Mozgov probable to make Cavs debut Friday

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear poised to deploy their latest weapon Friday.

Recently acquired center Timofey Mozgov passed his physical Friday afternoon and has been upgraded to probable to make his Cavaliers debut against the Golden State Warriors, according to multiple reports. 

The Cavaliers obtained Mozgov from the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday for two protected first-round picks.

Already without superstar LeBron James, who will sit out his seventh consecutive game Friday, the Cavaliers are in need of help. Losers of three straight, Cleveland has gone 1-5 since knee and back strains forced James out of action. 

The good news is that James expects to return within a week. 

But the bad news is the Cavaliers are set to begin a five-game road trip on the West Coast beginning Friday against the NBA-best Warriors. 

The 7-foot-1 Mozgov should help Cleveland's interior defense as the rim protector it was desperately in need of. Cleveland has the third-worst defense in the Eastern Conference on a per-100 possession basis and is allowing the fifth-highest field goal percentage to opponents within three feet of the basket. 

Mozgov averaged 8.5 points on 50.4 percent shooting from the field, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 35 games with the Nuggets.