68 replies to this topic

[Ostrow]

If he is dirt cheap, which me may be now, I think he might be worth an attempt. If the Kings are just trying to unload him, and we only have to give up a piece or two I think it is worth it. Play him at PF. If he can get his head semi-right that would make him a steal.

[Yosembok]

At least he owned up. I hope he learns and not waste his talent.

[NathanZachary]

Leave that cancer alone. Do not disrupt the Rockets team chemistry. What Cousins needs right now is a psychiatrist and a pediatrician to help him mature.

[ale11]

I know Cousins is even "babier" than Dwight Howard, but I truly believe that lot of his antics have to do with being in one of the worst teams in the NBA, and probably the worst management around the league. It would be a steal if any team can steer his head and keep him from those kind of things, but I'm not sure the Rockets are that team that could right him up, since we are not anywhere near championship contention and we don't have a truly respected superstar (although I think Cousins would really love to play alongside Harden, hell, he is more capable than the entire Kings roster all together, including Tyreke).

[redfaithful]

At the right price (which could be very low a few weeks from now) Cousins could be a smart bet for the Rockets. The change of settings from a team below .333 in the last few years to a team constantly above .500 will give him a much better starting point. In addition, on the court this is Harden's team, and there's a HOF big man on the lines, so there will be much clearer sources of authority than in SAC. There's always risk of him not growing up fast enough, but IMHO he's worth the bet.

[thejohnnygold]

I appreciate all the "glass-half-full" positivity around here.....Buuuuuut no freakin way is this a good idea.....Unless we get him and stuff him in the d-league until he begs for mercy and knows that any bad behavior gets him back in "time-out" . That I like.

Oh, and to repeat my caveat emptor: DERRICK COLEMAN!!! Does no one remember how everyone said the same things about him over and over and he got chance after chance due to his talent and every single team regretted it? I do.

[Red94]

New post: More on Cousins

[blakecouey]

I can't believe so many people here are in the mindset that we could be the team to change him. Aside from pairing him with his Kentucky teammate what makes you think he'd suddenly mature? Our coaching staff/front office has pissed off a lot of players the last few years. Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Tracy McGrady, T-Will, and of course our current problem Royce White have all caused media outbursts or acted inappropriately due to decisions by our management.
If we had the guy without the attitude issues, obviously you take the risk, but I have seen nothing from the Rockets to suggest that we can handle this guy in a way that he will react positively to.

RBF, you don't think Love can be a top 5 talent? Last year his PER was 5th in the league, not that it's the only important stat, but the guy is a beast and has only been getting better IMO. Currently not a top 5, but I think it's more likely that he gets there than Cousins.

[ale11]

No team in this league will take Royce White.....besides, there aren't many times who have so many short trips like the Rockets to allow him to travel by bus if that's a thing that could help him.....

[Jeby]

Have to agree with blakecouey in doubting the Rockets' ability to change Cousins. McHale has had success with guys who were already driven to improve and behave (Love and Garnett), and I'm not sure that Cousins fits that mold.
The only thing that I think would speak to Cousins would be something that shocked him into understanding how negatively his behavior will affect his career. If he gets considerable less than the max after his rookie contract, then I think that will wake him up. His skill makes him a max player. But when he loses 10 million or more from his first big contract ONLY because of his attitude, he'll realize he can't get away with anything.
The problem is, someone WILL throw max money at him at the end of his rookie deal, and he will continue to believe that he can play just well enough to remain a starter, and behave just well enough to stay in the league. He'll be another decade of Sheed.

[BrandyonTX]

There is no good reason to bring Cousins in. We aren't the team that was desperate for an all-star caliber player that we were only a few months back anymore.

blakecouey and Jeby mentioned that McHale has not been the guy to turn malcontents into team players. He weeds the malcontents out, rather than holding their hands. I, for one, enjoy seeing that from my team, rather than the pandering to player demands we see so often.

In additional to being a high maintence 22 year-old child, he's THE MOST INEFFCIENT front court starter in the league. His 41% FG percentage would barely be acceptable as a guard. As a front court player, it's a JOKE. Part of that is low basketball IQ. Part of it is having the work ethic of a young Eddy Curry. The only thing he does well is rebound, which our current center does better.

Cousins is a trainwreck. The Rockets have plenty of cap space for the coming offseason, and have no reason to take the massive risk on this type of player. I'd be more interested in his teammate, Evans. I'd be even more interested in Josh Smith, Paul Millsap, or Al Jefferson. Even adding depth like Carl Landry, JJ Hickson, Corey Brewer, Budinger, etc would be better than bringing in someone who has only proved he can get his coaches pissed in a hurry.

[rockets best fan]

I can't believe so many people here are in the mindset that we could be the team to change him. Aside from pairing him with his Kentucky teammate what makes you think he'd suddenly mature? Our coaching staff/front office has pissed off a lot of players the last few years. Kyle Lowry, Kevin Martin, Tracy McGrady, T-Will, and of course our current problem Royce White have all caused media outbursts or acted inappropriately due to decisions by our management.
If we had the guy without the attitude issues, obviously you take the risk, but I have seen nothing from the Rockets to suggest that we can handle this guy in a way that he will react positively to.

RBF, you don't think Love can be a top 5 talent? Last year his PER was 5th in the league, not that it's the only important stat, but the guy is a beast and has only been getting better IMO. Currently not a top 5, but I think it's more likely that he gets there than Cousins.

blakecouey don't get me wrong I like love he is a very very good player(allstar) and would have my main issue with him covered (defense) with asik next to him. I know his PER is outstanding, but he just looks like a rebounding scola to me. the reason I say cousins over him is cousins has the talent to overpower teams if groomed properly. if the rockets could pull off a trade for love I say do it if the price is right. this thread was about cousins and I was just making my point that I believe the rockets are the type of team I think can turn this kid into something special. yes he is a headache, but enviroment sometimes can be everything. the kings front office is a mess and that's being kind about it. cousins like all NBA stars nowadays wants to play in a major market. he has not been happy from the time they drafted him because he don't like them. I'm not saying there is no risk involved because there is, but his talent level is worth(IMO) the risk

[amacbrooks12]

Demarcus Cousins being suspended is actually a serious deal. Cousins is not going to be playing for several games and if the Kings play well & win games without him, their front office might be convince to trade him. So im defitnetly going to be paying attention to the Kings for the next few games (something I thought I'd never say).

[NathanZachary]

Cousins has a point though. You see, Keith Smart is a lousy coach. Keith Smart should've been fired a long time ago.

[rockets best fan]

keith smart is a joke for a coach and so was westphal. the kings have not had a good coach since rick adelman was there. the kings have high draft picks every year, but still can not put a decent team together. their problem starts at ownership. this is why cousins wants out. I read today he replaced his old agent with dan fegan. that's got to be the beginning of an exit plan. you don't hire feagan unless you are trying to force a trade in most cases. I said it b4 .......yes he is a headache, but sometimes it's hard to soar with the eagles when you work with the piegons.

[Stephen]

rockets best fan,
But if you want to soar w/the eagles,you've got to act like one.
Cousins' body of work so far has been more along the lines of pigeon...droppings.

We're starting to hear-anonymously to be sure-that Cousins has been far,far worse in practice than how he's acted on court. One of the saddest and most telling aspects of the recent affair is that when the yelling occurred,the rest of the team ignored it,as if was something that happened all the time. Not one teammate went to shut up Cousins,to pull him away,not one coach did either.

As for his on-court game,it's become clear that Cousins' has no ida of his strengths or weaknesses and his constant screaming for the ball is getting old.
When he drives to the basket he is completely out of control,routinely charging into set defenders,losing his dribble at an alarming rate and when he does succeed in getting near the basket throwing up the most weak,erratic shots imaginable.
For some reason he thinks he's a jumpshooter when all evidence to date shows he isn't.
Smith has a far better low post game,and no one says we should be posting up Smith 10-15 times a game.
Cousins has limited jumping ability-or simply refuses to expend the energy to do so-and that shows up in his pathetic sub .500 shooting percentage around the basket.
Other than to say he makes zero effort on D and his moseying back on D would drive any coach to despair,I won't comment on his abysmal D.
He does use his body to rebound and every now and then-on a completely random basis-he shows excellent court vision and makes a great pass.

W/the right system,coaching staff and better teammates,Cousins COULD become a pretty good C. But his ceiling is a more physical,taller Scola than the next great NBA big. The tools to dominate aren't there,not in today's NBA where the refs won't allow a big to physically push around his defender.
The problem w/Cousins,he hasn't shown any ability to dominate offensively. Even on bad teams great players shine thru. Cousins hasn't.

And there's the whole "will he get it issue". Probably on his 3,4rth team,7,8 yrs down the road,but even then I'm not so sure.
Right now,he's just too toxic for the Rockets.
It's hard to imagine another player in the NBA who would clash more w/McHale and his philosophies.
And should McHale-or any theoretical replacement coach-give Boogie heavy minutes,despite Cousins' lack of effort on D,undisciplined offense,complete me-first attitude,it would destroy any team cohesion and chemistry,as young impressionable players would see no consequences to ignoring their coaches. The rest of the team would soon devolve into shoot as soon as I get it,no D playing a-holes.
If you don't play Cousins,he's going to whine and moan and b**** and will prove a constant distraction.

[DaDakota]

Get him if you can - for picks and redundant pieces like PPat, Morris, RWhite, or Tjones + Picks......

Nothing else is worth trading for him.

DD

[thejohnnygold]

"some men just want to watch the world (the rockets) burn"...

[Bigtkirk]

What exactly is the fascination with Cousins? It's clear he is a pain-in-the-ass. He is a far below average shooter, doesn't block many shots, and turns the ball over a lot. Yeah, he's a bit above average in rebounding, assists, free throws and steals, but that still does not appear to be a statistical basis upon which to take the risk of screwing up the development of what is currently a pretty interesting team. Looks to me that Cousins is a pretty classic example of a player who has not yet learned how to use his talents to maximize his value to the team. I'd wait until he showed some signs of learning that key lesson before investing in him.

[blakecouey]

blakecouey don't get me wrong I like love he is a very very good player(allstar) and would have my main issue with him covered (defense) with asik next to him. I know his PER is outstanding, but he just looks like a rebounding scola to me. the reason I say cousins over him is cousins has the talent to overpower teams if groomed properly. if the rockets could pull off a trade for love I say do it if the price is right. this thread was about cousins and I was just making my point that I believe the rockets are the type of team I think can turn this kid into something special. yes he is a headache, but enviroment sometimes can be everything. the kings front office is a mess and that's being kind about it. cousins like all NBA stars nowadays wants to play in a major market. he has not been happy from the time they drafted him because he don't like them. I'm not saying there is no risk involved because there is, but his talent level is worth(IMO) the risk

The only comment I disagree with(to an extent) is the rebounding Scola one. What would be so bad about that? As you said we would have post defense covered with Asik, and Love can shoot well enough to space the floor wide open. He is enough of a threat at 3s that you've got to guard him(although his %s are down this year that may be contributed by his broken arm earlier). It's probably not going to happen but I'd be ecstatic if we were able to nab him. It would certainly put to rest any PF questions.

In respect to DMC, Chris Mannix(SI & NBC)


Chris Mannix ‏@ChrisMannixSI
Kings have reinstated Demarcus Cousins, effective immediately.


Chris Mannix ‏@ChrisMannixSI
Two teams that were interested in DeMarcus Cousins in the past--Nets and Rockets--not interested now. Nets definitely out, HOU very unlikely