Ex-Cleveland Cavalier Timofey Mozgov to Los Angeles Lakers for $64 million? What a country! -- Terry Pluto (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Never again should any Cleveland Cavalier fan complain about the five-year, $82 million deal signed by Tristan Thompson.

Remember how Thompson and his agents were considered greedy and unrealistic during the contract talks? How the Cavs were criticized for giving Thompson too much money, and supposedly doing it because Thompson and LeBron James are represented by the same Klutch sports agency?

Well, that now looks like a very good and fair deal for both sides — especially after Timofey Mozgov just agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

I repeat … TIMOFEY MOZGOV RECEIVED $64 MILLION FROM THE LAKERS!

THE LAKERS WRAPPED UP MOZGOV ONLY 45 MINUTES INTO FREE AGENCY???

That’s right. They moved on him as if he was the reincarnation of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is the same 7-foot-1 Russian center who played only 23 minutes in the 2016 NBA Finals. He lost his starting job early in the season, then fell completely out of the rotation after the Cavs acquired Channing Frye in February.

Here’s the disclaimer: Mozgov is not as bad as he was in 2015-16. The center had knee surgery after the 2015 NBA Finals. He came back too fast in training camp.

Former Cavs coach David Blatt has known Mozgov since the center was 18 years old, while Blatt was coaching in Russia. Blatt told me how Mozgov always struggled with confidence. He was a struggling player when younger. Coordination was a problem because of his different growth spurts.

“He needs a lot of love,” said Blatt.

Insecurity continued to haunt Mozgov during his six-year NBA career. He can run. He can jump. He’s a 73 percent shooter from the foul line, indicating he has a decent shooting touch.

But the pieces have always been better than the whole for Mozgov, who made $4.9 million with the Cavs last season.

THE BIG TRADE

Cavs GM David Griffin made two deals in one week early in January of 2015, turning Dion Waiters and two first-round picks into J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Mozgov. It’s a trade that saved the 2014-15 season for the Cavs, who were barely a .500 team. Mozgov later started through the march to the 2015 NBA Finals.

Mozgov averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the field in 25 minutes a game. He blocked shots and was a impact player defensively. Those 46 games were the best stretch of his career. That’s the player the Lakers must hope they are signing.

Last season, he dropped to 6.3 points, 4.4 rebounds in 17 minutes a game. A big difference was his defense. While some NBA executives question the merits of ESPN’s “real defensive plus/minus” stats, it is revealing when it comes to Mozgov.

• In 2014-15, ESPN ranked Mozgov the No. 7 center in the NBA in defense.


• In 2015-16, ESPN had him at No. 70.

He had ceased to be a factor in the role of what the NBA executives now call “rim protection.”

How much of it was the knee? How much was his confidence?

Playing for the Cavs this season was a pressure-packed experience. Thompson rose to the occasion. Frye was a major factor off the bench until The Finals. Mozgov played only 76 minutes in the postseason, few in meaningful situations.

THE VALUE OF THOMPSON

Thompson’s contract was the product of several months of negotiations between Klutch Sports Agency and the Cavs. The deal was reached in the final week of training camp. Thompson showed up in shape and ready to play. He’s 6-foot-10, unselfish and a very good fit with LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

With the latest wave of crazy contracts being handed out in NBA free agency, Thompson’s deal looks like a great one for the Cavs. And Thompson’s agents — Rich Paul and negotiator Mark Termini — correctly projected how the market was about to rise within a year.

Griffin knew Thompson’s importance. This much we know:

1. He can play in big games. He has played 13 NBA Finals games in two seasons, averaging 10.1 points and 11.6 rebounds.

2. He is durable, playing in 388 consecutive games.

3. He can play power forward or center. He can defend nearly anyone on the court because he moves so well laterally.

4. The Cavs run no plays for him to shoot. He doesn’t care. He lives to rebound and defend on the court.

5. He’s only 25.

The Cavs were ready to move on without Mozgov. They have Kevin Love and Thompson under contract for four more years. They have Frye signed for two more.

But $64 million for Mozgov? Yes, the salary cap rocketed up from $70 million in 2015-16 to $94 million in 2016-17. But this still is outrageous money.

But for this 7-foot-1 Russian center, America is indeed a great country.

Source link

Ex-Cleveland Cavalier Timofey Mozgov to Los Angeles Lakers for $64 million? What a country! -- Terry Pluto (photos)