How could you not make a reference to Rik Smits when looking at this kid? 7-feet plus, runs the floor well, soars for rebounds and blocks, and can pop-out confidently to shoot the mid-range jumper.
Sure, his skill sets aren't quite there yet, but then again he hasn't really played that many minutes even though he is the starting center. And by the way, now that Rony Turiaf will be out the next few games with a sprained knee, we could really start to see Mozgov come into his own.
Ah, "The Dunking Dutchman"...who doesn't remember that 1994-1995 Indiana Pacers team that won 52 games and got first in the Central Division? The starting five of Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Dale and Antonio Davis, and Smits just out-rebounded and out-shot everyone (don't forget key bench players: Coach Byron Scott and referee Haywoode Workman).
But while everyone remembers Miller and Jackson, they always seem to forget about the big man down low, Rik Smits. He averaged 18 and 8 on the season and then 20 and 7 in the playoffs, and was an integral part of the Pacers run that year. Smits solidified that team with his rebounding, tenacity, and let's face it...he was just EN ...
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Article written by Kris Scotto
New York Knicks, Timofey Mozgov: Rik Smits in Training
November 10th, 2010 by Kris Scotto Leave a reply »
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