tocov
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Farewell, Timofey Mozgov
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Hell yeah! There I am!
Look how far forward that mofo in the blue shirt beside me is leaning forward - I could've killed him!
Cayman13
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Hell yeah! There I am!
Look how far forward that mofo in the blue shirt beside me is leaning forward - I could've killed him!
I thought the same thing when I saw him...I would've been so annoyed!!
TFIR
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Terry's Talkin' about how Cleveland Cavaliers defense has improved with Timofey Mozgov and Kyrie Irving: Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You can become overwhelmed by numbers in the NBA as the stat geeks try to find a way to measure what a player means to his team.
If you look at the basics, Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov is averaging 9.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and shooting .532 from the field since he joined the team. That was 12 games ago. The Cavs lost their first three with Mozgov, then won the next nine.
Last week, I wrote about how LeBron James loves playing with the 7-foot-1 Russian. The stats show it.
The NBA breaks down things like out-scoring the opposition per 100 possessions. OK, I'll get to the point: In this category, when James and Mozgov play together -- the Cavs are plus-24 points. That's the No. 5 most productive duo in the NBA.
The second best duo on the Cavs? It's Mozgov and Kyrie Irving: 20.1 points.
Here are the next two: Kevin Love and James (17.9) followed by J.R. Smith and Mozgov (16.8).
So Mozgov appears in three of the top four combinations.
As one NBA executive told me, "When Mozgov sets a screen, he sets a screen. That's why the Cavs love it when he comes out and puts a body on someone -- then rolls to the basket."
Perhaps there's some stat about screen-setting, but just watch him play. Mozgov finds a way to spring his teammates open for shots.
Or how about this? Before the recent nine-game winning streak, opponents were shooting .471 vs. the Cavs. That was the second-worst defense in the NBA.
In the last nine games, it's dropped to .424 -- second best in the NBA.
Mozgov is a huge part of this. That's also true for J.R. Smith who has brought some defense to shooting guard. You also can see how Iman Shumpert will help defending guards. He is still coming off a shoulder injury and playing limited minutes.
The Cavs were one of the NBA's worst defensive teams before the trades for Mozgov, Shumpert and Smith. Now, they are among the best. We'll see if it continues, but the change has been stunning.
In the meantime, they are scoring 110 points a game in the nine-game winning streak.
ABOUT KYRIE IRVING
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio SpursKyrie Irving received a lot of attention for his 55-point game, but it's defense that has really been outstanding. Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer
Someone probably has missed his first seven shots in a game and ended up with 50 points, but I have no clue who did until it happened to Kyrie Irving. He threw in 55 points as the Cavs beat Portland (99-94) on Wednesday while James rested his sprained wrist.
Irving's defense has been superb lately. In the last nine games, opposing point guards have averaged only 12 points and shot 30 percent when defended by Irving.
That includes some stars. Consider this list and how they shot when defended by Irving:
Chris Paul, 4-of-15 shooting.
Derrick Rose, 5-of-14 shooting.
Russell Westbrook, 7-of-26 shooting.
Damian Lillard, 4-of-16 shooting.
In that same nine-game span, Irving is averaging 27 points and shooting 53 percent.
So he is outscoring his man by 15 points a game!
Irving has been working hard on his defense all season. He was perhaps the first player to strongly buy into new coach David Blatt. This is Irving's third coach and he's only been in the NBA for four seasons.
Someone who knows Irving told me that the 22-year-old Irving really didn't want to endure another coaching change. He was quick to gain a comfort level with Blatt and assistant coach Tyronn Lue.
The person also said that when Irving signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension on July 1, he was making a commitment to the Cavs. He wanted it to work. He hoped that LeBron James would sign with the team, but there were no guarantees. Blatt and Lue were part of the Cavs contingent to recruit Irving.
It was Owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager David Griffin who did most of the work selling Irving on a different future for the Cavs. Obviously, the maximum contract was a huge chip -- the Cavs could pay him $20 million or more than any other team.
But more than once, a player has signed a maximum contract -- and then still been an attitude problem because he didn't really want to stay with the team.
Irving has been upbeat from the moment he signed the deal, and then played for the USA National Team. It was in the summer where he began to concentrate on defense -- and take some pleasure from it.
And it has continued with the Cavs.
Irving has been willing to allow James to handle the ball, not an easy sacrifice for most point guards who have made an All-Star team. Irving has worked hard on moving without the ball to get open and catch passes from James for jump shots.
In other words, Irving often plays like a shooting guard -- a new role for him. It also was a role that Dion Waiters could never do. Waiters needed the have the ball -- a lot.
Irving has been named to his third All-Star team. He's averaging 22.6 points, shooting .467 (.413 on 3-pointers). Those are All-Star numbers. But his improved defense and willingness to learn a new role on offense has made this his best season of all.
ABOUT THE CAVS
1. Mozgov has a $4.9 million team option for the 2015-16 season. So the center can't be a free agent until the summer of 2016. You can be sure the Cavs will pick up that option.
2. J.R. Smith has a $6.3 million player option for 2015-16. It's not clear if he will pick up his own option, or if he will decide to become an unrestricted free agent.
3. Iman Shumpert can be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning the Cavs can match any offer that he receives.
4. Andrew Wiggins is playing very well in Minnesota, averaging 15.1 points. In the month of January, it's 19.2 points and .465 rebounds. That has led some Cavs fans to wonder if it was wise to trade Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and 2015 first-rounder to Minnesota for Kevin Love. The real answer will come in the playoffs -- how does Love perform in the postseason?
5. Love is averaging 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds. Pretty numbers, but not for him. He is shooting only .424 from the field. But the Cavs have benefited from his 10 rebounds a night. Without the 6-foot-10 Love, they would be a very small team.
6. Bennett continues to struggle in his second pro season. He is averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds and shooting .423 from the field in 16 minutes a game for Minnesota. He also has had some minor injuries. The Wolves are a bad team and there are minutes and shots available. Wiggins has grabbed them and produced. Bennett has not.
7. Part of the reason Denver traded Mozgov is because they have a young center named Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian is 6-11, 280 pounds. He moved into the lineup after Mozgov departed, and is averaging 6.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in 23 minutes a game, shooting 40 percent. He's only 20 and very raw. but the Nuggets believe he'll mature into a good pivot man. They also wanted the two future first-rounders that the Cavs sent their way.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You can become overwhelmed by numbers in the NBA as the stat geeks try to find a way to measure what a player means to his team.
If you look at the basics, Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov is averaging 9.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and shooting .532 from the field since he joined the team. That was 12 games ago. The Cavs lost their first three with Mozgov, then won the next nine.
Last week, I wrote about how LeBron James loves playing with the 7-foot-1 Russian. The stats show it.
The NBA breaks down things like out-scoring the opposition per 100 possessions. OK, I'll get to the point: In this category, when James and Mozgov play together -- the Cavs are plus-24 points. That's the No. 5 most productive duo in the NBA.
The second best duo on the Cavs? It's Mozgov and Kyrie Irving: 20.1 points.
Here are the next two: Kevin Love and James (17.9) followed by J.R. Smith and Mozgov (16.8).
So Mozgov appears in three of the top four combinations.
As one NBA executive told me, "When Mozgov sets a screen, he sets a screen. That's why the Cavs love it when he comes out and puts a body on someone -- then rolls to the basket."
Perhaps there's some stat about screen-setting, but just watch him play. Mozgov finds a way to spring his teammates open for shots.
Or how about this? Before the recent nine-game winning streak, opponents were shooting .471 vs. the Cavs. That was the second-worst defense in the NBA.
In the last nine games, it's dropped to .424 -- second best in the NBA.
Mozgov is a huge part of this. That's also true for J.R. Smith who has brought some defense to shooting guard. You also can see how Iman Shumpert will help defending guards. He is still coming off a shoulder injury and playing limited minutes.
The Cavs were one of the NBA's worst defensive teams before the trades for Mozgov, Shumpert and Smith. Now, they are among the best. We'll see if it continues, but the change has been stunning.
In the meantime, they are scoring 110 points a game in the nine-game winning streak.
ABOUT KYRIE IRVING
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio SpursKyrie Irving received a lot of attention for his 55-point game, but it's defense that has really been outstanding. Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer
Someone probably has missed his first seven shots in a game and ended up with 50 points, but I have no clue who did until it happened to Kyrie Irving. He threw in 55 points as the Cavs beat Portland (99-94) on Wednesday while James rested his sprained wrist.
Irving's defense has been superb lately. In the last nine games, opposing point guards have averaged only 12 points and shot 30 percent when defended by Irving.
That includes some stars. Consider this list and how they shot when defended by Irving:
Chris Paul, 4-of-15 shooting.
Derrick Rose, 5-of-14 shooting.
Russell Westbrook, 7-of-26 shooting.
Damian Lillard, 4-of-16 shooting.
In that same nine-game span, Irving is averaging 27 points and shooting 53 percent.
So he is outscoring his man by 15 points a game!
Irving has been working hard on his defense all season. He was perhaps the first player to strongly buy into new coach David Blatt. This is Irving's third coach and he's only been in the NBA for four seasons.
Someone who knows Irving told me that the 22-year-old Irving really didn't want to endure another coaching change. He was quick to gain a comfort level with Blatt and assistant coach Tyronn Lue.
The person also said that when Irving signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension on July 1, he was making a commitment to the Cavs. He wanted it to work. He hoped that LeBron James would sign with the team, but there were no guarantees. Blatt and Lue were part of the Cavs contingent to recruit Irving.
It was Owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager David Griffin who did most of the work selling Irving on a different future for the Cavs. Obviously, the maximum contract was a huge chip -- the Cavs could pay him $20 million or more than any other team.
But more than once, a player has signed a maximum contract -- and then still been an attitude problem because he didn't really want to stay with the team.
Irving has been upbeat from the moment he signed the deal, and then played for the USA National Team. It was in the summer where he began to concentrate on defense -- and take some pleasure from it.
And it has continued with the Cavs.
Irving has been willing to allow James to handle the ball, not an easy sacrifice for most point guards who have made an All-Star team. Irving has worked hard on moving without the ball to get open and catch passes from James for jump shots.
In other words, Irving often plays like a shooting guard -- a new role for him. It also was a role that Dion Waiters could never do. Waiters needed the have the ball -- a lot.
Irving has been named to his third All-Star team. He's averaging 22.6 points, shooting .467 (.413 on 3-pointers). Those are All-Star numbers. But his improved defense and willingness to learn a new role on offense has made this his best season of all.
ABOUT THE CAVS
1. Mozgov has a $4.9 million team option for the 2015-16 season. So the center can't be a free agent until the summer of 2016. You can be sure the Cavs will pick up that option.
2. J.R. Smith has a $6.3 million player option for 2015-16. It's not clear if he will pick up his own option, or if he will decide to become an unrestricted free agent.
3. Iman Shumpert can be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning the Cavs can match any offer that he receives.
4. Andrew Wiggins is playing very well in Minnesota, averaging 15.1 points. In the month of January, it's 19.2 points and .465 rebounds. That has led some Cavs fans to wonder if it was wise to trade Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and 2015 first-rounder to Minnesota for Kevin Love. The real answer will come in the playoffs -- how does Love perform in the postseason?
5. Love is averaging 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds. Pretty numbers, but not for him. He is shooting only .424 from the field. But the Cavs have benefited from his 10 rebounds a night. Without the 6-foot-10 Love, they would be a very small team.
6. Bennett continues to struggle in his second pro season. He is averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds and shooting .423 from the field in 16 minutes a game for Minnesota. He also has had some minor injuries. The Wolves are a bad team and there are minutes and shots available. Wiggins has grabbed them and produced. Bennett has not.
7. Part of the reason Denver traded Mozgov is because they have a young center named Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian is 6-11, 280 pounds. He moved into the lineup after Mozgov departed, and is averaging 6.8 points and 7.9 rebounds in 23 minutes a game, shooting 40 percent. He's only 20 and very raw. but the Nuggets believe he'll mature into a good pivot man. They also wanted the two future first-rounders that the Cavs sent their way.
Kevalier
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Austin Carr is one of the friendliest and most genuine dudes I've ever met, but referring to Timofey Mozgov as "The Big T" when "Mozgod" and "Mozilla" are at his disposal is a legitimately fireable offense.
Rick Astley
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You never know. If he meant The Big Terminator, AC may just keep his job!
Man, Terminator Mozgod sounds kickass.
Scholar
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You never know. If he meant The Big Terminator, AC may just keep his job!
Man, Terminator Mozgod sounds kickass.
I think you meant to say "The Mozinator."
The Process God
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So what the hell was up with Mozgov's defense on Pekovic? He was playing him too much to Pek's right every time Pek was on the left side of the basket. Pek would just push right, and then spin left for an easy look (although Pek missed one he should've made). I'm not sure why he kept on guarding Pek too far to Pek's right.
tocov
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Explanation:
Players sometime have off nights.
Although I don't think Mozgov had an off night, he was good. But for some reason let Pekovic score on him when he went to the baseline.
TT was in beast mode in the 4th and nothing could go through him, add to that the overall much much better team D that forced shots on end of the clock and put a lot of pressure and you have this stat, which doesn't mean a lot in the long run.
Players sometime have off nights.
Although I don't think Mozgov had an off night, he was good. But for some reason let Pekovic score on him when he went to the baseline.
TT was in beast mode in the 4th and nothing could go through him, add to that the overall much much better team D that forced shots on end of the clock and put a lot of pressure and you have this stat, which doesn't mean a lot in the long run.
I apologize for my English, but I'll try.
I think that there are 3 reasons affected:
1. Timo always had problems with players that more powerful than he is. If the player can push him in the paint, Timo has a problem. The question is why he did not get help, because with Thompson the team immediately began to doubleteam. And this brings us to the second reason
2. It seems that the team believes so much in Timos defense, that no one thought to help him.
3. Timo is not a superstar, he is unstable and has big gaps in his technique, have problems with catch the ball. But he is very obedient, intelligent, hard worker altruist.
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Tristan plays more time against second units and more time with line-ups with other plus defenders. (Shumpert, Marion, etc). Mozgov is literally asked to anchor the defense.
Mozgov also posts the superior DRtg at the moment, with his first 3-4 games(a big chunk of his time here at this point) being in the middle of our disastrous no-LBJ stretch.
I think Mozgov got frustrated that Pekovic was literally beating him up on both ends of the floor, not with better play or more muscle, but with a lot of shoves and pushes and elbows and flailing arms, and nothing was getting called. Pekovic's baseline move is also a really good move for a bigman, not many dudes that big can spin like that. Overall, I thought Mozgov competed hard and played really well offensively. He's way more in control of himself than I expected.
RedeemTeam
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Noticed that too, he was giving up the baseline every time. All he had to do was move like a foot to his right. That was weird.