It's really hard to argue that Cousins is a top 5 player, but we know he's probably in lock for top 10-15.
AD, Durant, James, Paul, Curry, Harden, and Griffin are all a step higher. He's probably comes right after all of them.
Very hard to see him as a MVP candidate next year unless he takes the team to the playoffs and maintains good effiency.
Last year Griffin averaged something like 21.9 pts 7.6 Rebs 5.3 asts and only 2.6 TOs. All while shooting at .500 and fts above .700, however, his name was never in MVP discussions.
Cuz is going to have to have a monster season for him to be talked like in those heights.
I think Harden, Durant, or George wins it this season.
Until the playoffs came around Cousins was CLEARLY a better player than weenie Griffin. And considerablyt better than Aldridge too.
After that we get into tough comparisons, but this should be noted here: right now for the last few years the NBA has had an almost unprecedented number of high end superstars all working at peak form at once. I don't think the overall talent is as strong as the early 90s type pack of great centers and PFs and Jordan, but all of the guys at the moment are peak at the same time. There are great many seasons when Cousins is Top 5 without a question. Well a question by reasonable basketball minds.
And enough with the Top 10 to 15 nonsense. That's weak. There are a VERY clear cut 9 top guys. And acutally its 8 1/2. Blake can't defend and is a half step back, but his big playoffs served notice masyeb he belongs in the top group (notably though he has not been a good playoff performer before).
Anyway:
Lebron
Durant (if the foot is healed)
Westbrook
Curry
Harden
Davis
Cousins
Cp3
Blake
its a clear group, and nobody outside the group has a good argument why they should be in it. Aldridge would have been the 10th guy last year on numbers, but he was never as special/talented as the above guys, not as efficient, defensive, sparky. Lillard, Wall and Irving are all clearly a step back. Marc Gasol has turned into a bit of a sloppy thinking joke, he's a 17-8 center, get over it. The Kawhi cult goes on for a 16-8 guy. And all of those guys are Top 20, but that Top 9 group is as deep as we've seen all putting up big numbers at once. And there is still Love, who expelled himself, George, who if he recovers can make an argument, and Melo, who once was.
Comparatively there were a few years in the mid 2000s when Peja finished 2nd in the MVP voting because there was nobody else (everybody got hurt or was on trial as I recall), Nahs was gifted with a 2nd MVP just on a shrug because...who else? Etc. Notorious late 90s hole too after Jordan leaves and with Hakeem, Barkley, Ewing etc. all near the end.
Below are Cousins numbers last year and 4 MVP seasons of all time greats. Not 4 random seasons, 4
MVP seasons:
Barkley '93: 37.6min 25.6pts (.596TS%) 12.2reb 5.1ast 1.6stl 1.0blk 3.1TO = MVP
Garnett '04: 39.4min 24.2pts (.547TS%) 13.9reb 5.0ast 1.5stl 2.2blk 2.6TO = MVP
Cousins '15: 34.1min 24.1pts (.545TS%) 12.7reb 3.6ast 1.5stl 1.7blk 4.3TO =
oh, definitely not top 5, i guess maybe top 10-15, maybe, i'm sorry, we suck. *whimper* *sniffle*
Malone '99: 37.4min 23.8pts (.577TS%) 9.4reb 4.1ast 1.3stl 0.6blk 3.3TO = MVP
Duncan '03: 39.3min 23.3pts (.564TS%) 12.9reb 3.9ast 0.7stl 2.9blk 3.1TO = MVP
Now anybody who looks at that list and doesn't see the clear MVP potential of ANY player on that list is a dunderhead. Things just have to break right.
Oh, and BTW, that first column, minutes, is as critical as anything. Watch what happens if I do nothing more exotic than bounce Cousins up to 38mpg, right in the middle of all 4 other guys:
Cousins '15: 38.0min 26.9pts (.545TS%) 14.2reb 4.0ast 1.7stl 1.9blk 4.8TO
Barkley '93: 37.6min 25.6pts (.596TS%) 12.2reb 5.1ast 1.6stl 1.0blk 3.1TO
Garnett '04: 39.4min 24.2pts (.547TS%) 13.9reb 5.0ast 1.5stl 2.2blk 2.6TO
Malone '99: 37.4min 23.8pts (.577TS%) 9.4reb 4.1ast 1.3stl 0.6blk 3.3TO
Duncan '03: 39.3min 23.3pts (.564TS%) 12.9reb 3.9ast 0.7stl 2.9blk 3.1TO
