Stein: Mozgov Traded To Cleveland For 2 First Round Picks

[Mr Burns]

The kind of move that strikes fear into Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls.

[jazzfan1971]

I think I'm the only guy in here that thinks 2 late firsts for a starting center is a steal for Cleveland. Mozgov can play, he's got pretty good per/36 stats and usually produces when he gets minutes.

Two guys drafted in the 20s are two birds in the bush. You'd be incredibly lucky to get one starter with those two picks, more likely one rotation player and one guy who is out of the league when his contract is up.

I think most of us (you) guys over-value late 1st round picks.

[nomansland]

I'm on my phone, but I like to know how is his pick and roll defense? I know he can hit free throws, but if he foul prone? How are his hands, how is his jumper, how is his IQ? Basically, is he more like a Asik, then AV?

Decent PNR defender, shoots FT's in the mid-70s, is foul prone, has stone hands, decent mid-range jumper, decent BBIQ.

Worst thing is the stone hands and the fouling.

[oikosnomos]

Two guys drafted in the 20s are two birds in the bush. You'd be incredibly lucky to get one starter with those two picks, more likely one rotation player and one guy who is out of the league when his contract is up.

I think most of us (you) guys over-value late 1st round picks.

Those picks can be valuable, but not to the Cavs. At least not for 3-4 years. What kind of **** would the Cavs get for waiting to develop those picks and waste the opportunity they have with Love and Lebron now?

[Bourne85]

The kind of move that strikes fear into Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls.

Lol I wasn't serious. I see that type of quote all the time on their board. Was just messing with bulls fans

[Kabookalu]

As a Nurkic fantasy owner, this was my reaction:

[Sixerscan]

How can anyone say this is desperation?

We just flipped just flipped 2018 second-round pick, Memphis's heavily protected 1st rounder and Dion Waiters for Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Timofey Mozgov.

I'm ecstatic.

Well yeah, if you ignore the fact that these were two different trades its fine.

It was three different trades, including the Keith Bogan's trade. Hell, we got the Memphis pick for Jon Leuer way back. You could say we got Mozgov, Shumpert and JR Smith for Dion Waiters and Jon Leuer if you look at the whole picture. Cavs don't care about picks in the 20's or that might materialize in 3 year (and even then, rookies will take years to actually contribute), they have Lebron and Love now. This is whatever one was harping on and now suddenly the Cavs are fools for not stockpiling late 1st rounders? What?

The Cavs replace Dion with JR Smith and got a wing defender and a true center. I'm ecstatic.

I think everyone clearly gets this. It doesn't make this trade a good one.

They don't need to stockpile first rounders. They could have used them better though.

This thinking that "We have LeBron James so nothing else matters" is short sighted and is what screwed up the Cavs with LeBron the first time and screwed the Heat last year/now. In 5 months LeBron has gone from saying "I know this will be a long process" to the Cavs using up all of their bullets to win now. They have no easy way to add to their core now. I hope he likes his how his team is currently constructed because he's pretty much stuck with it. Well he's not, the Cavs are, but you get my point.

[DowJones]

team is just blah all over the place and the trade was too steep a price to pay for an injury prone big who's ceiling is simply above average

Not only that, they just gave a 3yr/$30mil contract to another injury-prone big (who, on cue, got injured and will probably never be fully healthy for the duration of that contract)

Cleveland REALLY has to win now with their moves, as they've mortgaged their future and swung for the fences on multiple levels.

If I was a Cavs fan I would be demanding immediate success, none of that "We have a lot of young guys, it will take time" stuff Lebron was saying - that's not necessarily the case anymore. And Lebron himself remains a question mark as well, in terms of the level he will be able to play at physically + how well he can fit with his new teammates/coach.

What do you mean?

PG: Kyrie Irving (23 years old)
SG: Iman Shumpert (24 years old)
SF: LeBron James (30 years old)
PF: Kevin Love (26 years old)
C: Timofey Mozgov (28 years old)

-Cleveland has ALL of their future first rounders except for 2016. How is the future being thrown away? That is a damn good team. A complete team.

[DefenseWins]

The kind of move that strikes fear into Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls.

he is parodying a user named JordanBulls

[carl_english]

If Cavs really want to win, they should not hesitate to trade Irving

[te887848]

Not a bad move, but I doubt it puts them over the Bulls. Bulls frontcourt is still far superior.

[TKainZero]

Cleveland gets huge props for making moves. Time will tell if they are the right moves, but at least they are making them.
Back when Howard was on the lakers, it was painfully obvious it wasn't working with dantonie as coach, and they needed to move around some pieces.
The lakers did nothing.

Huge props to Cleveland for making bold moves

[panthermark]

The kind of move that strikes fear into Pau Gasol and the Chicago Bulls.

It is a Bulls board thing. Lol

[Nuggets_Talk]

Did DEN give up a 2nd rounder also? Our beat reporter is saying that.

If it is included that helps a bit because I imagine it would be a high 2nd rounder which can net you a 1st round talent without the guaranteed contract (assuming DEN didn't put protections on the 2nd rounder).

Looking like a pick around 40-45

[Blame Rasho]

It is a very solid move for the Cavs. Mozgov can be a real difference maker for them and a guy who you want on the floor in a tight game to get a rebound and defending.

[oikosnomos]

I think everyone clearly gets this. It doesn't make this trade a good one.

They don't need to stockpile first rounders. They could have used them better though.

This thinking that "We have LeBron James so nothing else matters" is short sighted and is what screwed up the Cavs with LeBron the first time and screwed the Heat last year/now. In 5 months LeBron has gone from saying "I know this will be a long process" to the Cavs using up all of their bullets to win now. They have no easy way to add to their core now. I hope he likes his how his team is currently constructed because he's pretty much stuck with it. Well he's not, the Cavs are, but you get my point.

How could they have used them better? They aren't great picks. They are picks from strong Western teams with protections all over them. The Memphis pick alone could net us nothing we needed. The Cavs got a wing defender and a post defender, both of which were top needs for the Cavs.

What exactly are you thinking the Cavs could have got? Cavs are clearly in win now mode, other teams know this. Rebuilding teams aren't going to just give there players away when they could easily just wait.

We basically got everything we knew we needed at the beginning of the year. They did not use all their assets up either. They still have Haywoods contract that they can use, they have all their first rounders except for next years. You make it sound like they gave away everything that they could use to get better for the next 4 years.

Just negative criticism with no insight or understanding.

[ufsports]

LeBron would have been thiiiis close to being a competent GM if weren't for the Varejao extension....

[fast-break]

CLE needed this, should help quite a bit. Not sure how anyone is calling it a bad move.

[DowJones]

If Cavs really want to win, they should not hesitate to trade Irving

I like Kyrie and there is no chance he is traded but I can't help but wonder if a trade of Kyrie for Eric Bledsoe and Miles Plumlee (for example) wouldn't make the team better.

[aal04]

Im now siding with the idea that LBJ isnt injured, and is refusing to play for a while until they get him more help.