Cavaliers get their (big) man
— -- Here's a breakdown of the trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets.
Cavaliers get: center Timofey Mozgov
Nuggets get: 2015 Memphis first-round pick (protected 1-5 and 15-30), 2015 Oklahoma City first-round pick (top-18 protected)
Cleveland Cavaliers: B+
With their second trade of the week, the Cavaliers have cashed in all their trade chips for this season in an effort to fill the biggest holes that have held them back in the first season of LeBron James' return to Cleveland. Monday's three-team trade with the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder brought the Cavaliers a wing defender ( Iman Shumpert), as well as a first-round pick that Cleveland almost immediately flipped as part of this deal to land a rim protector (Mozgov).
Just as with Shumpert, Mozgov is an obvious fit for the Cavaliers' needs since they signed James and traded for Kevin Love. Cleveland has apparently been trying to pry Mozgov away from Denver for that long, a process that took on added urgency with Anderson Varejao's season-ending Achilles injury. Hence the Cavaliers' willingness to surrender two first-round picks for Mozgov; a high price, but one they were right to pay.
Unfortunately, Cleveland doesn't have much time for patience. Love's free agency this summer creates tremendous pressure to win immediately, as does James' advancing age. The Cavaliers couldn't afford to wait to fill their need for a 7-footer until next summer, when they'll have the ability to add salary using Brendan Haywood's nonguaranteed contract. Cleveland had to make a move now, and Mozgov was an ideal fit.
Mozgov isn't an elite rim protector, but he's solidly above average in this regard. This season, opponents were shooting 48.6 percent within 5 feet of the basket with Mozgov as the closest defender, per SportVU tracking available on NBA.com/Stats. Last season, Mozgov rated even better at 47.1 percent, ahead of other possible Cavaliers targets like Kosta Koufos (47.6 percent) and Samuel Dalembert (52.0 percent). (Koufos has the edge this season, at 44.9 percent.)
By contrast, current Cleveland big men Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love have allowed 51.1 and 59.9 percent shooting around the basket, respectively, and as a team the Cavaliers are allowing opponents to shoot a league-high 56.5 percent when defended within 5 feet, also according to SportVU data.
At the other end, Mozgov is relatively skilled for a 7-footer. While he hasn't been as effective offensively this season as last season -- his true shooting percentage is down to .554 this season from an excellent .584 last season -- while using plays at nearly a league-average rate, Mozgov is a fine pick-and-roll player who can finish around the rim. He's also a threat on the offensive glass. The Cavaliers won't likely ask much of Mozgov offensively, and would be wise to limit his less-efficient post touches, but he can keep defenders honest. And if anyone knows how to use Mozgov, it's Cleveland coach David Blatt, who coached him with the Russian national team at international competitions, including the 2012 Olympics.
This is an important moment for Blatt. I suspect that part of the Cavaliers' urgency to make these deals a month in advance of the trade deadline was a chance to see this squad in action well ahead of the playoffs. Once James is healthy, the Cleveland front office will have addressed many of the justifications for why the team had underachieved this season. If the Cavaliers continue to struggle, it will be on the coach, and other than signing buyout candidates or a free agent like Ray Allen, a coaching change is the last move the organization can make to shake things up before next summer.
On paper, this now looks like a fully realized Cleveland team with a 7-footer to pair with Thompson and Love, and a deeper wing rotation with Shumpert to handle the toughest perimeter matchups. We'll see whether that's good enough.
