Koufos also coming to Denver
Just two days ago the Denver Nuggets didn’t have a 7-footer and probably the hardest name to pronounce on the team was its GM Massai Ujiri.
But a lot has changed in two days, Lawson is now the starting point guard, Nene is the franchise player is the go-to guy. And Denver has gone away from the star power to depth.
And Tuesday night they got bigger and little more foreign as former first round draft pick Kosta Koufos was added to the deal from the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving the Nuggets another foreign big to team up with Nene and Timofey Mosgov. To get Koufos they traded a second rounder.
Koufos also joins the Nuggets youth movement, he will turn 22 on Thursday. The former Ohio State center is listed at 7-foot, 265 pounds and was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2008 after one season with the Buckeyes (just imagine him teaming up with Jared Sullinger).
Koufos has been compared to Mehmet Okur, with a soft touch near the hoop and is also a soft defender. He has 3-point range and can also block a few shots, but his all-around defense is lacking a little.
He is still a student of the game and is still developing. So there is potential.
The Nuggets also are reportedly interested in Memphis Grizzlies center Hasheem Thabeet, who was the second pick in the draft in 2009.