Things have been trending downward for Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov recently despite his team's success (they have won eight games in a row). Mozgov was recently taken out of the starting lineup in favor of Tristan Thompson and has seen his playing time reduced, so naturally there have been trade rumors involving the Russian center. Despite the rumors, the Cavaliers have no plans to trade Mozgov, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
It was reported recently that the Cavaliers have been receiving calls for Mozgov, and although they do not want to trade him, the report stated that they might be inclined to do so. These reports were accentuated by the Cavaliers' game in Philadelphia on Sunday when Mozgov did not play in the second half and saw a total of nine minutes.
Now it is being reported that the Cavaliers have no intention of trading Mozgov, and one of the big reasons is because they traded away two first-round picks to get him last season. The Cavaliers also reportedly feel that there isn't an available center who has the same size or potential as Mozgov, so they want to keep him in the hopes that he turns it around.
Mozgov is set to become a free agent after this season, and the likelihood is that he will be looking for more money than the Cavaliers are willing to give him on the open market, so there is the thought that the Cavaliers should get something for him while they can. The Cavs instead feel that having Mozgov come off the bench is worth more than whatever they can get for him in a trade because they are looking to make a run at the NBA championship, and they need as much help as they can get.
Since the game in Philadelphia, when Mozgov was benched for the entire second half, he has recovered, as he played 21 minutes on Tuesday night and scored 10 points while adding nine rebounds. The 7-foot-1 center is definitely someone that can help the Cavaliers as long as coach David Blatt plays him, but if games like the one in Philadelphia are going to become the norm, then there has to be serious consideration given to trading him. For now, though, that doesn't seem to be in the plans.
