Would Celtics consider trading picks for DeMarcus Cousins?

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4720963/the-cousins-conundrum-would-celtics-consider-trading-picks-for-star

The assumption is that Sacramento will part ways with Cousins and keep Karl.

I do not think that Cousins is the right fit for basically a motion offense. Cousins is really an old school type of low post player that needs the ball fed to him. But he is a legit scorer and rebounder and physical specimen.

dboss

salary wise I'd go for a Lee (expiring) and Sullinger along with a first and second in 2016 and a first and second in 2017

for

Cousins and McLemore (in Karls' dog house right now also).

the salary's are about 200K apart so they work cap wise.

If I were Ainge I would try to hold onto the Nets pick next year, but they will want it no doubt.

kdp59 wrote:salary wise I'd go for a Lee (expiring) and Sullinger along with a first and second in 2016 and a first and second in 2017

for

Cousins and McLemore (in Karls' dog house right now also).

the salary's are about 200K apart so they work cap wise.

If I were Ainge I would try to hold onto the Nets pick next year, but they will want it no doubt.

The assumption here is that the Kings want to move Cousins but I am not so sue about that and I am not so sure that it would work.

The Celtics style does not necessarily call for an elite low post rebounder and scorer.  I think we simply need an elite level defender and rebounder.  We also need a high end small forward which we do not have.  I really like that mid range game that ET has but small forwards must be able to  make shots from deep.  Crowder is tough as nails but he is also a classic layer of bricks.  So let's say we made the move to add Cousins and McLemore.  Will McLemore become our stating SG?  Is he a significant upgrade over AB?  

Would the Celtics become real contenders with this move?  Is Cousin's coachable?  

dboss

I agree with most of what you say Dboss.

I was trying to see what type of deal might be required to get a deal for Cousins done.

No McLemore is not an upgrade over Bradley in any sense. Frankly I am not sure he's an upgrade over Hunter .

he's a piece to make the numbers work to me, because even IF the Kings were looking to mover Cousins, it will take a young player coming back along with at least two first IMO.

McLemore would be a pawn in a future deal most likely , unless his play takes a leap.


I've said before I see Karl being told ot hit the road before they move Cousins , but the drafting of Cauley-Stein and the FA signing of Koufos has them in place to do a deal if the right one comes along.

I think Karl is far more likely to go than Cousins, but the Kings' management situation is such a mess, who knows.

The owner, Vivek Ranadivé, was successful in the tech world but has been an absolute disaster for the Kings. He hired Mike Malone as coach before hiring a GM, new GM Pete D'Alessandro didn't like that he didn't get to pick his own coach, and D'Alessandro got Malone fired when the team lost some games while Cousins was out with meningitis even though they were 9-6 before Cousins got sick and Malone is the only Kings coach who's ever had a good relationship with Cousins. They hired George Karl, who lobbied for the job saying that he wanted to work with Cousins, then Karl almost immediately clashed with Cousins and lobbied to get him traded. D'Alessandro was replaced as GM by Vlade Divac, who has undercut Karl's authority at every opportunity, including a few days ago when Cousins cursed and ranted at Karl after a game, Karl wanted to suspend Cousins for it, and Divac overruled him and said Karl didn't have the authority to suspend him. Divac followed that up by asking the players if they wanted to get rid of Karl. They'd fire Karl except that he was hired last December and has a four-year, $15 million contract.

Oh, and my favorite tidbit -- Ranadivé seriously wanted the Kings to play defense with only four players so that one player could stay back for cherry-pick layups because he did this successfully when coaching his daughter's team.

Calling this a dumpster fire is an understatement. Trying to predict what the Kings will do is impossible. Trading Cousins seems unlikely, and they'd probably ask for way too much if they did try to deal him, but maybe if Ainge throws in a fire extinguisher instead of a draft pick, they'll take it.

I don't see him as the elite player needed to lead a championship team right now but a couple more years on the all nba team could give him the needed credentials.

swish

swish,

I disagree that he is "not good enough" yet because he is the best center in the league at the present time.

Your willingness to wait may be more to better judge his attitude, etc with the thinking that he may "mature" over the next two to three years. Such a hesitancy is very understandable, by the way.

wide clyde

Actually I consider him an excellent player, its just that he doesn't yet meet the standards that I use to define an ELITE player. Its just a personal rating method that I use when evaluating the past performances of a player.

Swish

Cousins is a man child and could be major headaches for Brad to contend with.

Listen, just 1 more year ...............with Brooklyn tanking and a good shot at a top 5 let's cool our heels and wait.

112288

Mebbe cousins ain't what we want from sacremento... mebbe what Danny ought to be looking for from them is a first or two... or three..

He had another monster game last night as did RR

It is not a question about his talent. It is about his fit.

Dboss

dboss wrote:He had another monster game last night as did RR

It is not a question about his talent.  It is about his fit.

Dboss

come on dboss, we have KO and hes statistically the best defensive big in the league, we don't need him, we have KO!!! get with the program and we don't need a PF or SF going forward because we have James Young whose reach is comparable to most PF's.

There's some current conventional wisdom that says a "traditional" big man like Cousins doesn't fit into a pace-and-space offense, but I don't think that's true. When you have good three-point shooting, pace-and-space opens the interior and could make a guy like Cousins even more effective, and his effectiveness inside could create open shots on the perimeter. It could be a very good thing.

Cousins... he's an alluring prospect, but is it worth it? I doubt it. I don't think I'd trade for him.

Brad needs system guys, and we all know what happens to players that don't fit the system.


KJ

A guy who can avg 24-13 can fit into a system, its harder to fit random guys at 6 points 4 boards into a system. All the best teams have bail out iso players/stars where all you have to do is get them the ball and let them go to work, we don't have a player like that.

cowens

Its all about having a SUPER, SUPER, SUPER player leading the way. Since Bird led the Celts to the championship in 1980-81, the champ has been led by a Hall Of Famer, or a player destined for Springfield, in 33 of 35 years.

swish

swish wrote:cowens

  Its all about having a SUPER, SUPER, SUPER player leading the way. Since Bird led the Celts to the championship in 1980-81, the champ has been led by a Hall Of Famer, or a player destined for Springfield, in 33 of 35 years.

swish

agreed and even that super super player needs a supporting cast, look at West, Dr J, Lebron, all were the best, but still needed right supporting cast, just cause he hasn't been on winning teams doesn't mean he doesn't have talent to win or carry a team.

If Brad Stevens thinks he can handle Cousins and if Danny can get him then it would be a great move, but only under these conditions. If Brad has reservations then I would drop the idea if I were Danny (who I am not -  Danny's going to go what Danny wants to do).

Berlin-T

Sac will not trade unless they get a replacement center in return who is half way good so you may have to have a 3 team trade.


112288

Bob,

We are talking about Brooklyn not Golden State and Lopez cannot guard spit!

112288

In his first 5 years in the league Cousins  shot a putrid 11 for 69 (15.9% ) from 3 point range. In his first 6 games this year he has hit on 10 of 23 ( 43.5% ).   Continued success from downtown makes him an even greater offensive threat. Wonder if its just luck or a new skill that he has developed ?  We shall see.

swish

Didn't know that last stat swish, his 3 point% is more fuel that he could fit into Brads system, believe me Brad could find alot of ways to utilize a player like this.