Never-ending idiotic Cousins trade rumors thread
- Thread starter kingsfan1984
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I very nearly would, but we aren't faced with that possibility this year. And people may remember that Minny did just fine trading Love in the summer before his last season.
It's a question which presumes something I don't presume -- that he's looking for a way out. There's never been any indication of that beyond the almost comical hysteria among national media types that it just has to be. MUST be! EVERYONE KNOWS IT! WHY DON'T THEY TRADE HIM!?!?!?!? AIEEEE!!! MY BRAIN! MY BRAIN! ITS ON FIRE!!!!!
My contempt drips.
In any case, IF I became convinced he wanted out, of course not. We're screwed then, because we've made the world's longest and craptiest attempt at superstar seduction here.
But the fact is I think your presumption is wrong. I think Cousins is looking for a reason to stay. And that's a lot easier mark to hit than changing the mind of a guy on the way out. And so I think people wanting to blow this up are being cowardly lions giving up a fight before its done. My read is, we win enough, Cousins WILL stay. And its not a question of 60 wins either. 41-45, playoffs or just miss. Coach and GM he likes. Feeling that the future is better than the past. So until that is impossible, there's nothing to talk about form my perspective. I wouldn't even be picking up the phone, unless it was from Cuz or his agent, just so I could keep a feel for the waters.
It's a question which presumes something I don't presume -- that he's looking for a way out. There's never been any indication of that beyond the almost comical hysteria among national media types that it just has to be. MUST be! EVERYONE KNOWS IT! WHY DON'T THEY TRADE HIM!?!?!?!? AIEEEE!!! MY BRAIN! MY BRAIN! ITS ON FIRE!!!!!
My contempt drips.
In any case, IF I became convinced he wanted out, of course not. We're screwed then, because we've made the world's longest and craptiest attempt at superstar seduction here.
But the fact is I think your presumption is wrong. I think Cousins is looking for a reason to stay. And that's a lot easier mark to hit than changing the mind of a guy on the way out. And so I think people wanting to blow this up are being cowardly lions giving up a fight before its done. My read is, we win enough, Cousins WILL stay. And its not a question of 60 wins either. 41-45, playoffs or just miss. Coach and GM he likes. Feeling that the future is better than the past. So until that is impossible, there's nothing to talk about form my perspective. I wouldn't even be picking up the phone, unless it was from Cuz or his agent, just so I could keep a feel for the waters.
the problem is, 41-45 wins and a playoff berth (or even a near-playoff miss) is fast becoming an unlikely event this season. the schedule was tough and road-heavy to kick things off, and there are the growing pains of a new coach and a bevy of new players to consider, but the kings have already dropped a number of winnable games against beatable opponents, and they've put themselves in the kind of hole that can be hard for any perennial loser to crawl out of. we're only 18 games into the season, but for the sake of perspective, the kings would still need to go 34-30 the rest of the way to get to 41 wins. that's a .531 win percentage, and while it's certainly not impossible for this particular construction of players to compete at such a level, the margin for error/injury is very small just so they can hit that mark.
now, in the event of a disappointing 2016-2017, i suppose the kings could still wait it out another year, and stave off a cousins trade until the deadline in 2018, but that's an awfully big risk to take, and beyond its unlikelihood, what's the upside? if the kings win 35 games this season, what's going to put them over .500 and into the playoffs next season? would continuity be enough? if so, that means you have to invest further into the mediocre and aging veteran talent that the kings have on the roster, with bogdan bogdanovich and another likely lottery pick to squeeze somewhere into the equation, as well as the hope for a speedy development of players like cauley-stein, labissiere, and papagiannis, none of whom look close to ready for the big time. in short, it's a lethal mixture of underwhelming knowns and overwhelming unknowns, and maybe vlade's ballsy enough to roll that dice, but it's also the kind of gamble that could get him fired.
demarcus cousins is insanely loyal to this franchise for reasons that remain incomprehensible to me, given the dysfunction he's had to endure and the inconsistent support he's received from both the kings organization and kings fans alike. and perhaps the mere glimmer of hope (and a billboard promising to mow his lawn) would be enough to convince him to stay. but again, what's the upside? how are the kings going to upgrade their woefully insufficient roster in time to compete for a championship during cousins' prime? free agency is almost always a bust for this small market backwater with a deeply-embedded culture of losing. trade assets are far and few between on this roster. and its just so hard to imagine that the kings could come away with a draft pick who is ready to make an immediate impact, considering their typical draft position and the encumbrances placed on some of their future first rounders.
all of that said, my honest assessment is simple: the kings f***ed the dog, and they did it across two ownership groups, three gm's, at least four first round draft picks, who knows how many total players, six head coaches, and six full seasons of demarcus cousins' career. on talent alone, demarcus is the single most impressive sacramento king to ever put on the jersey. i love him, and nothing would make me happier than to watch this team return to glory with big cuz leading the charge. i just don't see how it can happen, and if cousins continues to thrive in what has so far been his most impressive season ever while the kings continue to underachieve as a team, then i think you have to sell high when the trade deadline approaches. cousins is the only worthwhile asset in the kings' arsenal. they've got nothing else. he could easily net them the foundational pieces for a legitimate rebuild. and while i, personally, have very little enthusiasm for another rebuilding process, i'm also not sure that there's another reasonable option.
after the golden 1 center's honeymoon phase ends, i think it's safe to say that fans aren't going to want to keep filling those seats as season after season that begins with playoff aspirations eventually sinks into sub-.500 mediocrity. it's certainly not demarcus' fault by a long shot, but at a certain point, you do have to start over, even if it seems downright sacrilege to trade away the most talented player in franchise history.
now, in the event of a disappointing 2016-2017, i suppose the kings could still wait it out another year, and stave off a cousins trade until the deadline in 2018, but that's an awfully big risk to take, and beyond its unlikelihood, what's the upside? if the kings win 35 games this season, what's going to put them over .500 and into the playoffs next season? would continuity be enough? if so, that means you have to invest further into the mediocre and aging veteran talent that the kings have on the roster, with bogdan bogdanovich and another likely lottery pick to squeeze somewhere into the equation, as well as the hope for a speedy development of players like cauley-stein, labissiere, and papagiannis, none of whom look close to ready for the big time. in short, it's a lethal mixture of underwhelming knowns and overwhelming unknowns, and maybe vlade's ballsy enough to roll that dice, but it's also the kind of gamble that could get him fired.
demarcus cousins is insanely loyal to this franchise for reasons that remain incomprehensible to me, given the dysfunction he's had to endure and the inconsistent support he's received from both the kings organization and kings fans alike. and perhaps the mere glimmer of hope (and a billboard promising to mow his lawn) would be enough to convince him to stay. but again, what's the upside? how are the kings going to upgrade their woefully insufficient roster in time to compete for a championship during cousins' prime? free agency is almost always a bust for this small market backwater with a deeply-embedded culture of losing. trade assets are far and few between on this roster. and its just so hard to imagine that the kings could come away with a draft pick who is ready to make an immediate impact, considering their typical draft position and the encumbrances placed on some of their future first rounders.
all of that said, my honest assessment is simple: the kings f***ed the dog, and they did it across two ownership groups, three gm's, at least four first round draft picks, who knows how many total players, six head coaches, and six full seasons of demarcus cousins' career. on talent alone, demarcus is the single most impressive sacramento king to ever put on the jersey. i love him, and nothing would make me happier than to watch this team return to glory with big cuz leading the charge. i just don't see how it can happen, and if cousins continues to thrive in what has so far been his most impressive season ever while the kings continue to underachieve as a team, then i think you have to sell high when the trade deadline approaches. cousins is the only worthwhile asset in the kings' arsenal. they've got nothing else. he could easily net them the foundational pieces for a legitimate rebuild. and while i, personally, have very little enthusiasm for another rebuilding process, i'm also not sure that there's another reasonable option.
after the golden 1 center's honeymoon phase ends, i think it's safe to say that fans aren't going to want to keep filling those seats as season after season that begins with playoff aspirations eventually sinks into sub-.500 mediocrity. it's certainly not demarcus' fault by a long shot, but at a certain point, you do have to start over, even if it seems downright sacrilege to trade away the most talented player in franchise history.
Yep. My trust in Vlade is at an all time low. We are going to be going through this except same situation next year minus Collison and Gay while netting nothing in return. Vlade will kick the tires and eventually sign some mediocre players who don't excel at any level.
Meanwhile the kings will likely be a high 20 win team deluding themselves into believing a superstar surrounded by spare parts will re-sign with them because of loyalty.
Meanwhile the kings will likely be a high 20 win team deluding themselves into believing a superstar surrounded by spare parts will re-sign with them because of loyalty.
So if you trade Cousins for picks, and kick the can down the road. Let's say you even draft a player as good as DMC. Huge reach. Now, if we will never be able to surround DMC with talent, how then do we surround our newfound star with any? Or do we just suddenly become the masters of the draft and just draft them all? Or do FA's suddenly want to come here then because...why? Wall and Beldsoe want to play with Cousins. Cousins said he wants them to come to Sac.
Reporter: “Last thing. Do you guys ever commiserate or with the situations you’re in —”
Cousins: “Do we ever talk about playing with one another? Is that your question? It’s came up. They’re going to all come to Sac.” (Smile). “Come to Sac.”
Reporter: “That’s it?”
Cousins: “That’s it.” (laughs)
Reporter: “Why won’t you come to the East Coast?”
Cousins: “Come to [Sacramento].”
Reporter: “What does he respond?”
Cousins: “He wants me here. Eric wants us in Phoenix.”
Reporter: “You think there will ever be a time?”
Cousins: “You never know. Maybe. There might be a time we team up in a rec league after we retire or something. You never know.”
Reporter 2: “You guys did that a couple of years ago [in the Goodman League] here during the lockout.”
Cousins: “Yeah. … That was a while ago. I forgot about that.”
Reporter: “In reality — I know that’s your boy — but is that something you’d want?”
Cousins: “… Play with John and Eric again … you never know what will happen. It’s the NBA, so hopefully one day he’ll be in a Sacramento uniform.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/demarc...ith-john-wall-and-eric-bledsoe-165419996.html
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/d...-wall-and-eric-bledsoe-want-to-play-together/
Now of course , every player says such things right before they walk for nothing. What I am trying to illustrate is we don't know what all can happen down the road. I am not blind to the pitfall of hoping Cousins resigns. If he does resign we will currently have truckloads of cap space in 2018. I sincerely think our best chances of returning to contention lie with Cousins in purple and black. Then again I am the eccentric type.
Reporter: “Last thing. Do you guys ever commiserate or with the situations you’re in —”
Cousins: “Do we ever talk about playing with one another? Is that your question? It’s came up. They’re going to all come to Sac.” (Smile). “Come to Sac.”
Reporter: “That’s it?”
Cousins: “That’s it.” (laughs)
Reporter: “Why won’t you come to the East Coast?”
Cousins: “Come to [Sacramento].”
Reporter: “What does he respond?”
Cousins: “He wants me here. Eric wants us in Phoenix.”
Reporter: “You think there will ever be a time?”
Cousins: “You never know. Maybe. There might be a time we team up in a rec league after we retire or something. You never know.”
Reporter 2: “You guys did that a couple of years ago [in the Goodman League] here during the lockout.”
Cousins: “Yeah. … That was a while ago. I forgot about that.”
Reporter: “In reality — I know that’s your boy — but is that something you’d want?”
Cousins: “… Play with John and Eric again … you never know what will happen. It’s the NBA, so hopefully one day he’ll be in a Sacramento uniform.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/demarc...ith-john-wall-and-eric-bledsoe-165419996.html
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/d...-wall-and-eric-bledsoe-want-to-play-together/
Now of course , every player says such things right before they walk for nothing. What I am trying to illustrate is we don't know what all can happen down the road. I am not blind to the pitfall of hoping Cousins resigns. If he does resign we will currently have truckloads of cap space in 2018. I sincerely think our best chances of returning to contention lie with Cousins in purple and black. Then again I am the eccentric type.
Stay patient, get used to Joergers system and slowly get close to .500. Shut Cuz down for the last few games and keep the pick. On draft day, make the pick for Phoenix and trade it + Willie to Phoenix for Bledsoe. Resign Rudy and Collison. New starting lineup: Bledsoe, Temple, Gay, Barnes, Cousins. Make the playoffs.
???
How are you coming up with 3 points? Because we lost the OT games? What about the 3 point wins against the T-Wolves and Raptors (a game which the Raptors protested) and the 5 point win against the Raptors in Toronto? Shouldn't those count against our wins since they were close games and could have gone the other way?
You're a big time numbers guy so I'm pretty sure you know you were really stretching it by saying we are 3 points away from being 10-8!
How are you coming up with 3 points? Because we lost the OT games? What about the 3 point wins against the T-Wolves and Raptors (a game which the Raptors protested) and the 5 point win against the Raptors in Toronto? Shouldn't those count against our wins since they were close games and could have gone the other way?
You're a big time numbers guy so I'm pretty sure you know you were really stretching it by saying we are 3 points away from being 10-8!
Yep, definite reach. The best measure of a team collective performance independent of their W/L record IMHO is point differential. The Kings are -2.1 which groups them with other teams with near identical records (NO and DEN). If the Kings were +2.1 hypothetically in differential but were sitting at 7-11, you could make a more compelling case 10-8 is a better reflection of their performance and talent, since teams with a + 2 differential are around .500 or 1-2 games over. When over half of your team has underperformed, and been replacement level player or worse, basically everyone except Boogie, Rudy, DC, Temple, and most recently Ty, AND your defense is 3rd from the bottom in the NBA, it is hard to argue you should be a plus .500 team despite Boogie MVP-like play.
No, I'm really not. Even less so given circumstances.
If we had hit 1 more FT in each of those three games, we would have won each of them in regulation. That's it. That's what's separating us from a winning record. And, as you may recall, on 2 of those 3 occasions (I forget how the Portland endgame went) non-calls/reversed calls against Cousins are all that stopped him from going to the line to win each one. It's been that close.
If we had hit 1 more FT in each of those three games, we would have won each of them in regulation. That's it. That's what's separating us from a winning record. And, as you may recall, on 2 of those 3 occasions (I forget how the Portland endgame went) non-calls/reversed calls against Cousins are all that stopped him from going to the line to win each one. It's been that close.
I know for sure in 2 of the over time games the opposing team had the ball for the final possession and ran down the clock (not sure about the MIA game). If they were down by one, they would not have done this so the entire possession would have changed. It's not as simple as saying if the Kings made one more free throw, one less turnover, one more field goal they would have won.
Speaking of idiotic.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.hngn...arcus-cousins-los-angeles-lakers-rudy-gay.htm
https://www.google.com/amp/www.hngn...arcus-cousins-los-angeles-lakers-rudy-gay.htm
But it doesn't work like that. 1 more FT and lots of things happen differently. You can't just add a FT and say we win. The other team would have played differently too had they been down another point.
You can also make the same argument on some of our wins. What if the other team made more FT's, or one of their stars played at their normal level of play. Just way too many assumptions.
Fact of the matter is we are a below average team right now. I think our record is pretty accurate with our level of play. That't not to say things can't get better because I hope they will.
You can also make the same argument on some of our wins. What if the other team made more FT's, or one of their stars played at their normal level of play. Just way too many assumptions.
Fact of the matter is we are a below average team right now. I think our record is pretty accurate with our level of play. That't not to say things can't get better because I hope they will.
