Chris Sheridan made an appearence on ESPN radio today to discuss Timofey Mozgov's great game vs the Pistons and what this could mean for Mozgov's future as a Knick and what the acquisition of former Denver Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien could mean for the Knicks acquiring Carmelo Anthony.
Timofey's magnificent night vs the Detroit Pistons last night should be celebrated, but I advise to party with caution. Mozgov's big game came against an already bad Pistons team that played without Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace. A better test for Mozgov will come when he faces Tyson Chandler and the Dallas Mavericks for the first time this season and the first time these two centers will clash since the FIBA World championship this past summer. "He's a good player,'' said Team USA center Tyson Chandler of the Dallas Mavericks. "Big body. ... I think he has a shot to be really good in our league.''
Ironically, Tyson Chandler has been one of the names that have come up recently as a player the Knicks may go after to man their starting center position, along with Marc Gasol. Can Timofey repeat his stellar performance vs the Pistons, against the Tyson and the Mavericks? He had a pretty strong game vs the USA team over the summer, so at least we know the ability is there. But will it be another to convince the Knicks not to look elsewhere for a center this upcoming summer? Stay tuned Wed, Feb. 2, 7:30 pm EST when the Knicks face the Mavericks.
Now as for the Warkentien acquisition. From what I've been reading, this is a major step in the right direction in acquiring Carmelo Anthony from Denver. I read that some fans are worried about this deal because Warkentien was released from his duties in Denver over the past summer, and people since to think that Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke may not want to deal with him. But what we all must realize in the Donnie Walsh is a mastermind when it comes to deals like this and him getting any kind of insider information only puts him in a better position to make a deal with Denver then he has currently.
And Warkentien is being hired as a consultant so he doesn't necessarily have to sit at the negotiation table when Donnie and Masai Ujiri are discussing a deal. So I personally do not think this hurts the Knicks chances of acquire Melo, but rather increases their knowledge on the inner workings and thinking of the Denver Nuggets, which can better result in a completed deal. Stan Kroenke will not be doing his organization a favor by refusing to deal with the Knicks based just off spite because they hired an insider, because even though he has a major hand in the negotiations, the ball is not totally in his court as Carmelo's agreeing to an extension is pivotal to almost any move Denver decides to make.
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