The SHort Jumper he hit was nice skill.

The Reverse Layup he had was an athletic achievement for a 7-1 player that nobody heard of before!

But what blew me away as the rebounding and an outlet pass he made that started a break! That got me excited to his potential on this team!!!!

I expect lots of fouls and this will keep him off the court. If he can stay on the court long enough to get Schooled I would hope his second 41 games we could hope for much improved play. Fatigue is another factor as he is not used to the NBA season.

Moz did about 4 things yesterday that made me reach for some Kool Aid.

Nalod wrote:But what blew me away as the rebounding and an outlet pass he made that started a break! That got me excited to his potential on this team!!!!

I noticed this too and had me salivating on what this would really look in the long run. Lamar Odom nicknamed him "Wilt Chamberlain" after their game in the World Championship. He is just a big man that is going to throw his weight around and is suprisingly skilled. I think the language barrier is the only reason why he would not start right away. He will really compliment Amare and Gallo in the front court.

The mold that was used for Mozgov was broken three days before he was conceived.

Albert Einstein was secretly hired by the government to develop the correct uniform number for Mozgov, it was 3.14

misterearl wrote:Stay Thirsty My Friends

Nalod, the entire "foul trouble" stereotype is a false rumor started by some hack who does not critique basketball players as individuals. The assumption was made that because Mozgov was a 7' Russian, that he must conform to some prejudiced idea of what his skill set was. That was not fair to him and not fair to us as fans.

College draft picks play Summer League to get a preview of how NBA refs call the games and they are more strict than the regular season to offer clues to the new guys.

So what is the response...?

"Ooh, he must be Ivan Drago from the Rocky movie, ha ha..."

Wrong.

This seven foot yoot is fluid and moves with a quickness that is rare for men his height. His footwork in the post is like a dancer. Mozgov is light on his feet and changes direction well.

The insipid reports on Mozgov being a foul magnet only validate how lazy Knicks beat writers are in their research. If there is any issue with foul trouble, is it any different from any other rookie big man who needs to adjust his aggressiveness to the NBA refs?

The beauty of Mozgov is his athletic physique. He runs the floor. His movements are fluid and less likely to be targeted as a large player who moves with more awkward and visible contact. He is a diligent worker. Guys like that don;t make the same mistake twice. Ergo, he will only get better with experience.

He is, the most interesting Knicks player in the world...

Very very good point and well taken. I commented on his only after I saw him play. CLyde said he should use his feet than try to reach in on one instance and I can see he is trying to block everything in site particually from behind. He was picking up fouls at a good rate yesterday.

I said we should see a big imporovement in the second half of the season as I expect he has to learn when to give up to preserve his playing time. David Lee looked lazy at times but after a while you learn when you are beat and any effort further creats "and one's" making it bad. Amare is very guilty of this but his presence is way too important on offense.

Moz is very fluid as you said and perhaps a lesser athlete would not attempt half of what he does.

Ignorance breeds fear and suspision and beat writers who never saw this kid did stereotype him.

From what I saw, I'd say they are right for all the wrong reasons. I do think one big factor in his signing is an ability to play up to a new level and some coaches/Scouts can get this one right. The NBA game is bigger and faster to what he is used to. If our coachs/scouts get this right, then the Moz has a shorter learning curve and should adapt.

I expect the beat writers to eat crow by the allstar break.

He also looks like he is enjoying himself.

I think there's no way that Turiaf can hold onto his starter position with this kid showing this much talent and size. He's just a victim of a better talent forcing his way into the starting job. It's early and he'll likely have some rough outings, but you can see the talent and at some point this year I can see him taking over. I'm just very happy about this pick up by Donnie and the Euro Scout Wilson I think.

The Mozgov Cocktail is one of those guys that is going to be a true joy to watch blossom.

It is kinda funny how over the summer people killed Walsh for wasting all this money on a total unknown. Then we see him in the WCs and its like holy crap. The guy is huge, athletic and going toe2toe with the NBA bigs and often winning.

Then the reports of his skills, size and gushing coaching staff.

Then we see him for 20 preseason minutes next to Amare, Gallo, Felton, etc

Now Walsh is exec of the year and its an Ultimate Knicks bukkake-fest over Mosgov's potential.

Nice to discuss these things instead of Larry Brown's rotations or what top player will be taken with the lottery pick we owe to some team thanks to Isiah's trades.

Just remember... you dont compare Mosgov to other players. You compare other players to Mosgov.

Spilled coffee on keyboard alert:

"he may not understand English as said but he understands "get that shyt out of here!"

Imagine what happens when The Garden warms up to his effort and enthusiasm.

Somebody get the NBA Store on the phone!!