Don’t look now, but Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov and Russia may be the only thing standing between U.S. and the gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mozgov and Russia are off to a 4-0 start and won the Group B with a couple of impressive victories.

Mozgov is averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in the Olympics and has been a big part of Russia’s victories over Brazil and Spain. Mozgov scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help Russia sneak past Brazil 75-74. He followed that up with another solid performance against Spain’s Marc and Pau Gasol. Mozgov scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Russia beat the heavily-favored Spain, 77-74. He also dunked the ball with 18 seconds left to break the tie.

Ironically in both games Mozgov faced former teammates. Nene in Brazil and Rudy Fernandez with Spain. Russia finishes up poll play Monday against Australia.

It will be interesting to see how Mozgov’s strong play in the Olympics will impact his play next season. Hopefully it will give the 7-foot-1 center some added confidence. Toward the end of last year, he was the odd man out. Fans saw him as being replaceable and the coaching staff lost confident in his game.

Mozgov, who had 12 DNP-CD (Did not play-coach’s decision) after the JaVale McGee trade, struggled with his confidence down the stretch and fell behind both McGee and Kosta Koufos in the rotation.

Despite McGee’s new $44-million/4-year contract there is a good chance that Mozgov begins the season as the Nuggets starting center. Mozgov’s defense against Andrew Bynum was impressive and McGee played much better coming off the bench than starting.

It’s easy to forget that Mozgov struggled with a sprained ankle down the stretch of last season, when healthy he was a big part of the Nuggets rotation. No doubt the big man is hoping to have a breakout season, especially since it is his contract year.

July 16, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Brazil center Nene (13) talks to United States forward Carmelo Anthony (15) in the second half at Verizon Center. Team USA won 80-69. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

It has been a year and a half since the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony and it’s interesting to see some of the movement (or not movement) with the players involved.

The trade involved three teams, 13 players, four draft picks and cash. Only five players remain with the team they were traded to and two players have since won NBA titles.

In the deal, the Nuggets received Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov and Wilson Chandler from the New York Knicks and Kosta Koufos from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They also got a second round pick from the Knicks in 2012 and 2013 and a first round pick in 2014.

• Gallinari, Mozgov, Chandler and Koufos are still with the Nuggets.
• Denver traded Felton to the Portland Trailblazers in a draft day deal which landed Andre Miller and Jordan Hamilton. The Blazers traded Felton back to the Knicks this summer.
• The Nuggets drafted Quincy Miller with the 2012 second round pick (which belonged to Golden State) that they got from New York.

The Knicks received Anthony, Anthony Carter, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams from the Nuggets and Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves.

• Anthony is the only player that is still on the Knicks.
• Carter and Williams left as free agents at the end of last season. Carter ended up on the Toronto Raptors and Williams on the New Jersey Nets. Both are still unsigned this off-season.
• The Knicks picked up Billups team option last year (they could have bought up him out for $3.2 million), but than used the amnesty clause on him to sign Tyson Chandler. They were stuck paying Billups $14.2 million contract last season while he played for the L.A. Clippers. Billups re-signed with the Clippers this summer.
• New York waived Balkman in February and used the roster spot to sign former Nugget guard J.R. Smith. No team has picked up Balkman and the Knicks are still stuck paying Balkman $1.7 million.
• Brewer was cut shortly after being traded to New York and then was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, where he won an NBA title. The Mavs traded Brewer to the Nuggets with Rudy Fernandez in January.

The Timberwolves got Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and the Nuggets’ 2015 second-round pick.

• Curry was waived shortly after the trade and was picked up by the Miami Heat this last year. He also won an NBA title with the Heat last season.
• Randolph saw little time with the Timberwolves over the last year and a half, Minnesota also opted not to offer him a qualifying offer. He signed a 3-year deal with the Nuggets on Tuesday.

If you are keeping track at home, the Melo trade has turned into Anthony for Chandler, Gallinari, Koufos, Mozgov, Andre Miller, Hamilton, Randolph and Quincy Miller.