Boogie & Rudy's Excellent Adventure

I think it's important to note that Cousins D in the FIBA is aided by the fact that he can play less minutes, has fully capable players around him to handle the interior when he's out, and that he doesn't need to carry the offense at all. None of those things were true for Cousins on the Kings last year. What I hope is that t.,hey can instill an offense that doesn't need Cousins to carry it and pick up offensive fouls and extra body blows. Some depth would help as well.
I think you have struck on a key issue for Cuz and the team. Reducing Cuz's minutes compared to last year is probably necessary to get the best out of Cuz on both offense and defense. It would be great if we use JT for those extra minutes, better than using a smaller PF like Landry or anyone else we have on the team. I don't think you can do this with JT AND start him at PF. With JT it should be one or the other but we sure need a decent center back up for Cuz who can play those extra minutes.
 
I think you have struck on a key issue for Cuz and the team. Reducing Cuz's minutes compared to last year is probably necessary to get the best out of Cuz on both offense and defense. It would be great if we use JT for those extra minutes, better than using a smaller PF like Landry or anyone else we have on the team. I don't think you can do this with JT AND start him at PF. With JT it should be one or the other but we sure need a decent center back up for Cuz who can play those extra minutes.
It does not appear likely that were going to be able to trade JT so using him as the back up 5 imo is the best case scenario. Landry at backup 4 is respectable leaving Evans with the starting job. So yea PDA get to work.
 
I think you have struck on a key issue for Cuz and the team. Reducing Cuz's minutes compared to last year is probably necessary to get the best out of Cuz on both offense and defense. It would be great if we use JT for those extra minutes, better than using a smaller PF like Landry or anyone else we have on the team. I don't think you can do this with JT AND start him at PF. With JT it should be one or the other but we sure need a decent center back up for Cuz who can play those extra minutes.
Have Cousins play less than 32mpg in favor of more JT? Riiiiiiiiiiiiight...
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I think you have struck on a key issue for Cuz and the team. Reducing Cuz's minutes compared to last year is probably necessary to get the best out of Cuz on both offense and defense. It would be great if we use JT for those extra minutes, better than using a smaller PF like Landry or anyone else we have on the team. I don't think you can do this with JT AND start him at PF. With JT it should be one or the other but we sure need a decent center back up for Cuz who can play those extra minutes.
Cousins is already playing about 4-6 fewer minutes a game than previous great centers. and it was basically the only reason he didn't put up historically great raw numbers last season. On a talent shy team, when he went out, our fortunes fell down. Doesn't figure to be any different this year. Getting him up to 35+ min a game has to be a goal through his prime.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I think it's important to note that Cousins D in the FIBA is aided by the fact that he can play less minutes, has fully capable players around him to handle the interior when he's out, and that he doesn't need to carry the offense at all. None of those things were true for Cousins on the Kings last year. What I hope is that they can instill an offense that doesn't need Cousins to carry it and pick up offensive fouls and extra body blows. Some depth would help as well.

I agree with your analysis of why he was so active, and also why he can't be for us.

Cousins is proving he can be a good defender. But Cousins is a GREAT offensive player. I can make a pretty stout argument he's the best offensive center to enter the NBA in the last 20 years. You want both. But when that's the relationship, you sacrifice some defensive energy to get more offensive juice. That's normal for most stars. Why defensive roleplayers so commonly surround them. You want your star to play good defense, but you want the guys around him to be the ones winning the hustle battles and taking those dives into the stands. What you really want to do is for Cousins to have enough energy and enough fouls remaining to step forward and carry us, possibly on both ends of the floor, down the stretch.
 
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Cousins is already playing about 4-6 fewer minutes a game than previous great centers. and it was basically the only reason he didn't put up historically great raw numbers last season. On a talent shy team, when he went out, our fortunes fell down. Doesn't figure to be any different this year. Getting him up to 35+ min a game has to be a goal through his prime.
Good luck on the 35 minute gol. My observation is based on not only seeing the greatness of Cuz but also the times he would appear slow down at times on both offense and defense to pace himself and apparently deal with fatigue. Maybe he will overcome that. The great showing in the World competition was on maybe half the plying time he had in his past seasons. I'm not saying he is limited, I'm saying he has not shown he can do that yet.

I hope you're right and my fears are baseless but I would start him out with reduced minutes and ask a lot more of him when he is on the floor. More of him than he gave us last year.
 
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Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
There's a simple explanation for the low average minutes -- foul trouble. More experience and more respect from the refs will lessen that problem.
I think that's it too. Really that simple. As he's slowly gotten better about that, his minutes have slowly gone up. Now maybe a little more improvement and experience (quit swiping at balls in the first quarter Cuz), and a little more respect from the refs as the narrative changes, and he can squeeze out another 5-6 min a game.

P.S. I do think fatigue is a factor and he will have to pace himself. But that's completely normal for franchise bigs too. I can remember Shaq huffing and puffing, and Patrick Ewing dripping sweat like he was in a sauna every game. But the fact of the matter is that unless you are extraordinarily blessed with a once in a lifetime frontcourt, even a tired Shaq or Ewing of Cousins is going to be better than a fresh whoever his replacement is. Just have to avoid the tired fouls.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I'm sure you directing traffic to his articles and encouraging people to comment on them taught him a lesson. :)
If you read the very first paragraph of this new one, it appears to have done so, yes. He might as well have just published a retraction. I would guess it doubly has an impact on a guy like Wissinger, because he's a Sactown local. Some of the national guys I've tangled with get it from all sides and play at not caring about anything but their careers. STR guys playing at columnists do care what the local fans think.
 
If you read the very first paragraph of this new one, it appears to have done so, yes.
I did read it, it seems he is well aware of the "firestorm" and likely addressed it with this follow up article due to the combination of saving face and the spike in traffic of the previous article.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
If you read the very first paragraph of this new one, it appears to have done so, yes. He might as well have just published a retraction. I would guess it doubly has an impact on a guy like Wissinger, because he's a Sactown local. Some of the national guys I've tangled with get it from all sides and play at not caring about anything but their careers. STR guys playing at columnists do care what the local fans think.
And here, I must, once again, point out that he lives in Colorado... Not that that really changes anything
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think that's it too. Really that simple. As he's slowly gotten better about that, his minutes have slowly gone up. Now maybe a little more improvement and experience (quit swiping at balls in the first quarter Cuz), and a little more respect from the refs as the narrative changes, and he can squeeze out another 5-6 min a game.

P.S. I do think fatigue is a factor and he will have to pace himself. But that's completely normal for franchise bigs too. I can remember Shaq huffing and puffing, and Patrick Ewing dripping sweat like he was in a sauna every game. But the fact of the matter is that unless you are extraordinarily blessed with a once in a lifetime frontcourt, even a tired Shaq or Ewing of Cousins is going to be better than a fresh whoever his replacement is. Just have to avoid the tired fouls.
I've always found it interesting how players like Cousins, Shaq or just about any big man is held to the same standard as a Chris Paul or a James Hardin as far as energy and stamina are involved. Lets see, a player like Cousins, has to drag his 270 pounds up and down the court and when he gets there, he has to sumo wrestle with another 6'11"/7ft giant to acquire, and then maintain position in the post, and then fight for position under the basket, in an effort to get the rebound. Meanwhile, while this is occurring, the guards of the world prance around on the perimeter, unimpeded, and are the first to leak out toward the other basket after the shot goes up. And the result is, the Cousins of the world get criticized for being the last one's down the floor. Really! Duh?

Now I'm not saying that the big men in the NBA shouldn't be held to a certain standard. Of course they should. But I think that fans should realize that the game a big man plays in the NBA is a different one than the 195 pound guards play, and they shouldn't be compared. As far Cousins, when he came into the league, it was difficult to keep him on the floor for 28 minutes a game. That was due to some extent to being in foul trouble, but mostly to his lack of stamina. When your tired, your feet don't move, and as a result you tend to defend with your hands, and that adds up to more fouls. One begets the other. Last season he averaged just over 32 minutes a game. A four minute improvement on his first year. Why? Because he was in better shape, and by watching him in the world championships, I'd say he's looks to be in the best shape of his life. As a result, I expect that his minutes will go up.

Defense is two fold. It's about first stopping the ball, and second, defending the ball. So, if your a smart defender, you should actually use less energy than if your a dumb defender. It's like skiing or golf. The better you get at it, the easier it is. Now I know some will disagree with me, but it's easier to be in the right place at the right time and stop the penetration, than it is to chase the ball after allowing penetration. Plus, if done correctly, you make your teammates job easier as well. But that's another discussion.