Well here we go, Cuz doesn't see himself as a center and he's intentionally floating outside. Support from Karl to do so.
“I don't really consider myself a center,” Cousins said. “I'm just a basketball player. There's so much I can do on the floor. People get stuck on the word ‘center,' ‘big man' and (are) kind of ignorant to the situation. I can't really worry about that. I just go out there and do my job.”
And like anyone else, when there are changes to the job, there is an adjustment.
“It's weird kind of floating out there,” Cousins said. “It's a different thing, but I know it's going to help the team, too. It's just something I've got to adjust to and get used to.”
…
“I do have those skills but it's still an adjustment,” Cousins said. “This isn't just pickup at the park, it's an adjustment.”
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article38730999.html
It's not gonna help the team to have him constantly looking to spot up off the ball from 18-20+ feet out. It's not gonna help the team to have one of the few bigs in the league who you can run the offense thru and who commands double/triple teams down low, turned into and off the ball perimeter player either shooting or attacking from 18-20+ feet out. Hanging out on the perimeter is giving the defense the night off aside from the random nights you're in the zone and hitting those shots. We're one of the few teams who don't have to live and die by the jumper but for whatever the reason, that seems the plan. The solution isn't to only go inside when Cuz has a size advantage, that's playing weenie ball and letting the opponent dictate what we do. The solution if going up against some of the better front courts is to have Cuz beat them up inside and get them in foul trouble. Otherwise, they've won. You've chased Cuz out to the perimeter like you'd do with any soft jump shooter.
I've got a problem with the whole:
The change should also benefit Cousins physically. If Cousins isn’t parked on the block, he won’t be subjected to the beating he’s taken tussling under the basket.
“Not so much dirty work on my hands this year,” Cousins said. “I think it’s going to help, but like I said, it’s an adjustment. It’ll take a little time. But when it’s clicking, nobody’s going to have anything to say.”
argument. A huge advantage is having other teams attempting to deal with the beating he gives in the paint. Tires them out, gets them in foul trouble, draws attention to free up shooters, gets him to the FT line.
That's not the issue. The issue is we're going to be in a worse position to close out games because he'd have been settling for jumpers too much the first 40-45 mins. Our best stretch of Cuz's career came under Malone last season when he beat the s*** out of opponents inside. The balance comes from him attacking/squaring up off the elbow where he's two dribble from the rim and can have offense run thru him. The balance is not him running to and spotting up 20+ ft away.
If we're in a 2 pt game with 3 mins and we suddenly decide our best chance to win is to go inside to Cuz, the first and obvious question would be why the F didn't we do that the previous 45 mins?
