BOOGIE ON: A CELTICS PURSUIT OF DEMARCUS COUSINS

WEEI

BEN ROHRBACH

When DeMarcus Cousins was a high school senior in 2009, a local reporter described him to me as “everything that’s wrong with prep sports,” and that was before he fouled out on a technical with seven points on 2-of-12 shooting in the final minutes of a 52-39 loss to Eric Bledsoe’s team in Alabama’s state semifinals.

“His frustration was part of the plan,” Birmingham Parker coach Maurice Ford told The Birmingham News after upsetting Mobile LeFlore. “Get the big man frustrated.”

“We pounded him down there, because we knew he had a temper,” added Bledsoe, who five years later signed a more lucrative contract with the Suns than Cousins did with the Kings. “He wants the ball, and when he doesn't get it, he gets mad.”

Charles Barkley drove to his home state for that game. Cousins was the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2009 behind John Wall (two spots ahead of Avery Bradley), but the Hall of Famer left unimpressed with Alabama’s alleged next great big man.

“Very disappointing,” Barkley told his hometown paper in the game’s aftermath. "I'd never seen him play in person. I was excited to see him. But he didn’t do anything to dominate the game in any way. He’s big. But big don’t work in college or the pros.”

That reputation followed Cousins from Mobile to Lexington, where he spent one season under John Calipari at Kentucky. The following paragraph from a 2010 DraftExpress scouting report is all you need to know about how Cousins fell to No. 5 in the draft behind Wall, Evan Turner, Derrick Favors and (gulp) Wesley Johnson.

“While Cousins is without a doubt a precocious talent with the type of physical tools and scoring instincts that you rarely see at the college level, there are many question marks revolving around whether he has the intangibles needed to reach his extremely high potential,” the great Jonathan Givony wrote five years ago. “His body language and overall temperament on the floor is often very poor, looking somewhat lazy and disinterested and at times downright selfish. He’s clearly not the smartest guy you’ll find on or off the court, and he already tends to react very poorly to different situations on the floor and lose his temper in concerning fashion.”

Yikes. That perception hasn’t changed much, as Cousins has amassed a league-best 73 technical fouls and nine ejections since entering the league, including his most recent ousting for throwing Marcus Smart to the Garden floor on New Year’s Eve.

Demonstrating various degrees of engagement, Cousins has played for five coaches in five NBA seasons, and you can draw your own conclusions about his role in the organization’s instability. In recent years, we’ve learned much about Cousins, as wonderfully written profiles by Jonathan Abrams and Ric Bucher have detailed the complexity behind the maturation process of a man we’ve come to know as Boogie.

Indeed, Cousins blossomed under highly regarded, relatively young coach Mike Malone, a Massachusetts native who helped his 6-foot-11, 270-pound center produce career highs across the board. Those numbers jumped to 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game for a 25.2 player efficiency rating this season, his first as an All-NBA performer. Among centers, he ranked first in scoring, second in PER, third in rebounding and assists, and seventh in blocks in 2014-15.

Yet, Cousins’ rep will follow him until he leads an NBA team to the playoffs and shows on the biggest of stages he isn’t the same kid who fouled out of the state semifinals on a technical in the final game of his prep career. He’s yet to win more than 29 games in Sacramento, and for that he may be available for the right price.

As old friend Paul Flannery discussed on Zach Lowe’s Grantland podcast, any conversation between Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro and Celtics president Danny Ainge would start with Marcus Smart and wouldn’t end there. A swap of Smart, Jared Sullinger and Gerald Wallace’s expiring contract works in ESPN’s trade machine, but the beauty of the C’s cache of first-round picks and wealth of cap space may allow Ainge to pry the superstar from Sacramento without giving up his point guard of the future, as he did with Rajon Rondo in his pursuit of Kevin Garnett.

The question is whether Ainge would be willing to swap the assets he’s spent two seasons stockpiling on a player as mercurial as Cousins, and the answer should be a resounding yes. This is a ridiculously skilled 24-year-old with a 7-foot-6 wingspan averaging 24 and 13 who would instantly become the best center in the Eastern Conference. The stability of Brad Stevens, signed for another four seasons, combined with the Celtics coach’s creativity wouldn’t just grant Cousins his first shot at the postseason, but may also be the key to Boston’s latest basketball renaissance.

What other All-NBA talent would the C’s land between now and the time they draft their third and final first-rounder left from the Nets? Would you rather pay DeAndre Jordan max money or have Cousins under your control on a comparatively affordable deal through 2018? And the acquisition of Cousins wouldn’t even hinder your chances of luring LaMarcus Aldridge from Portland. In fact, it might even help.

112288

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO PLEASE NO!

112288

112288 wrote:NO NO NO NO NO NO NO PLEASE NO!

112288

112288,


Who would you rather see Danny get, and what would you be willing to give up for him?


bob


.

Let's see.  On my recycling chart, it's about time for another round of Kevin Love articles.  Or maybe about how dumb Jackie MacMullan was in suggesting that Rondo might be leaving town.  I've been trying to get a ground swell going for bringing Thibs back to Boston; but that doesn't yet qualify as a golden oldie.

I've got it.  A. Sherrod Blakely does an in-depth analysis of how Joe Barry Carroll will look in a Celtics uniform.

Sam

Bob,

Are asking through a trade or free agency?

112288

Bob,

At this point of rebuilding, Danny does not need a curve ball being thrown at his rebuilding plans by giving away great talent and 1st round draft picks only to find out that Cousins is being the same old Cousins. If that happens, t would push the rebuild back another 3-4 years and hurt the fans most.

To solve the center position for now without cashing in lots of talent or potential talent, I would upgrade by signing Kosta Koufos. He is young and you do not have to break the bank on signing him.  Zeller would be a back up.

I would not want Jordan at this point because he will be too costly, and how about sitting in front of your TV come the semi finals or finals in a due or die game and you are down 1 point with 23 seconds left and Jordan is shooting free throws.  Does not gives me warm fuzzy feelings, and I am not getting as Chris Mathews said about Obama, a warm feeling going up my leg!

I would also draft Robert Upshaw at #28 and take a cheap flyer on a guy who would have gone in the top 5 if not for his problems and he comes cheap as a low first round pick. Why do you think Walton had the guy over his house several times and has had constant phone conversations with him..."cause Danny sent him to do an eval on Upshaw.  This is a Danny deal/draft in the making. He loves to scoop up great talent at a bargain price.....think how Danny got Sully.

Of coarse if we could sign Mark Gasol or Lopez out of Portland that would be better and would not cost us our war chest of picks.

Now that you have me going at #16 I would pick Bobby Portis as your power forward who is a beast and who for the time being can play behind Sully.  If he is a quick learner, I would love the Celtics to trade Sully if his stock rises along with a 1st rounder for a good position  player i.e. shooting guard or small forward.  Sully will always have a weight problem and will never be above the rim player.

Getting back to Cousins, what you do not want is a guy who has a high potential of not mixing with his coaching staff nor other teammates at the same time it is costing you north of $18million.  Now try to re trade the guy and see what you get for him.  Does Rondo come to mind.

Cousins has a temper problem and it is something that is carried for life. It is a constant battle to keep in check, and at 24 Cousins is not at a point, I believe that he can show maturity and at least work on the problem.  See me in his mid 30's.


112288

I will repeat

"Cousins has a temper problem and it is something that is carried for life. It is a constant battle to keep in check, and at 24 Cousins is not at a point, I believe that he can show maturity and at least work on the problem. See me in his mid 30's."

NOW YOUR GETTING ME PISSED OFF!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

112288

I doubt Cousins will become a Celtic.  But I wouldn't sell Brad and the Celtics organization short on their potential ability to convert anger to a constructive chip on the shoulder.  Moreover, the frustration of playing your heart out for a loser can get to some people more than others.  Contrast that with the satisfaction of playing with a winner—especially with what is arguably the greatest tradition in the NBA and one that has opened the door to so many Hall of Fame opportunities for its players.  One never knows what metamorphoses could potentially occur.

Sam

sam wrote:I doubt Cousins will become a Celtic.  But I wouldn't sell Brad and the Celtics organization short on their potential ability to convert anger to a constructive chip on the shoulder.  Moreover, the frustration of playing your heart out for a loser can get to some people more than others.  Contrast that with the satisfaction of playing with a winner—especially with what is arguably the greatest tradition in the NBA and one that has opened the door to so many Hall of Fame opportunities for its players.  One never knows what metamorphoses could potentially occur.

Sam

sam and 112288,

I agree with sam, although I understand 112288's concerns and appreciate him laying out his constructive alternatives.

Witnesses for the defense of the premise that playing for a franchise committed to winning championships can change a player's disposition:
Kermit Washington
"Bad News" Barnes

Witnesses for the defense of the proposition that losing will eat away at some players and make them "less coachable":
Kobe Bryant (one of the worst "sore losers" since MJ)
Jared Sullinger

Yes, Sully too.  Remember how he was sulking this season because he didn't like losing?  No real competitor does, they just have different ways of showing it.  Sully went into a funk.  Kobe becomes snarky and even downright nasty with his teammates.  Cousins is a bit more overt than Sully and seems to channel it out of the locker room.  

Kevin Love showed no frustration at being on the losing Minnesota Timbercubs, he just left as soon as possible.  Is that what we want, or do we want someone who goes out every night and fights like a crazy person?

I am not aware of any locker room altercations between Cousins and his teammates, nor between Cousins and the coaches.  His anger shows upon the court against his opponents and yes sometimes he loses it and gets T'd up.  

Dave Cowens had an anger problem too.  He just did a better job of channeling it on the court.  KG has an anger problem too.  Just ask Big Baby.  Larry Bird chewed on you like a doggy toy if he didn't think you were executing so he could win.  He liked Danny, personally, but didn't trust him in the clutch.  He didn't like McHale, personally, but fed him like he was a human woodchipper because he knew he'd get his man in his torture chamber and make a basket or go to the line.  Max too.

I don't know what I'd give up to get Cousins but, as our Cowens pointed out, he got 24.1ppg and 12.7rpg last year in 34mpg.  He also shot 78% from the line, so the excruciatingly painful agita I'd feel if we had DeAndre Jordan is not likely to make an appearance.  Cousins has excellent clutch stats.  At 6'11", 270# he's Sully, except right-sized.  If you want Sully and Kelly to play PF and little to no time at C the best way to do it is to get a 30mpg center and back him up with a 18mpg center like Zeller. That leaves no minutes for Sully or Kelly at 5.

I'd be willing to bank on Brad's calming demeanor to effect a change in Cousins and, if I'm wrong, he's a very valuable asset that Danny could flip without too much trouble.

In a league that wins based upon talent, Cousins is a proven, veteran talent.  I'd be happy with Koufos too, and depending upon the rest of the roster the $ savings might weigh heavily (although we only have one more year on Wallace's lease and the cap is going WAY up) but talent-wise he's no Cousins.  Cousins will win games for us, like the way Paul Pierce used to.  Koufos would be an upgrade over what we have, and he'd do ok, but he's not a go to guy like Cousins.  When Cousins is "on", he's a force of nature.



bob


.

There have been players who were very strong offensively but who ultimately distinguished themselves most on defense.  Cedric Maxwell was one of them.  DJ was another.

In some players (though almost certainly a minority), something seems to click when they find they can apply their strengths to defense and become known as either (1) really well-rounded players) or (2) memorable defensive intimidators.  Maybe Cousins has that type of mentality; maybe he doesn't.  But it might be more productive to take that kind of crap shoot rather than the type offered by the draft.

Sam

Sam

Let us simplify this. I am asking a very simple question.

Has Cousin's made his surrounding teammates better?

This was the question that was asked that defined the difference between Russell and Chamberlain and who was most valuable in making their team better.

112288

112288 wrote:Let us simplify this.   I am asking a very simple question.

Has Cousin's made his surrounding teammates better?

This was the question that was asked that defined the difference between Russell and Chamberlain and who was most valuable in making their team better.

112288

112288,

So, you're saying you only want a transformative player, like Russell, at center?  You wouldn't trade for Klay Thompson because he's no Michael Jordan?

If I had a choice between Russell and Wilt, I'd take Russell.  If the choice was between Chamberlain and Hank Finkel I wouldn't disqualify Wilt because he's no Russell.  

Cousins might be the most complete center in the league.  He can shoot from inside and mid-range, he can post up and take his man off the dribble.  He was the #1 scoring center in the league last year and 5th leading scorer in the league overall (Westbrook, Harden, LeBron and Anthony Davis were ahead of him.  Steph Curry and Aldridge were right behind him.  That's pretty frippin' good company).  He has very good court vision and passing skills for a center (he was 3rd among centers in assists/game behind Noah and Marc Gasol), 3rd in the league in rebounds/game (behind DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond), #1 among centers in both fta and ftm and 10th in ft% (still a healthy 78.2%) and 3rd in the league in ftas behind Harden and Westbrook.  He was #2 in steals by centers.  He was tied for 7th in blocks/game (the difference between 7th and 4th place was .14 blocks/game).  He's 2nd in double-doubles.  One category Cousins does not get listed in the top 40 centers is in turnovers/game, and that's a good thing.  He is, however, ranked #5 in assists-to-turnovers.  Cousins is on the league leader board in several categories and is in the money slots in even more if you're only looking at centers.  What more can you ask for from the guy?  He has to be a boy scout too?  Zeller started at center for us this year and did ok, not great, but ok for probably a career backup center.  If Cousins has to sit out a game or two because he's racking up T's, I'm ok with that as long as he plays like he did last year when he is on the court.

Here's ESPN's "Real +/- Ratings".  Cousins came in 2nd.  That doesn't mean he's the 2nd best defensive center, it means his team increases their lead more when he's on the floor than any other center's team except for Andrew Bogut who plays for the offensively explosive GSW.  Who else is helping 24ppg scorer Cousins on Sacto?


http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/9


Interestingly, Cowens' mancrush, Rudy Gobert, comes in 4th.  Why?  Well, for one thing, because of his limited offensive contributions.  Unless you are loaded with offensive firepower, like we were in 2008 with the 3 Amigos, having a player who can't score is a disadvantage, because then it becomes 4-on-5.



bob


.

Bob,

You cannot be serious with your opening statement unless you have missed the point all together.  

Let me break it down for you.

First, if you are going to engage a player with a BIG CONTRACT in a key position (which is the center position), and give away some gifted talent such as Marcus Smart and perhaps another player and some top draft picks, you need to look beyond Cousin's personal stats and see if the guy really made other players around him better.

A good example is Carmello Anthony, yep he can fill the stat sheet, and be in contention for the scoring title each year.............but does he make his teammates better??????  You know the answer ..................NO!

LaBron James was that way until about 2 years ago where he began to play the right kind of ball to where he started making other teammates better.  That is why he never won in Cleveland.

Second, BUYER BE WARE!  We don't have to beat this topic again.  It's there and you need to ask yourself......do I feel lucky this time around by trading for him and hoping he changes.............Well....do you you feel lucky Punk!.......Only kidding....an old Clint Eastwood line.

112288

112288,

I liked your question about has Cousins made people around him better, but there can be many reasons why a player does or does not fill the role of making the players around him better.

The first one could be that he just does not care about the guys around him on his team. He may be happy scoring points, etc, etc. If this is true he needs to understand that his points alone will never win him a championship. Certainly, such a situation would clearly indicate that he is a very selfish player that not many teams without a Larry Bird type leader on them would want to have on their team. I would think that it would be pretty easy to determine if Cousins is such a selfish player by talking to other guys around the league before even thinking of trading for him regardless of his stats (thanks, Bob).

Another reason could be that some coaches just do not like having players even get on the stage with them never
mind sharing the same stage with them or giving the player the center stage position. This is often never the player's fault, but as a player you can quickly tell when the head coach does not want you to do much with the other players. Not sure this ever happened to Cousins in Sacramento, but with the many changes in head coaches there it may have. Many young and first year coaches are very threatened by older or established players.

Another reason could be that the Kings roster may have not had players who really wanted to listen to a young guy (I think that Cousins was 19 or 20 when arriving in Sacramento) who was was their best player on his first day in a practice uniform. If this is true, Cousins may have backed away from this very important role on his team.

Both the second and third scenarios could be quickly changed with a change in scenery for the player while the first one may never get changed no matter where he may play in any sport at any level. To steal from Forrest Gump, selfish is what selfish is, and it is not a character trait that probably ever changes.

Wide Cycle

I hear what you are saying, but you are making too many assumptions to try and justify the short comings of Cousins. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle but I feel it may be tilted more left of center.

However, do you want a guy at BIG DOLLARS$$$ for an extended term who does not add anything beyond his stats while giving up a lot of assets including current players and draft picks? For me the price is too steep.

But let's say your right.............you still have to deal with a guy who could cause problems and is moody. The Celtics had a guy like that once called Marvin Bad News Barnes. I do not want to take a chance and tip over the apple cart at such a fragile time in the rebuilding of the Celtics. That is my greatest fear.

I believe the Celtics are on a verge of building a dynasty that can last for 7-10 years if they do it right. I just am not quick to jump at picking low hanging fruit ......you do know what happened to Adam and Eve!

112288

It's not always easy to prove when a player makes teammates better.  For example, a great defensive rebounder can ignite myriad fast breaks that can become the life's blood of selected teammates, but the connection is indirect—in contrast to an assist, which presents immediate and observable evidence.

Moreover, a potential catalyst can do only so much to make teammates better if they're just plain mediocre anyway.

Sam

Sam,

Sometimes.

112288

And I believe that's the Kings' situation right now.  Gay, Collison and McLemore are the "marquis" players besides Cousins?  Give me a break!

Sam

112288,

I am not sure that I was trying to hide Cousins' weaknesses. Much more just thinking of possible reasons why any one player may not be able to "make his teammates better".

Cousins has plenty of talent, and all the things that you mentioned about him are very possible because his history is what it is. Hopefully, he is growing up mentally as he gets older and that some of his previous behaviors will become further and further in his past.

He is certainly a gamble for anyone that may trade for him, but he is at least a very, very talented player on which to gamble. Cauley-Stein is also a gamble so I think I would rather take a gamble on the much more proven player who is only on a three year contract for mid max type money if the costs are similar.

No guarantee, but change of scenery (team DNA, head coach, teammates, etc) often works wonders for some players.

Cowens,

But can the team carry him?

Inquiring minds want to know!


112288