We need to trade Cousins, but have to wait for his value to improve...
- Thread starter Anthony1
- Start date
Perhaps what Smart doesn't understand, is that treating everyone equally, doesn't mean everyone is talented equally. Popivich treats everyone on the Spurs equally, but I'm sure he knows that Duncan is far more talented than most of the players on the team. Same with Parker. I'm not excusing Cousins behavior, but I think some of his discontent comes from not believing that the system he's working in isn't producing wins. Thats why I think a solid coach with a winning reputation would make a world of difference. And don't say we can't attract a winning coach. Money talks! Adelman is coaching Minny, and he's one of the most successful coaches in the NBA. Larry Brown wanted to come here. He's not my first choice, but beleive me, the man can coach, and he's especially good with young players. So getting a good coach here is possible. I'd still love to have Sloan...
In fact, it's been well documented that Pop was even more harsh and strict with Parker all the way up to this year or last year. I think the best coaches know what to do to get the best out of their players. For some, that means disciplining them and demanding certain levels of performance, yanking and yelling at them for every careless mistake or bad shot. This is especially so for the point guard position, where what the PG does basically sets the tone for the entire offensive set. Other times, coaches need to give their best players some offensive leeway to go 1 on 1, pull up for "bad" shots etc. I actually think that the approach Smart took with Cousins by befriending him would have worked well if we were winning. The problem is that Smart didn't instill offensive discipline and hierarchy with the rest of the team, and as a result you have a very unstructured offense where James Johnson gets to clear everyone out and go 1 on 1. That leads to the team not winning, the more talented guys thinking "what the ****" to themselves and just bad chemistry all around. Then you have an undisciplined buddy buddy Cousins, who now isn't very happy that Smart, his buddy coach, is yelling at him for not executing, especially considering that Smart allows everyone else to chuck up shots.
I'd like to go to Las Vegas with Anthony1. He totally called it on Cousins. He wasn't premature in his comments - he was prescient in his comments. Now Cousin's value is a cup of coffee. Sure, teams are now calling Petrie for Cousins. The price is right - a tad higher than zero. No doubt that Petrie's cell phone is continually buzzing with GMs offering to "take Cousins off your hands." Nice of them to be so accomodating during the holidays.
L
I stopped reading here. Seriously, how can anybody in their right mind have JT on their "no trade list?" I have nothing against JT and I think he's a nice 3rd big man to have, but to say he's untradeable is simply ludicrous. We can debate not trading Cousins. I think that's fair because of the untapped talent that he has.
Well I think that if JT was on any other good team, with emphasis on the good, you'd be right, but on the Kings, he's one of the best players we have. At least from a consistent point of view. You know exactly what your going to get from JT every game, and there's probably not one other player on the team you can say that about. Doesn't mean he's the most talented, but a consistent solid pro player, of which the team has few. He's also valuable because this team is extremely thin in the frontcourt, and undersized as well. So on this team, he almost falls on the untradable list. Of course no one is untradable. It always depends on the offer. I mean if you want to trade me Derrick Favors for JT, its a done deal.
K
Lol what Monroe plays on a far more skilled/talented team that play in the Eastern Conference that are 9-22 with none of there top two players missing any time due to various reasons. While Monroe is a very skilled big and has less issues he doesn't have anywhere near the impact Cousins has a game and never will. The team's record would not be any better with Monroe and it would probably be worse.
This is about being smart. Its about team building. Jason is a "part of the solution" type of player. Losing him automatically knocks another hole into things. He fills multiple holes with just solidness. He's a roleplayer, understands it and accepts it. A big full sized combo PF/C, who can fill in as starting PF, or fill in for Cousins, your most volatile player. He's become efficient. He's coachable. He's a good guy. Mature. He's still young/in his prime. He's signed long term to a deal roughly commiserate with his production. In short, when you head off to the trade market, Thompson is exactly the player you are trying to trade FOR. He's one of the only sources of stability on the team. So on a team desperately trying to accumulate stability/stable players, moving Thompson flies directly in the face of what we need to do. Not because he is a star player who is going to win a title for you. But because he is exactly the sort of support player of which we need/for which we are looking .
Look, Jason is okay... but the Kings don't need him. He is a clumsy big man that complains a lot to the officials. Why is he better than Hickson? Trading him won't set back a team that wins a third of their games. I just don't think he will fetch much back in a trade, so we might as well keep him. He'd be great off the bench or as the 4th/5th best starter... on a winning team. I wonder if he even knows what winning feels like at this point........I question why he'd sign to stay with the Kings instead of going to a better program, is he comfortable with losing?
Umm, did you watch any of the games last season? Hickson is a whiny mama-dog who didn't want to be in Sacramento and spent almost an entire season giving zero effort just so we'd ship him out. JT goes out and plays hard every night. Just because JT isn't a franchise-level player doesn't mean he's not a guy you hold on to as a complementary piece. Hickson, on the other hand, was noting but a cancer here, and he can sit and spin for all I care.
Hickson didn't fit for some reason and it's an awful shame. Can I blame it on Smart? 
Anyway, to follow up on what point Brick is trying to make, you need 8-9 players. Duh! Good start, eh? JT is the perfect big man especially for a team in chaos. He can play both big positions and come off the bench if by some chance we get a great center. (Insert Brick's comments). He fills one hole as do Cousins (I hope) and Tyreke (if he decides to come back). You trade and beg to get people to fill roles and on our team, that takes a special person who not only can play but who is mellow.
When we drafted Jimmer I thought that he filled another role - the reliable three point shooter role. I suspect he will be better than that but we need a little patience. The amount of change in his play from last year is extraordinary. Otherwise, most don't fill a role well. I was hoping JJ would be the defensive SF and maybe if he would knock off the iso excursions, he could be that. On this team, we need that type of SF who can simply hit set shots, corner threes, and the like and play hard defense. So far he seems to have dreams beyond that but if he could throttle back on the offensive excursions, he'd be fine. TRob was supposed to be the man of most trades and the one trade he would not be counted on would be scoring. I remember him actually sounding excited after one good rebounding game where he scored nothing and he was excited to have the realization that he didn't need to score. Unfortunately, I think it is most player's DNA to score. The scorer's get the biggest contracts. TRob will take a few years so I'm not going to shuffle him off right away unless it filled the shot blocker position or got us a pass first pg. Let's be patient with him.
IT and Brooks can go for that other type of pg. They don't dish assists. Why in hell did we sign Brooks? I realize Petrie has been eying him for a long time but has he lost his GM abilities so bad to NOT realize that he was almost a carbon copy of IT?
I am going nowhere with this but I agree there are three no trade folks but that there are a few more that either fill other roles or can if pointed in the right direction. The biggest trade I am waiting for is Maloofs for Burkle and Smart for just about anyone who has been around the block a few years. I realize it is no fun to give in to the realization that no trade may make a lot of difference with the given ownership but we can at least make the right moves in hopes for the day that the ownership changes.
I don't know where the rumor/fact came from that there were serious arguments going on between Petrie and the Maloofs but I think we all can guess which side we support. The trouble is, Petrie will be gone and the Maloofs will hire a yes man. BTW, can anyone imagine Petrie arguing with anyone? Man, if he is at that point, this franchise is officially in the crapper.
I have no ego involved in this note so pick it apart. I am sick of discussing Cousins. Anyone want to discuss my fears about TRob and Tyreke? By training, I am a pessimist. I assume the worst and do everything to prevent the worst from happening.
Anyway, to follow up on what point Brick is trying to make, you need 8-9 players. Duh! Good start, eh? JT is the perfect big man especially for a team in chaos. He can play both big positions and come off the bench if by some chance we get a great center. (Insert Brick's comments). He fills one hole as do Cousins (I hope) and Tyreke (if he decides to come back). You trade and beg to get people to fill roles and on our team, that takes a special person who not only can play but who is mellow. When we drafted Jimmer I thought that he filled another role - the reliable three point shooter role. I suspect he will be better than that but we need a little patience. The amount of change in his play from last year is extraordinary. Otherwise, most don't fill a role well. I was hoping JJ would be the defensive SF and maybe if he would knock off the iso excursions, he could be that. On this team, we need that type of SF who can simply hit set shots, corner threes, and the like and play hard defense. So far he seems to have dreams beyond that but if he could throttle back on the offensive excursions, he'd be fine. TRob was supposed to be the man of most trades and the one trade he would not be counted on would be scoring. I remember him actually sounding excited after one good rebounding game where he scored nothing and he was excited to have the realization that he didn't need to score. Unfortunately, I think it is most player's DNA to score. The scorer's get the biggest contracts. TRob will take a few years so I'm not going to shuffle him off right away unless it filled the shot blocker position or got us a pass first pg. Let's be patient with him.
IT and Brooks can go for that other type of pg. They don't dish assists. Why in hell did we sign Brooks? I realize Petrie has been eying him for a long time but has he lost his GM abilities so bad to NOT realize that he was almost a carbon copy of IT?
I am going nowhere with this but I agree there are three no trade folks but that there are a few more that either fill other roles or can if pointed in the right direction. The biggest trade I am waiting for is Maloofs for Burkle and Smart for just about anyone who has been around the block a few years. I realize it is no fun to give in to the realization that no trade may make a lot of difference with the given ownership but we can at least make the right moves in hopes for the day that the ownership changes.
I don't know where the rumor/fact came from that there were serious arguments going on between Petrie and the Maloofs but I think we all can guess which side we support. The trouble is, Petrie will be gone and the Maloofs will hire a yes man. BTW, can anyone imagine Petrie arguing with anyone? Man, if he is at that point, this franchise is officially in the crapper.
I have no ego involved in this note so pick it apart. I am sick of discussing Cousins. Anyone want to discuss my fears about TRob and Tyreke?
By training, I am a pessimist. I assume the worst and do everything to prevent the worst from happening.
Hickson didn't fit for some reason and it's an awful shame. Can I blame it on Smart? Anyway, to follow up on what point Brick is trying to make, you need 8-9 players. Duh! Good start, eh? JT is the perfect big man especially for a team in chaos. He can play both big positions and come off the bench if by some chance we get a great center. (Insert Brick's comments). He fills one hole as do Cousins (I hope) and Tyreke (if he decides to come back). You trade and beg to get people to fill roles and on our team, that takes a special person who not only can play but who is mellow.
When we drafted Jimmer I thought that he filled another role - the reliable three point shooter role. I suspect he will be better than that but we need a little patience. The amount of change in his play from last year is extraordinary. Otherwise, most don't fill a role well. I was hoping JJ would be the defensive SF and maybe if he would knock off the iso excursions, he could be that. On this team, we need that type of SF who can simply hit set shots, corner threes, and the like and play hard defense. So far he seems to have dreams beyond that but if he could throttle back on the offensive excursions, he'd be fine. TRob was supposed to be the man of most trades and the one trade he would not be counted on would be scoring. I remember him actually sounding excited after one good rebounding game where he scored nothing and he was excited to have the realization that he didn't need to score. Unfortunately, I think it is most player's DNA to score. The scorer's get the biggest contracts. TRob will take a few years so I'm not going to shuffle him off right away unless it filled the shot blocker position or got us a pass first pg. Let's be patient with him.
IT and Brooks can go for that other type of pg. They don't dish assists. Why in hell did we sign Brooks? I realize Petrie has been eying him for a long time but has he lost his GM abilities so bad to NOT realize that he was almost a carbon copy of IT?
I am going nowhere with this but I agree there are three no trade folks but that there are a few more that either fill other roles or can if pointed in the right direction. The biggest trade I am waiting for is Maloofs for Burkle and Smart for just about anyone who has been around the block a few years. I realize it is no fun to give in to the realization that no trade may make a lot of difference with the given ownership but we can at least make the right moves in hopes for the day that the ownership changes.
I don't know where the rumor/fact came from that there were serious arguments going on between Petrie and the Maloofs but I think we all can guess which side we support. The trouble is, Petrie will be gone and the Maloofs will hire a yes man. BTW, can anyone imagine Petrie arguing with anyone? Man, if he is at that point, this franchise is officially in the crapper.
I have no ego involved in this note so pick it apart. I am sick of discussing Cousins. Anyone want to discuss my fears about TRob and Tyreke? By training, I am a pessimist. I assume the worst and do everything to prevent the worst from happening.
Anyway, to follow up on what point Brick is trying to make, you need 8-9 players. Duh! Good start, eh? JT is the perfect big man especially for a team in chaos. He can play both big positions and come off the bench if by some chance we get a great center. (Insert Brick's comments). He fills one hole as do Cousins (I hope) and Tyreke (if he decides to come back). You trade and beg to get people to fill roles and on our team, that takes a special person who not only can play but who is mellow. When we drafted Jimmer I thought that he filled another role - the reliable three point shooter role. I suspect he will be better than that but we need a little patience. The amount of change in his play from last year is extraordinary. Otherwise, most don't fill a role well. I was hoping JJ would be the defensive SF and maybe if he would knock off the iso excursions, he could be that. On this team, we need that type of SF who can simply hit set shots, corner threes, and the like and play hard defense. So far he seems to have dreams beyond that but if he could throttle back on the offensive excursions, he'd be fine. TRob was supposed to be the man of most trades and the one trade he would not be counted on would be scoring. I remember him actually sounding excited after one good rebounding game where he scored nothing and he was excited to have the realization that he didn't need to score. Unfortunately, I think it is most player's DNA to score. The scorer's get the biggest contracts. TRob will take a few years so I'm not going to shuffle him off right away unless it filled the shot blocker position or got us a pass first pg. Let's be patient with him.
IT and Brooks can go for that other type of pg. They don't dish assists. Why in hell did we sign Brooks? I realize Petrie has been eying him for a long time but has he lost his GM abilities so bad to NOT realize that he was almost a carbon copy of IT?
I am going nowhere with this but I agree there are three no trade folks but that there are a few more that either fill other roles or can if pointed in the right direction. The biggest trade I am waiting for is Maloofs for Burkle and Smart for just about anyone who has been around the block a few years. I realize it is no fun to give in to the realization that no trade may make a lot of difference with the given ownership but we can at least make the right moves in hopes for the day that the ownership changes.
I don't know where the rumor/fact came from that there were serious arguments going on between Petrie and the Maloofs but I think we all can guess which side we support. The trouble is, Petrie will be gone and the Maloofs will hire a yes man. BTW, can anyone imagine Petrie arguing with anyone? Man, if he is at that point, this franchise is officially in the crapper.
I have no ego involved in this note so pick it apart. I am sick of discussing Cousins. Anyone want to discuss my fears about TRob and Tyreke?
By training, I am a pessimist. I assume the worst and do everything to prevent the worst from happening.
I think I said it wrong. I always look for the worst possible diagnosis but am an optimist in treating. For instance, I was terribly worried about Tyreke's plantar fasciitis but if I was treating him, I would be more upbeat. BTW, where is Tyreke? I think too many people hide their head in the sand until something real bad happens. I think the Kings have done that with Cousins. Or maybe they just are ignorant which is the way most people are when it comes to problems like he has.
I couldn't be a total pessimist and be a fan of this team.
Hiding somewhere else sounds good. I need to find a place. The discussions are getting circular.
I couldn't be a total pessimist and be a fan of this team.
Hiding somewhere else sounds good. I need to find a place. The discussions are getting circular.
Ahhhh! That makes more sense to me. As far as how the Kings have handled Cousins, its hard to pass judgement without knowing all the facts. Its possible that they have had someone working with him, but to no avail. As I'm sure you know, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. Until of course they get real, real thirsty, and hopefully, thats where Cousins is now. As my friend Barry used to say, recovery is all up to the patient, and he or she has to first admit to themselves that they have a problem (Big issue with some people), and then they have to want to change. Without those two things happening, the best psychiatrist in the world can't help.
Apologies are nice and all that, and would seem to indicate that the person is admiting to having a problem, but after the 10th or 11th apology, they become meaningless. Its the boy who cried wolf syndrome. Some people have to hit rock bottom before the total reality of the situation sinks in. Of course you want to avoid that if at all possible. Cousins is a smart guy, which can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. However, despite having a quick temper, he doesn't seem to have a propensity for violence, other than the one incident with Donte Greene. Of course there have been a lot of people with no past history of violence that suddenly exploded and caused harm.
I believe, and this is just my personal belief, that most people have a little governor inside their head, that stops them from acting on emotions born out of anger. I'm sure a lot of folks have gotten angry, and had very bad thoughts cross their mind at that time, but didn't act on those thoughts. Those that do act on those thoughts, are people that need serious help, and in many cases some of those people have little or no conscious. I'm not a psychiatrist, but I don't think Cousins falls into the catagory. It does bother me that he's had some bouts of depression. He's not a patient person, and depression can sometimes lead you down a dark road.
Apologies are nice and all that, and would seem to indicate that the person is admiting to having a problem, but after the 10th or 11th apology, they become meaningless. Its the boy who cried wolf syndrome. Some people have to hit rock bottom before the total reality of the situation sinks in. Of course you want to avoid that if at all possible. Cousins is a smart guy, which can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. However, despite having a quick temper, he doesn't seem to have a propensity for violence, other than the one incident with Donte Greene. Of course there have been a lot of people with no past history of violence that suddenly exploded and caused harm.
I believe, and this is just my personal belief, that most people have a little governor inside their head, that stops them from acting on emotions born out of anger. I'm sure a lot of folks have gotten angry, and had very bad thoughts cross their mind at that time, but didn't act on those thoughts. Those that do act on those thoughts, are people that need serious help, and in many cases some of those people have little or no conscious. I'm not a psychiatrist, but I don't think Cousins falls into the catagory. It does bother me that he's had some bouts of depression. He's not a patient person, and depression can sometimes lead you down a dark road.
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Napear says, "Cousins more part of the problem than part of the solution." Bases part of his take on situation after playing tape of media interview with Cousins at practice. The brief give and take was not something one would use to heap glowing praise on DMC. If Napear is barometer of where Maloofs and F.O. is, looks like Kings want to trade Cousins if they can get worthwhile return.
Also, one more thing. Apparently the Kings are no longer giving Cousins a pass as simply immature, needing to grow up. The word now is likely character flaw or simply mental problems.
Also, one more thing. Apparently the Kings are no longer giving Cousins a pass as simply immature, needing to grow up. The word now is likely character flaw or simply mental problems.
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Its difficult, when all you have to go on is hearsay. With Grant, you never know what to believe. He's almost as emotional as Cousins. I would like to believe there's still light at the end of the tunnel, but who knows. I do know that if your going to trade Cuz, this isn't the time to do it if your looking for equal value. If you step back and look at the bigger picture, there's a lot wrong with the team other than Cousins, and thats not excusing him of his behavior. I don't know what the future holds for T. Robb, but he's been of little help so far this season. Tyreke has been off and on injured, and off and on consistent with his jumpshot. Salmons looks like the Salmons of 4 years ago one night, and then looks inept the next night. Ditto Outlaw!
I'm totally disgusted with the whole thing. From the top to the bottom, the whole thing is a mess. From the arena deal to Cousins problems, its hard to see a ray of sunshine anywhere. I think you could bring in Tim Duncan, and nothing would change. Funny, I just read an interview with Hickson about Cousins. He didn't have much of a problem with Cuz. He said the same things we've said. That he's extremely talented, but still has to mature, but that everyone knew what he was like, and that there were a lot of good times with Cuz as well. I have no idea where this is going to end up. I can only hope for the best at this point.
I'm totally disgusted with the whole thing. From the top to the bottom, the whole thing is a mess. From the arena deal to Cousins problems, its hard to see a ray of sunshine anywhere. I think you could bring in Tim Duncan, and nothing would change. Funny, I just read an interview with Hickson about Cousins. He didn't have much of a problem with Cuz. He said the same things we've said. That he's extremely talented, but still has to mature, but that everyone knew what he was like, and that there were a lot of good times with Cuz as well. I have no idea where this is going to end up. I can only hope for the best at this point.
