Mosgov challenged a lot of shots..which i believe made a impact on the result.. a few forced layups that missed(seen him slap pretty high on the glass on one play) and he also jumps out on perimeter shots.. also resulting in a few missed 3 pters.. Defense relies a lot upon the motor and lateral quickness of a player..both of which mosgov has… He did get a few fouls (some of which were pretty flaky) but if he’s expected to get 15mins max, foul trouble wont be an issue.
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
except for those moving screens
he could avergae 3 turnovers a game doing that shit. in 15 something minutes that could be a real detriment.
other than that, you’re right on. the guy is big enough and quick enough to play good defense, couple that with a desire to be active, and you have someone wo can help propel the team to a couple wins.
/// aighttho.com \/// twitter.com/aighttho \
I seen the call on the blocked shot.
He got all ball but Rose drew contact in mid air with his shoulder. It could have went both ways. The contact was minor so a no call would have been more fit in my opinion.
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That or the chamber. Its a coin flip.
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 9, 2010 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I got Tails 2 out of 3...
the chamber it is
by black hova on Sep 9, 2010 3:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
man get real...do both!!
And ensure the job is properly performed.
Wake after @Seth’s Mom’s ;-)
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
saw the game
In the NBA, I think it would have been 80% a no call…Timo just had all ball completely and the minor contact wouldn’t have affected the dunk/layup if Timo whiffed on the block…but you never can tell with refs these days…
He definitely looks like he can hang in the NBA game, liking this pickup more and more…he’s going to be serviceable & should learn a lot from Amare, Turiaf & DAntoni
"I want it all, and I want it as quickly as I can get it." - Keith Bulluck
I love when they cut to the crowd after the foul call
There’s a chubby Russian fan wearing what looks like an aviator helmet giving the finger and screaming “BOOOO! BOOOOO!” over and over again. Get that man a Knicks jersey, some blue jeans, and a snickers bar! Welcome comrade! In Russia, ball blocks you!
I think they're pondering giving him a non-guaranteed contract
My name's Gus Johnson; I get buckets.
by ThisIsTraps on Sep 10, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
One thing I noticed was
Mozgov leaves his feet A LOT. A few of the times he ended up on the outside he would anticipate a shot being taken and jump without the ball handler even pump faking.
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He can be our birdman!
Players like this are hard to find, turiaf and mosgov will flip some heat players with that physical play. Its gonna be a fun season
Sasha Kaun is shaped like a trapezoid.
Just felt compelled to repost this sentiment
New minorleague site coming soon, with contributions from those who were not seen fit for this site
One of those point guards looks like The Penguin.
I can’t remember his name but he was basically being used for fouls. He had a nose from hell.
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 9, 2010 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions
my favorite mozgov scene from today was watching him yell and try to convince the ref he went straight up. a little of his russian fire mixed with gallo’s italian zest and turiaf’s french theatrics will at least stir the garden in ways in hasn’t been in years.
i agree with the posts… he is who we thought he is. he runs fluid, doesn’t stop moving, boxes out, contests, dunks and plays team ball… and it’s a good starting point with possibly a very good end point.
My favorite moment was when he tried to dunk on Chandler
Got the And 1 and yelled in Chandler’s face for a quick second. I wonder what that sounded like.
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 9, 2010 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Your post
makes me think of salad dressing.
by twincitiesknick on Sep 9, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Lol
French
Russian
Italian
Awesome!
All we need is a guy from a Ranch
by ben linus on Sep 9, 2010 7:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
zest garden
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
Those box outs look so annoying and frustrating.
It like, can you please not stick your ass directly into me? Can you stop moving so vigorously? It looks like you’re grinding on my crotch, calm down bro!
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 9, 2010 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe they put stuff like that in print
So inappropriate.
My name's Gus Johnson; I get buckets.
as seen here
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.checkoutmycards.com/CardImages/Cards/262/253/01F.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.checkoutmycards.com/Cards/Basketball/1976-77/Topps&usg=__PRj15I3v_S-k2XTk6HIGzIWGHHY=&h=1140&w=775&sz=103&hl=ja&start=53&zoom=1&tbnid=0YyVQ5B0CbXcDM:&tbnh=169&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbill%2Bwalton%2Bcard%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dja%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1066%26bih%3D636%26tbs%3Disch:10,1640&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=242&vpy=269&dur=74&hovh=272&hovw=185&tx=90&ty=216&ei=CC-JTP-lNIyGvgOUqoi8DQ&oei=2y6JTOvmJY67ceeDpPUK&esq=7&page=4&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:53&biw=1066&bih=636
(long pause)
and grinning about it! roflmao
"I am not now at all sure that the tendency to treat the whole thing as a kind of vast game is really good - certainly not for me who find that kind of thing only too fatally attractive." - J R R Tolkein
true true...
and while i loved dlee, clearly his rebounding stats didn’t help the teams rebounding stats… maybe mgov throwing his ass around will not only help the team outrebound their opponents, but he also might get a lot of guys ejected because they’re so irritated by his love of the lost art of boxing out
Lithuania Undefeated?
If so it’ll be a good game :D
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 9, 2010 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I saw most of the first three quarters
I was pleased with what I saw. Dude boxes out like no tomorrow and sets mean screens. I hope to see him on the floor for a majority of the games and filling in behind Turiaf.
I dont care
this guy was a good signing
if it were the Spurs this would be another genius move by the Spurs oh my god they continue to pluck international talent
since its the Knicks it doesnt get positive headlines
watching the game I forget the announcers name but he was a coach and has a good eye for talent I think he coached UCLA back in the day anyway he said he should of been a top 15 pick for a big man because of all the questionable 1st rd picks that were big guys
the guy can play im not saying he is Patrick Ewing or anything
I just think he is talented and big, something we need
my hopes are a Camby like player, he doesnt need to score just get boards blocks etc
he got all ball on D Rose man
Some things I noticed
On D, Mosgov seems to bring his hands down when someone drives in and makes contact. Maybe it’s an instinctual thing where he starts to ball up to brace for the contact. He needs to work on keeping those hands up. I was surprised at how well he was able to move laterally with guys of team USA’s quickness, but his feet need work in terms of getting into the correct position to block a shot. We really don’t need him to block shots, we just need him to contest shots, fill the lane, and D up on big men who put us to shame last year. He definitely lacks the explosive jumping ability to be a Birdman or Camby type player, so maybe we should stop trying to compare him to that type of player. If Mosgov works hard on his post-up D and develops a respectable 10ft jumpshot, I think he can be a quality player in the league. Even if he doesn’t, he should fit in nicely as a backup center who puts in the excellent effort.
i dont think
ive seen a camby or birdman reference when talkin about Mosgov. And to be honest.. jumping ability means nothing if you have terrible timing. And timing means everything if you have no hops (turaif) Mosgov has little jumping ability as far as verticals go, but he times his jumps well enough that he alters shots consitantly, and gets a few blocks too.
Agreed about being in better position to blcok shots…he gets fouls this way ( saw in games other than usa)
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
agreed
I was refering to comparisons above in which people hoped Mosgov could fill a role similar to Anderson or Camby. I would certainly agree that timing is ultimately much more important than athleticism in terms of blocking shots. Both Anderson and Camby aggressively try to alter or block shots, but as you know, they have a much better feel for timing. Both of them do a good job forcing players to adjust. I don’t think timing is something you can teach, but footwork and positioning are (a little) more possible. So, I just hope he can improve his defensive fundamentals and learn to take charges, contest shots by staying in position and keeping his hands up, and play team defense. These things don’t make you an imposing force at the post, but they will help our team.
Starting not really to care whether he actually grabs rebounds
be nice if he would and lets the others run the break…but still, if he boxes out his man and say….Gallo, gets the board, that’s OK to me.
But how much of it is what he’s being told? To me, if you know how to box out..all it takes is simply going after the ball, which is effort and hustle. He’s got 3/4 of the battle down, the guy seems to know how to box out everyone.
I’ve seen nothing to say that he won’t be a solid energy player right away. As time goes on who knows, but I see a Tyson Chandler type dude out there. I know many wanted TyChan on the team too, so maybe we got a younger less injured one.
It may be that on that Russian team
They do this as a technique – have the biggest guy box out and let someone else a little quicker grab the rebound. In the US, a power forward prospect is going to have to get his rebounding stats up to make it in the NBA. Maybe in the Euro leagues it’s different and they think of rebounding in a team sense. It’s good to know he is boxing out at least.
good pointq
I also think that they love him in transistion b/c of his Pik n roll game.. so they dont ask him to stay in the paint for rebounds.. he boxes guys out like fuckin ups.
Hold up… UPS…. Mosgov=UPS It works! Hes international, and keeps going like the energizer bunny.
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
I'm mostly worried about his fouls
FIBA is more physical than the NBA and they allow moving screens and if he’s getting in foul trouble there, how long is he going to be able to stay in the game here?
i mean, he said he only expects to play 10-15 mins/game this year
So he can pretty much hack away while he’s adjusting to the NBA game. As long as he makes ’em count.
Robin Lopez
Last year, Robin Lopez became the starting center for the Suns. He wasn’t flashy, and he didn’t get great stats, but he boxed out, played solid defense, and set screens.
And the Suns’ rebounding margin with and without Lopez in the starting lineup clearly showed Lopez’s great affect on the team’s rebounding success. The Suns actually finished well positive in overall rebounding margin last season.
So, Mr. Mozgov, please try to copy Robin Lopez.
He was a little farther along than what I was initially expecting
and overall I am pleasantly surprise and pleased….
He looks like a high energy guy, that plays physically, works hard, has passion, decent basketball IQ, can move well without the ball, can play a little pick and roll & passed well.His defense was decent, moves well laterally for a big guy, can work on his foot work more, he could set better screens, didn’t really show a post up game (but we kinda all knew that about him), can be a better rebounder…basically he’s a lot better than I was expecting
"I want it all, and I want it as quickly as I can get it." - Keith Bulluck
our boy has one more game it seems....
it’s against scola
scola plays the 5 on that team?
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
though this is going to be for placing it's tomorrow though in turkey time
meaning it’s 2am here in the philippines just to watch them joust for i think 5th place or something like that
http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/p/schedule.html
the sched shows that he has 2 more games
look forwward to hearing
how he did against another high motor guy who boxes out
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
DAH!
The guy is not soft and that is what we need. Lets root him on for ten minutes a game for now and improving while the season ends as we enter the playoffs to 15 solid minutes. “GO KNICKS” Our front line of Stoudemire/Turiaf/Chandler
Our second unit front line of Gallinari/Mozgov/Randolph. That is a pretty good rotation for me to root for towards the playofffs. I said Playoffs not Practice.
u never fail to not mention
how you want gallinari on the 2nd unit!
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
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