Both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol may walk for their final big career payday, leaving the Chicago Bulls with a hole in the middle. Timofey Mozgov‘s role was downgraded in a new Cleveland Cavaliers system that shifted to starting Tristan Thompson at center. Maybe Fred Hoiberg can use Mozgov as a replacement?
The Chicago Bulls need a legit center who can be a one-man wall in the paint, lurk at the rim, erase lay-ups and clean the boards like nobody’s business.
In free agency, the Bulls may well look at some former opponents who fit better with a player’s coach like Fred Hoiberg than with the King James bible of NBA bench strategy.
Timofey Mozgov’s reduced efficiency as a center for the Cleveland Cavaliers may have been caused by his spate of shoulder injuries and the shift of the Cavalier offense in the paint to Kevin Love as an All-Star inside-outside threat. Mozgov got less minutes and crumbs for points out of that arrangement via the occasional short jumper, backdoor cuts and putbacks if he got lucky.
David Blatt was a victim of a future hall of famer player not liking his brand of winning. Blatt utilized Mozgov much more than new coach Tyronn Lue ever has.
More from Bulls News
- The dream starting 5 for the Chicago Bulls 5 years from now
- Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu inspires the future with new school program
- Chicago Bulls NBA 2K24 full roster ratings, risers, and fallers
- Bulls sign a pair of promising guards to Exhibit 10 contracts
- When does NBA Training Camp start? Dates Bulls fans need to know
Mozgov is no pansy.
Recruiting Mozgov should help Fred Hoiberg more than what many Bulls fans might see on paper right now. The Russian center’s game is exactly what the Bulls were missing last year: a stopper in the paint who will allow Hoiberg to run out more on offense if he is roaming the low post for defensive rebounds and cutting to the rim.
Mozgov might also drastically reduce the amount of layups given up by the Bulls with Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio as a type of twin tower post defense look.
Last year, we winced watching Pau Gasol get undressed night-in and night-out watching opponents drive to the basket at will. Teams that scouted the Bulls would just tell their guards to go for the layup as fast as they could manage if Gasol was the one under their rim.
Gasol was also generally soft on offense and his baskets didn’t put the fear of the Bulls into opponents, knowing they could walk back, wait for Gasol to camp in the paint, then drive at him.
Mozgov can score 12-14 points a night off easy dunks alone. Why would David Blatt or Tyronn Lue shift the gameplan and stop running plays for a mountain in the paint to favor a softer offense via Kevin Love?
Mozgov’s stats dipped from the change in offense plans: 6.3 points per game and 4.4 rebounds down from 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds because of both reduced minutes and less plays called for him.
Analytics-based coaching has its severe downside, too.
Mozgov’s beast basketball is the weightier punch on offense versus the streaky inside-outside production of Love. Having a polished Russian tank of a player bulldozer opposing bigs into submission is the kind of superior advantage every NBA team should never pass over. His season injuries were minor (shoulder), he was mostly healthy the last two years prior and he can still play strong post offense if an NBA team runs plays for him.
On defense, Mozgov keeps loose balls in play for his team and cleans the glass like an old-school center. He also runs out on offense to trail the driving guard or wing for sweet putbacks if they miss and can work an instant pick-and-roll or rim runner that no one can stop. Mozgov is also an underrated passer at the top of the key looking for cutters and shooters.
More from Pippen Ain't Easy
- The dream starting 5 for the Chicago Bulls 5 years from now
- Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu inspires the future with new school program
- Chicago Bulls NBA 2K24 full roster ratings, risers, and fallers
- Bulls sign a pair of promising guards to Exhibit 10 contracts
- When does NBA Training Camp start? Dates Bulls fans need to know
Someone like Tony Snell in the second unit can be more consistent if he has Mozgov looking for him back-cutting to the hoop. Both Mozgov and Jimmy Butler running backdoor cuts and switchbacks would destroy opposing NBA defenses and free up the perimeter for the Bulls’ tall shooters.
The Bulls should go after the underrated Russian center after the championship series if the Cavs forget they have him and sit him through the series. (Mozgov is an unrestricted free agent this summer.)
If the Cleveland Cavaliers lose in the NBA Finals for the second year in a row to the Golden State Warriors, it will be because they let their most powerful mismatch in the paint sit the entire series because of not-so-favorable matchup with shooters.
The Cavs won’t win with Kevin Love matching Klay Thompson‘s offense, but they may steal a game (or two) with Mozgov creating player mismatches in the paint and giving the Cavs second possessions off misses.
GarPax should wise up and steal Timofey Mozgov and pay him what they would pay Joakim Noah. His last paycheck ran just under $5 million and that is highway robbery for an NBA center of his caliber. His game is worth as much as what the Chicago Bulls will pay Taj GIbson (a shade under $9 million) this coming season and Mozgov is more durable than Gibson.
Mozgov at center allows the Bulls the luxury of not drafting underwhelming bigs in this year’s draft and gives Fred Hoiberg the type of center Pau Gasol was not in last season’s rollercoaster ride.
Next: Is Tom Thibodeau looking to acquire Joakim Noah this summer?
An “aggressive change” that the Bulls front office wants could be acquiring Timofey Mozgov this summer.