Chris Humphreys – USA Today Sports Images
The Denver Nuggets have already undergone a massive amount of changes this offseason. They have let the NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri and Coach of the Year George Karl go already. Andre Iguodala has also already said that he would not exercise his player option, though he can still re-sign with Denver.
Another move that the Nuggets made that went somewhat under-the-radar is that they executed a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies that sent Kosta Koufos to Memphis in exchange for Darrell Arthur. The biggest result of this is that the Nuggets now only have one center, JaVale McGee, under contract.
The Nuggets, according to a report on RealGM, are trying to change that, though, as they are currently negotiating with center Timofey Mozgov to reach an agreement on a multi-year contract.
Mozgov is undoubtedly best known for getting absolutely annihilated on the wrong end of a Blake Griffin dunk while Mozgov was with the New York Knicks. A large reason for that, other than how crazy Griffin’s dunk was, is that Mozgov has had a relatively inconsequential career in the NBA.
Mozgov just finished his third season in the league and his second full season with Denver. Last season he appeared in just 41 games and played just 8.9 minutes per game while averaging only 2.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game on 50.6 percent shooting. For his career he has only averaged 3.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in 12.1 minutes per game.
The 26-year-old Mozgov has never averaged more than 15.6 minutes per game in a season and has never played in more than 44 games in a season. However, if he does re-sign with Denver, that is definitely going to change.
With Brian Shaw likely instituting the triangle offense, McGee isn’t going to be able to shoulder the full load at center. Mozgov is likely going to get serious run as the Nuggets’ backup center. Whether he will be able to succeed in that role, though, is up in the air.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
