Flashback Friday: Go, Go Mozilla!
2015-08-28
Taking a short break from the villainy of this week, let’s use a laid back Friday to flashback to a time when a certain Russian big man invaded Cleveland like a gigantic monster that came to help destroy opponents, send their fans fleeing for the exits and nearly cause their head coaches heads to explode.
Yes, he would eventually go by many names (Mozzy, Moz-erati, Ivan Drago, etc.), but on this day in late January, Martin Luther King Day to be precise, Timofey Mozgov was dubbed “Mozilla” in Cory’s terrific recap of Timo’s first home game with his new team in his new city. I’m not sure if Cory was the first to christen this particular nickname, but he was most assuredly the first (with an assist from Arch Stanton) to put it to song…
“Mozilla”
With deep sunken eyes like a giant basset hound
Mozilla pulls all the rebounds down
Helpless Derrick Rose, in so much pain
Stays clear of the paint, cause it’s Moz’s domain
You put up a shot and he throws it back down
In St. Petersburg, he turns ladies frowns upside down
Oh no, they say he’s got to go go go Mozilla
Oh no, there goes Thibodeau go go Mozilla
Mozilla watches again and again
His highlight plays on ESPN
Mozilla!
Mozilla put on a show in his sixth game in a Cavs uniform, brutalizing the Bulls’ front line to the tune of 15 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks, helping the Cavs win the points in the paint margin 46-30. It was the first of three straight double-double games in a row for the new rim protector, and showed him as a force to be reckoned with.
“This was our best defensive game of the year,” said David Blatt. “We have a long way to go but the ship is sailing in the right direction.”
Suddenly, the Cavs who had been fairly porous in the paint defensively, had a means of clogging things up. Having the Mozilla backstop on the court as the ultimate shot diverter and eraser, allowed the trickle down effect of giving the Cavs’ perimeter defenders confidence to take more risks, knowing that if their man got past, he would be there waiting like a certain villain from a Rocky movie…
When David Griffin acquired Mozgov in his mid-season makeover of the Cavs, many wondered if Mozilla had come at too steep a price (two protected first round picks acquired from Memphis and OKC). But he quickly proved his worth to this Cavs team, giving them the big man they needed after Anderson Varejao went down with a season-ending injury to his achilles tendon. Mozilla would go on to produce his career best season, averaging 9.7 points (10.6 after his move to Cleveland, shooting nearly 60%), 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, with 10 double-doubles in the regular season, and five more in the post-season. His PER of 16.59 was also a high mark in his five year career.
It also didn’t take long for people to start gushing about him, including LeBron James…
“It’s funny, I was talking to my friend the other day and I said he’s probably the best, as far as big, true big,” James said. “You know, Chris Bosh is a great big, Kevin Love is a great big. But I’m talking about a true, 7-foot, big guy. He’s probably the best one I’ve played with since Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas). They have different skill sets, but they both have skill. They know how to play. Sometimes you get a lot of bigs that are just big. He knows how to play and it’s great to have him out there.”
Yes, the man whose name was once coined as a verb following an epic Blake Griffin dunk in Timo’s rookie season of 2010, came a long way in his first partial season with the Cavaliers. In addition to manning the middle with quiet menace and sporting maybe the best big man jumper this side of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Moz also rampaged his way into the hearts of Cavs fans everywhere with his off-court interviews and unforgettable commercials…
First the infamous backwards jersey spot (flash back here to John’s classic instant analysis)…
And the follow up with Mozgov’s favorite bartender (flash back to John’s interview with the Brew Garden’s owner Patrick Potopsky)…
Though Mozilla has indicated that he won’t sign an extension with the Cavs this season, here’s hoping that the Cavs will lock up their large Russian bear to a long-term deal during next summer’s cap explosion.
Until then, here’s to another season of glasnost and perestroika!
And Thompson definitely asking for the max… What if he ends up like JR Swish? He takes the $6.8M QO (or whatever it is), then finds out next year he still signs a deal for $16-18M/ year… He just lost $10M+ and the opportunity to re-up one year earlier… He could lose some serious money, and get exiled to the Raptors… I am sure the Cavs front office knows this. If it’s all about money, he won’t be giving Toronto the “home team discount” just to move to a not-as-good team, let’s be real.
Sir’Dominic headed for Canton…
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2015/08/sirdominic_pointer.html#incart_river
TT’s not going anywhere guys. Rich Paul and TT are too close to Lebron to have TT leave. Lebron considers TT too big a part of the Cavs’ success and Lebron knows that management has offered TT more than enough, regardless of Rich Paul and TT’s opinion.
There is no other team in the league where TT fits into his role so well, can get paid way more than he is worth, and have a chance to win a championship every year for the next five years.
That is about why I expect TT to sign long term.
EG, very nice piece on Moz. Very lovable, hard-working, humble guy. Hope he stays around a long time.
Thanks Tom! I share your thoughts on Moz. Hope he’s the Big Z for this Cavs era…
Re TT & Rch Paul – of course we have no idea what’s being said in private. The basic parameters of the deal may already be in place and this IS just posturing to show future clients how tough he is. Wouldn’t be the first time… :)
PAUL NEEDS TO LOOK AT THE RECENT KIDD- GILCHRIST SIGNING / $ 52 MILLION / 4 YRS —-DO BELIEVE HE WAS THE 2ND PERSON TAKEN IN THAT DRAFT AND HIS GAME IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF T.T’S—BELIEVE THE CAVS HAVE OFFERED A FAIR ( ABOVE ) MARKET VALUE FOR T.T.’S SKILL SET
I miss watching the Cavs so much. Still have a hard time believing what Lebron did this past spring…
TOM AGREE WITH YOUR RICH PAUL STATEMENT ( WAS GOING TO POST THE VERY SAME THING —YOU BEAT ME TO IT )
Nomad…I think we’re not alone in how we feel.
While I am kind of with you guys on this, I hope that this is just preseason posturing. If a decent deal gets done, we will have no problem with Rich. On the other hand, if he pulls a stunt like a training camp holdout, put him on the jerk list.
One could say that Rich is just doing his job getting the most for his players. However, his reputation will lead teams to avoid drafting and trading for them – and in the long run that’s going to hurt Rich and his clients. His negotiating tactics add a toxic element to teams. $15MM-$16MM is good money for TT, no matter what the 2016 cap is. If he was worth Draymond Green money somebody would have offered it to him. $18MM – $20MM for TT would ultimately lead to the team’s demise. Saying, “If we sign the qualifying offer we’re going… Read more »
I agree with you about how excessive hard ball agents can harm their client, and everyone else. Plenty of agents have screwed their clients to establish a tough image for themselves in the hope that it will result in bigger payoffs for other clients down the road. If Paul is doing that, he is an A$$Hole. If this results in TT leaving the team, he might have made a huge mistake, because his operation is largely dependent on having the highest profile athlete in the world. If LeBron perceive that Paul has screwed TT and LBJ in a self promotion… Read more »
I’d be interested to see how Lebron reacts to all of this. We know he thinks TT is a cavs “lifer” but would he allow Rich Paul to take one of his favorite players away because his bluff got called in a hard-ball negotiation tactic? TT has been twisting in the wind for months without an offer from anyone because every other team knows the cavs will match. So if there is no market for TT, then what is he worth? We saw Draymond Green get $85 mil but he is an important offensive creator and can guard five positions… Read more »
Question: Is Kyrie a better offensive weapon than CP3? Is Kyrie an impressive ‘pure scorer’? Where does he rank as a ‘pure scorer’?
Kyrie’s definitely a better pure scorer. CP3 is a better floor leader. The better offensive weapon? CP3. I think CP3 is also the better competitor. When he was younger, Kyrie seemed content to “wow” the crowd by making a few amazing plays – re-affirming his place as an exceptional player – and then he’d cruise for awhile. When CP3 steps on the floor it’s all about winning – every play, every minute, every game, and getting the most out of every teammate in the process. Kyrie made huge strides in that direction this year. I just hope he stays healthy… Read more »
He is an a Hou….. or what ever, you know what I mean.
Kyrie is a top 7 offensive player in the NBA and definitely a better pure scorer than CP3. Is he a better “offensive weapon” than CP3? Eh… probably not, but its really close. CP3 is obviously a much better defender.
Windy doesn’t think Kyrie will be out as long as was reported yesterday…
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13531359
He can stay out till St. Patricks Day for all I care
I wish Windhorst would stay out until January.
Boooooom! Nice Raoul.
TT has created a very bad vibe in an otherwise upbeat summer. Going from a big fan favorite to the guy with the biggest chance to screw up a very good thing. Rich Paul may end up high on the villains list!
Oh no there goes Golden State and Draymond Green… Go Go Mozilla!!!
WHICH BRINGS UP THE QESTION NEXT SUMMER ( OR PROBABLY ALL SEASON IF T.T. DOESN’T SIGN ) WHO DO YOU GIVE THE MONEY TO NEXT SUMMER —SORRY T.T. BUT THE MOZ/ MOZILLA HAS MY VOTE !!
You’re damn right, TT is history and he we never close to be a number one in any book. he wants to leave don.t let the door hit you in the ass. if you have an stupid agent then go for it but at the end you’re like carlos Buzzy who sold his sole to Devil. I say by bye tt you’re not even in capital.