Report: Celtics Plan on Targeting DeMarcus Cousins Via Trade

BOSTON.COM

Brian Robb

The Celtics will reportedly look to target Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins in a trade this offseason.

Danny Ainge expects the Celtics to have a busy summer, as he attempts to land the top-notch talent that could help turn his up-and-coming roster into a contender in the Eastern Conference.

One name that the Celtics have been rumored to have interest in over the past couple seasons is Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. According to a new report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Celtics are expected to target the big man once more this offseason.

Will they open their war chest of future draft picks to try to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from the Sacramento via trade? The early word out there is: Bank on it. Will they be in the mix for pretty much any name player who unexpectedly comes available in coming months? Bank on that, too.
Ainge spoke about his intentions of upgrading the top half of his roster at Thursday's end-of-season press conference.

"We're going to go after any and everybody that we think is a significant player to upgrade our talent," Ainge said. "And when I say upgrade our talent, you've got to be pretty good to upgrade our talent, because we have good players. And so we're going after all the top names on the list and we'll see what happens."

Cousins has three years remaining on his contract and posted a career-high in points (24.7) and rebounds (12.7) per game during a frustrating 2014-15 season for the Kings.

It's doubtful the Kings will be looking to trade their franchise star, but if the 24-year-old has decided he's had enough of a "circus" type atmosphere in Sacramento, look for the Celtics to try to pounce with their collection of draft picks and young talent.

112288

I wonder if Danny will also ask that Sac throw in a shrink as well!

Probably the worst move Danny could ever make.......you had a 6'2 190lb problem that you got rid of, now you want to bring in a 6'11" 260 lb problem....who will not run the floor........no thanks!

112288

I would be thrilled if Danny could pull this off, hes 24 his best years are ahead of him....KG could be an a$$hole, but he was our a$$hole, his mood swings cause he hates losing I'd put up with to have an all star ready talent in the middle to go to war with.

I saw a similar report on last night's television news.

One never knows.  There have been numerous instances in which traded players have matured in different environments.  Over the years, the Celtics have had a pretty good track record of developing/retaining good citizens.  And, although I'm not fond of labels of any kind, I'd have to say that moving from the historically mediocre Kings to the Celtics tradition would at least have to make a young guy stop and think about such a trade, potentially positioning him as a key ingredient in advancing the current chances of the most successful NBA tradition of all-time.  There's no question that Cousins qualifies as an intimidator, although probably not so much as a defender as an unpredictable head case.  My main concern, however, would how much of a defensive intimidator he would be (or might develop into).  And,  right now, I'm ambivalent.

I found the following 2014 article on his defense, which clearly spells out some major warts but also offers a reasonable amount of hope for improvement.

One thing's for sure.  Trading for Demarcus would definitely qualify as major fireworks.

Sam


Myth Buster: How Good Of A Defender Is DeMarcus Cousins?

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Scott Rafferty


Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Offensively, the Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins has found his stride. Last season, the 6-foot-11 center averaged a career-high 22.7 points per game — good for ninth best in the NBA — to go along with 11.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists. His Player Efficiency Rating of 26.18 ranked him fifth in the league, behind only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Love. And with that, he became the first player in NBA history to post that high of a PER and not make an All-Star team.
Defensively, though, Cousins is still finding his feet. He has improved, sure, but the biggest knock on his game over the years has been how much energy he exerts on that end of the court. In short: he’s lackadaisical and foul prone when he loses focus, resulting in him falling back on bad habits. Since 2010, Cousins has led the league in fouls per game in all but one season, and the pre-draft concerns of him lacking focus and not being quick enough laterally have proven to be his downfall.
But in 2013-2014, Cousins appeared to have broken through his shell in that regard. His 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game were both career-highs, as was his defensive rating of 101, which just happened to rank him 17th in the league. Cousins also led the NBA in charges drawn, per Hoops Manifesto — essentially, a hustle stat that indicates he has a good read of plays and is willing to put his body on the line.
What it all really boils down to, though, is this:

1. Cousin has indeed improved defensively. It’s a fresh of breath air for the Kings, because they desperately need their franchise player to compete on both ends of the court. Cousins is getting there. The eye test proves it, as do the stats.
   
2. Cousins didn’t improve as much as we may think. When compared to other bigs, most of Cousins’ stats last season make him look like one of the better defensive centers in the league, which is simply not the case.
   

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what went on.

Numerical Breakdown

Cousins’ Synergy numbers on the defensive end mirrored those of some of the best bigs in the NBA in 2013-2014. As you’ll see in the chart below, which displays how many points per possession 12 centers gave up based on five categories, he went head-to-head with a number of players, many of whom were in contention to win Defensive Player of the Year, like Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan, and Roy Hibbert.

That alone makes Cousins look like a damn good defender. If you flip through the different sections, you’ll see that he rubbed shoulders with Tim Duncan and Marc Gasol in defending post-ups, he contested spot-ups more efficiently than all but four centers, and he was way ahead of everyone in clamping down on isolations.
The only category he was worse than everyone else in a big way was defending the roll man in pick-and-rolls. But seeing as that made up only 18.5 percent of his total defensive possessions — works out roughly to be once per game — it’s not the end of the world that he still struggles in that category, especially if he’s fantastic in all the others.
Moving to the more basic stats, little changes. Opponents shot 51.1 percent at the rim with Cousins guarding them, and while that placed him eighth highest amongst the group, he gave up only 7.5 attempts per game, much lower than the majority of other bigs. He didn’t block as many shots on a game-to-game basis, either, but his 1.5 steals per game were far better than any other center. (There were only 18 players who averaged more steals per game than Cousins last season. That’s it. 18. For a 6-foot-11 center, that’s impressive.)

Graph: Rim Protection | NBA.com
However, it’s here where the praise — at least for the most part — comes to an end. As is the case with Synergy, the numbers can be skewed because a player who may or may not have been at fault in the play gets assigned the blame. So, although Cousins’ numbers are up their with the best rim protecting bigs in the NBA, his case is further proof that defensive stats fail to paint a realistic picture of a player’s ability to stop offensive players.
Note: The fact that Al Jefferson looks like a lockdown defender and Marc Gasol looks like a sieve based on all those stats should tell you everything you need to know. Despite being a much better defender last season, Jefferson was the product of a sound system and is still by no means a premier defender. Gasol, on the other hand, is one of the better defensive bigs in the NBA. He did, after all, win Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012-2013 season.

The Nitty Gritty

Cousins was, according to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, a plus-defender in 2013-2014 (+1.86). That number, though, ranked him 28th amongst centers, trailing the likes of Marcin Gortat, Ian Mahinmi, Kendrick Perkins, Ronny Turiaf, Chris Kaman and Nikola Pekovic. And unlike the point guard position, which only had 20 plus-defenders last season, 54 centers were a “plus” on that end of the court.
In more straight forward terms: Real Plus-Minus favors bigs.
Cousins’ biggest detriment is still his focus. He has the tools to be a good defender, but not closing out on shooters properly, failing to get into a defensive stance on a routine basis, lazily reaching in to try and poke the ball away, and allowing his opponent to get deep low post position on him is what’s holding him back from taking the next step forward. And because he isn’t a great shot blocker — 40 players averaged more blocks per-48 minutes than Cousins — once he got beat, an easy look was likely to ensue.
Cousins also gives players far too much space to get a shot off when they are out of the paint. Part of that may be by design. Because he isn’t particularly quick laterally, he’s better off giving his player a step so he can recover if they take him off the dribble. There aren’t that many centers who can stretch the floor at an alarming rate, so it often pays off for him — a possible reason why Cousins was so good statistically in defending isolations.
However, once he does have to defend a big who can step outside and hit a 16-to-24 foot jumper (think Joakim Noah, Jared Sullinger, Pau Gasol, or Nene) the results aren’t quite so positive, as they tend to get all the space and time they need to get off a shot. Either that or one pump fake sends Cousins flying by.



Obviously, though, it isn’t all doom-and-gloom, otherwise Cousins’ advanced stats wouldn’t be so glossy.
Since he entered the league Cousin has been a physical specimen, which helps him in many ways. For example: when he is guarding a player in the post, he does a good job of using his 270-pound frame to push them off the block. He isn’t someone who is easy to back down, and although he doesn’t have the explosion to contest shots like, say, DeAndre Jordan does, he has quick hands and anticipates plays well.
His humongous 7-foot-6 wingspan makes up for the fact that he doesn’t block a lot of shots, too. Instead of chasing blocks, Cousins stays on the ground and uses his strength and length to force his player into tough shots. Many post players look to get their defender off the ground before they go up for a shot, so the fact that Cousins doesn’t bite on pump fakes (as long as he is engaged, of course) usually pays off.
To add to that, Cousins was clearly more focused on defense last season. He still went through lulls, but given how much of a load he carries offensively, nobody is expecting him to dominate both ends of the court. For the first time in his career, the Kings were actually a better defensive team with him on the floor, which is a promising sign.



It’s also worth noting that there’s a lot more that goes into “good defense” than simply being able to stop your man or be in the right help position. Another big proponent of it all that hasn’t been mentioned yet is rebounding, and it’s there where Cousins excels. His defensive rebounding percentage last season (30.5) was the best in the NBA. In fact, that percentage was the 39th best defensive rebounding rate anyone has put up in a single season in the league’s history. Beyond that, Cousins ranked fourth in total rebounding percentage at 20.4; only 1.9 percent less than the league-leading Andre Drummond.
Even if he isn’t quite there in every aspect defensively, Cousins is, at the very least, an elite rebounder and better than any big at getting steals. There’s certainly value in that.

Overall

Advanced offensive stats has their flaws, but for the most part they paint a vivid picture of whatever they are trying to prove. Defensive stats, though, aren’t quite yet up to par, and Cousins is a good example of that.
It’s not that Cousins is an awful defender anymore. There was a stark difference last season and the hope/expectation is that the best is yet to come. Not only that, the issues Cousins has shown on the defensive end over the years are, to a large degree, correctable — a lot of it still comes down to focus and effort. In spurts he’s shown that he can put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and when he does do, nobody can complain about the results.
In saying that, any rumblings of Cousins being an elite defender at this stage of his career are jumping the gun. He still has a long way to go, even if the advanced stats don’t make it seem as though that’s the case. A large part of it has to do with the system that surrounds him, though. In the case of Al Jefferson, the Charlotte Bobcats had the defensive talent to play to his strengths (length and strength) and cover up his weaknesses (lateral quickness and rim protection) by dropping him on pick-and-rolls and clamping down the paint as a team once someone put the ball on the floor.
As of now, the Kings don’t have the tools to mask Cousins’ shortcomings. But if that happens to change in the coming seasons, alongside Cousins’ focus and dedication to that end of the court, there’s no reason why he cant continue to make strides and develop into a plus-defender.
All stats gathered from NBA.com/stats and Synergy Sports.
MISCELLANEA Defense, Demarcus Cousins, NBA, sacramento kings

112288 wrote:I wonder if Danny will also ask that Sac throw in a shrink as well!

Probably the worst move Danny could ever make.......you had a 6'2 190lb problem that you got rid of, now you want to bring in a 6'11" 260 lb problem....who will not run the floor........no thanks!

112288

112288,

I have very mixed feelings about Cousins.  Offensively, he is just soooo tough.  Inside, outside, he can put it on the floor.  He's not a 3pt threat but he's dangerous from just about everywhere else.  Defensively, I've never been particularly impressed with him.  Not bad, just not wow!

Where Cousins stands out, aside from his well-known tantrums, is in his clutch play.

In 2014-2015, he was 11th in the league in points scored in clutch time.  Ahead of him were the players you'd expect to be in the lead: Curry, Harden, Bryant, Westbrook, James, Aldridge, Davis, Melo, Monta Ellis and DWade.  That's pretty good company.

He was 6th in the league in ftas in clutch time.  He shot a smoking 94% from the line in clutch.  Cousins and Thomas with put the other team in the penalty in the 4th quarter and, unlike teams like the Clippers, Cousins will make them pay.

He led the league, #1, in rebounds in clutch time, with 19.9 rebounds/48minutes.

He was 14th in blocked shots/48minutes of clutch, ahead of Alex Len and Pau Gasol, way ahead of Noah, Dieng and Noel and only .1 blocks/48 behind Marc Gasol.

At 6'11", 270# he fills a definite hole of ours.


http://www.82games.com/1415/CSORT11.HTM



As far as his brain goes, well, he's 24 years old now.  Not quite the man-child he used to be.  Also, look at Evan Turner and IT.  They were considered prima donna head cases too.  Let's face it, if there was nothing wrong with him he wouldn't be available for love or money until he was either coming off of a serious injury or on the back 9.  Put him in a new system, with a new coach that all the players love (and him and IT are BFFs) and we might see a grown up.


bob



.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/kings/sources-kings-not-interested-trading-cousins-celtics



Sources: Kings not interested in trading Cousins to Celtics
May 1, 2015, 12:45 pm







DeMarcus Cousins averaged career highs in points and rebounds and earned his first All-Star selection this year. (USATSI)



The Kings want to make a playoff run next season with DeMarcus Cousins as the centerpiece of the franchise, league sources told CSNCalifornia.com.

The Celtics reportedly have significant interest in Cousins and are expected to utilize their bevy of draft picks to secure the 6-foot-11 center from Sacramento, according to an ESPN report.

[RELATED: Report: Celtics want to trade for DeMarcus Cousins]

Cousins, a first time All-Star this season, averaged career-highs of 24.1 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game, while finishing tied for third in the NBA with 47 double-doubles despite missing 23 games due to illness and injury.

The NBA can be a fickle, mercurial place and nowhere was that more apparent than in Sacramento last season.

The Kings fired Michael Malone, who had bonded with Cousins, after an 11-13 start to the season. Assistant coach Ty Corbin took over, but Sacramento stumbled to an 18-34 record before a long, public courtship with George Karl was finally consummated at the All-Star break.

With contradicting media reports that Cousins was against the hiring of Karl, the 24-year-old issued a statement in February stating that he was not against playing for the sixth-winningest coach in the history of the NBA.

Karl lead the Kings to an 11-19 record over the final 30 games of the season.

“I’ve had some great players and I’ve never had one player that I have said is untradeable,” Karl said in April. “You always got to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that could come your way.

“I know I respect (DeMarcus Cousins) a tremendous amount ... I think our give and take and our communication has been almost on a daily basis. Until we can really get to a special place together, I think we’ve got to continue to communicate, what he wants and what I want.”

Cousins, the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft just completed his fifth season in Sacramento and the Kings have yet to win more than 29 games with the center on the roster.

Cousins, known for his fiery demeanor on the floor, is under contract with the Kings through the 2017-18 season, though plenty of teams would love to acquire his services.




bob



.

His defense isn't great, but hes a horse similar somewhat, but not identical to Moses Malone.

He can play above average defense, hes physical, he rebounds, he would be head and shoulders above what we have right now defensively in the paint.

Sometimes a player hits the right circumstances at the right time. In 1980 the Celtics acquired Robert Parish who in his four years with Golden State had earned a reputation as a lethargic pothead.

We all know what he went on to do.

Cousins is a tantalizing talent with the baggage of contributing mightily to the chaos he found himself in.

Time for the shrinks on the Celtic payroll to earn their pay.

If nothing else, this guy's rebounds per game are about twice what the Cs leader had this year. And, Cousins was in the Western Conference where there are far better centers to compete against almost every night than what the Cs saw in the Eastern Conference. He also averages over 20 PPG in the tougher conference.

To average over 12 RPG, any guy has to 'work' for them. Rebounds do not always just fall into your hands.

I could see Cousins looking pretty good in a Celtics uniform.

depends on the cost to me.

we're likely to have ZERO lottery picks in the next year or few (unless the Nets do bottom out). so I doubt the Kings will want a bunch of middle first rounder for Cousins myself.

Sullinger?
Olynyk?
Zeller?

ummmm...maybe a couple of them along with 3-4 first might get Divac to look Danny's way.

I think it might just take too much to be worth it in the end...but we'll see.

I continue to believe cost is not the determining factor in such situations.  The first priority should be whether Cousins is right for the Celtics.  He won't be more useful at a lower price or less useful at a higher price.  Price is something for Danny to deal with if he decides Cousins is a "must" based on his play.

Sam

Sam

I think kdp is talking about what assets we have to give up to complete a deal for Cousins, right now I don't see any combination of players that we have that could make a compelling case that those players/assets could improve the Kings roster to complete a deal.

cow

Thanks for the explanation, Cow, but that was already my understanding.  I believe that, in any such deal, picks would be the the main attraction and players would primarily be fillers.  Certainly, the Celtics' roster wouldn't represent a unique appeal; but the picks would potentially represent the unique element.  Whether or not they would unique enough to be persuasive to the Kings is the question.  It could be that the Brooklyn picks are gaining in value as the near-future of the Nets continues to be murky.  But all of that would be moot if Cousins does not represent sufficient value in Danny's eyes.  That's the number one priority in any possible deal.

Sam

cowens/oldschool wrote:His defense isn't great, but hes a horse similar somewhat, but not identical to Moses Malone.

He can play above average defense, hes physical, he rebounds, he would be head and shoulders above what we have right now defensively in the paint.

cowens,

I could live with a quasi-Moses Malone. Easily. We'd forget Sully real quick.


bob



.

Cousins possesses the physical attributes to become a strong defender—especially once he realizes how much more that attribute could add to his worth.  In a developmental situation, it might be a good move to get someone with that kind of potential, take a season or two to determine whether he's on the road to fulfilling that kind of potential, and—if not—use him as what's virtually certain to be a major bargaining chip to trade for another center.  Brook Lopez (at least before his latest injury) developed a lot of value without being known for his defense.

Sam

YES HE HAS ALL THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES ............SIZE AND AGILITY ...

WHAT EVERYONE IS FORGETTING IS HIS MENTAL CAPACITY TO ACT MATURE!

HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN EDGE ABOUT HIM WHEN IT COMES TO AUTHORITY.

NO THANK YOU SIR! I'LL PASS.

112288

I actually think it more likely that the Kings sign Rondo to play with his buddy Cousins , than Cousins coming here.

but what do I know?

kdp59 wrote:I actually think it more likely that the Kings sign Rondo to play with his buddy Cousins , than Cousins coming here.

but what do I know?

kdp,


The way Rondo's value is going down like a submarine with screen doors, you may be right.

I didn't know he was friends with Cousins. I know there was talk of Boston trading Rondo to Sacto, and that Rondo said he wouldn't re-sign with them and that scotched the deal (he might not have the luxury of that choice now) but I didn't know there was a relationship between them. There IS a relationship between IT and Cousins.


bob



.

KDP

I THINK YOU ARE SPOT ON! MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. AND YOU HAVE A GREAT COACH IN CARL.

112288

Rondo is friends with Josh Smith, they always wanted to play together in the NBA.

IT was friends with Cousins, but IT may have upset Cousins due to his ball-hogging ways back when they both played for Sacto. Cousins wanted the ball more and didn't always get it when he called for it.

That is the end of this week's edition of the NBA Gossip Hour.

gyso

112288,

I don't think everyone's forgetting one whit about Cousins' mental warts, as there are several mentions of it on this thread.  I believe a lot of people prefer to conjecture about ways to minimize that possibility.  I know that was my intention when I talked about how some players change their spots when they are dropped into the right environment; and, in a number of situations, the Celtics have proven to be the right environment.

Actually, what many people forget is the potential for change.  Then is neither now or the future.

Sam

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:His defense isn't great, but hes a horse similar somewhat, but not identical to Moses Malone.

He can play above average defense, hes physical, he rebounds, he would be head and shoulders above what we have right now defensively in the paint.

cowens,

I could live with a quasi-Moses Malone.  Easily.  We'd forget Sully real quick.


bob




.

would love to put Cousins next to a slimmed down version of Sully

cowens/oldschool wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:His defense isn't great, but hes a horse similar somewhat, but not identical to Moses Malone.

He can play above average defense, hes physical, he rebounds, he would be head and shoulders above what we have right now defensively in the paint.

cowens,

I could live with a quasi-Moses Malone.  Easily.  We'd forget Sully real quick.


bob


would love to put Cousins next to a slimmed down version of Sully



.

cow,

You wouldn't see that as redundant? Who will open the floor up for Cousins? I may be wrong here but, if we get Cousins, I think Sully's gone.


bob


.

bob you don't think Cousins would allow Sully to play his natural position and make his life easier on floor?

cowens/oldschool wrote:bob you don't think Cousins would allow Sully to play his natural position and make his life easier on floor?

cow,

I'm thinking Sully's natural position is under the basket, regardless of you call him a 4 or a 5. That is also part of his problem, since he is undersized to be under there. Cousins likes to play there too, but he's 6'11" and not 6'9" and he's 270# so he has as much beef as Sully.



bob



.