via ESPNNewYork.com
Two years of destruction and demolition are behind them, and the centerpieces in the rebuilding of the New York Knicks will be unveiled for the home crowd Wednesday night for the first time.
And what coach Mike D'Antoni made clear Tuesday on the eve of that opener was this: That main centerpiece, Amare Stoudemire, will not be forced to play out of position at center when the ball goes up at Madison Square Garden for the first time this fall.
Instead, rookie Russian center Timofey Mozgov will be manning the middle for the restructured Knicks in the home preseason opener against the Boston Celtics after D'Antoni gave every indication Tuesday that Mozgov has earned a semi-permanent spot in the starting lineup.
Timofey Mozgov could be the Knicks' starting center when the regular season tips off.
In other words, the job is Mozgov's to lose.
"He's playing well, and he picks things up extremely fast. I know there's going to be rough spots ahead, but I just like his attitude and his effort, and then we'll see what happens," D'Antoni said. "He might have more rough spots than what I hoped, but we'll work through it. He does a lot of good things, and we'll see over the next six, seven, eight games how it goes with him, and then we'll see what happens."
Mozgov's debut could come against none other than Shaquille O'Neal if circumstances permit, but O'Neal's availability for Wednesday night game at MSG was in question after Boston coach Doc Rivers said O'Neal would be held out of Tuesday night's exhibition game against Philadelphia because of a hamstring issue.
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