INQUISITR.COM / Sports

NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Hit ‘Rock-Bottom’ With Timofey Mozgov Signing

By Ernie Howell
Published on: 13:12 PST, Jul 1, 2016

Rumors are swirling that the Los Angeles Lakers have accepted their fate as one of the worst teams in the NBA as the team signed Timofey Mozgov to a four-year deal worth $65 million Friday.

ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst is among the loudest voices calling the free agency move proof that Los Angeles has fallen on hard times. In a video segment discussing the Timofey Mozgov signing, Windhorst declared that the Los Angeles Lakers have hit their “rock-bottom” stage.

“They’ve reached the point of acceptance, the stages of loss. They’ve accepted that they can’t get the top free agents on the market, so they have to go for the second and third-tier… The reality is the Lakers have, to me, this is rock-bottom because they can’t get Kevin Durant. The Clippers are getting meetings with Kevin Durant. The Clippers who don’t even have salary cap space for him. The Lakers can’t even get at the table.”

By signing Timofey Mozgov in one of the league’s first-announced moves of the free agency season, the Los Angeles Lakers are acting like a team that doesn’t reside in the nation’s second-largest city, according to Windhorst.

“This is a type of move, without disrespect to those franchises, this is the type of move like the Milwaukee Bucks or the Charlotte Hornets would typically have to make. To get a player off the market, they’ve got to go fast, longer than anybody else would offer and more than anybody else would offer. They’re acting like a small-market team right now.”

Windhorst is not alone in calling the Los Angeles Lakers a team that has reached its rock-bottom status. Tom Ziller of SB Nation was more emphatic about the state of the Los Angeles Lakers after signing Timofey Mozgov.

“The Lakers considered themselves exceptional for so long that, for a time, they seemed to forget that horrible teams don’t get LeBrons, Melos, or Durants. They get Mozgovs, and they pay through the nose for the opportunity. The Lakers know now. The Lakers have found their footing, and they are getting comfortable. They are making the moves of a losing franchise, a derelict and moribund team just hoping to graduate from god-awful to mediocre.”

Before the signing of Timofey Mozgov, the Los Angeles Lakers had an estimated $70 million in salary cap space to spend on free agents. Rumors led fans to believe the team was pushing for some of the top free agents on the market, targeting the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and the Toronto Raptor’s Bismack Biyombo, according to the Inquisitr.

Basketball Insiders attempted to defend the signing of Timofey Mozgov. In addition to being an improvement over Roy Hibbert, the Lakers needed a solid veteran to provide leadership to the young Los Angeles athletes acquired through the past three drafts. Timofey Mozgov also has shown consistency when given more minutes on the basketball court, the article explained.

“When given 10-19 minutes: 5.4 points, four rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 52 percent from field (143 games played). When given 20-29 minutes: 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 55 percent from field (126 games played). When given 30-39 minutes: 14 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 58 percent from field (31 games played).”

Timofey Mozgov is expected to become the team’s immediate starter at the center position. Should the Los Angeles Lakers get median production out of Timofey Mozgov, the deal could be considered a success.

“[H]is production should be at, or slightly above, his normal numbers in the 20-29 minute range,” according to Basketball Insiders. “This is solid production for a veteran role player, especially with your young core still on cap-friendly rookie deals.”

In addition to signing Timofey Mosgov, the Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed Jordan Clarkson. The guard earned a four-year deal as well, signing for $50 million over the life of the contract, according to NBC Sports.

Fans are not excited by the Los Angeles Lakers signing Timofey Mozgov, either. The purple and gold supporters have taken to Twitter to voice their opinions of the move, echoing the chorus of analysts calling the move a “rock-bottom” reaction.

Do you think the Los Angeles Lakers have accepted their place as one of the NBA’s worst teams by signing Timofey Mozgov to such a large contract? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images]

Share this article: NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Hit ‘Rock-Bottom’ With Timofey Mozgov Signing
kevin durant Jordan Clarkson Los Angeles Lakers
More from Inquisitr