DeMarcus Cousins : "Bynum doesn't deserve to touch the trophy!"

[The Hammer]

Not sure if I should post this here or make it a new thread, but I think everyone on here should listen to that Calipari interview from the Rise Guys. Very, very interesting to get Coach Cal's perspective.

http://khtk.cbslocal.com/2010/06/25/john-calipari-on-the-rise-guys/

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I don't know about the write up, but I listened to the Calapari interview on the Rise Guys. And in the interview he said exactly what you stated. Anyone that wants to listen to it, its posted on the KHTK website under the Rise Guys. I also heard the statement from Cousins when asked who he admired as a player. He said he looked up to no one as a mentor, but likened his game to Gasol's, who he really likes.

I heard that interview, to be more specific he said he likes to watch Gasol because he is so skilled. He steals moves from people he watch, but he didn't say his game is like Gasol. Though I like Gasol's skills, I wouldn't want our bruiser of a center to have the same game as Gasol. Cousins has a ton of skills yet he is also a bruiser like a young shaq, the best of both worlds. Thats what makes him so good.

 

[Superman]

I heard that interview, to be more specific he said he likes to watch Gasol because he is so skilled. He steals moves from people he watch, but he didn't say his game is like Gasol. Though I like Gasol's skills, I wouldn't want our bruiser of a center to have the same game as Gasol. Cousins has a ton of skills yet he is also a bruiser like a young shaq, the best of both worlds. Thats what makes him so good.

Sounds like you're calling Cousins a more skilled young Shaq. Is that what you're saying?

 

[Tetsujin]

Sounds like you're calling Cousins a more skilled young Shaq. Is that what you're saying?

A young Shaq that could make free throws would have been the GOAT.

 

[Superman]

A young Shaq that could make free throws would have been the GOAT.

I think any chance of Shaq being the GOAT went out the window when he got turned inside-out by Hakeem in '95.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

His attitude is starting to pee me off. I hate the lakers too, but you can't just say whatever you want knowing it will be online 5 minutes later. This isn't the 5th grade where you can just say whatever.
Cousins needs to keep his mouth shut if he wants to have a career and show some respect.

bynum doesnt deserve it. he took out their defensive anchor

can't wait for the 1st game between lakers and kings. let cousins work down on the block against bynum

 

[Prince_XY]

His attitude is starting to pee me off. I hate the lakers too, but you can't just say whatever you want knowing it will be online 5 minutes later. This isn't the 5th grade where you can just say whatever.
Cousins needs to keep his mouth shut if he wants to have a career and show some respect.

I don't know about you, but I think Cousins is exciting! Exactly the opposite of the soft and boring politician Hawes!

I think basketball career has nothing to do with having a small or big mouth. Basketball is not church or politics. It is SPORTS and NBA is largely for entertainment.

IMO, we just got our Barkley/Shaq!

Good for the Kings!

Wooooohooooo!

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Sounds like you're calling Cousins a more skilled young Shaq. Is that what you're saying?

In terms of their bruiser physicallity, yes. But DMC is not nearly as athletic as a young shaq supposedly had a 35"+ vertical. kobe's is 37", to give you guys an idea of the kind of athlete Shaq was.

I'm saying DMC is phyical and tough like a young shaq, with more refined post skills than shaq. Not as athletic, but I take skills in the long run any day.

 

[Superman]

In terms of their bruiser physicallity, yes. But DMC is not nearly as athletic as a young shaq supposedly had a 35"+ vertical. kobe's is 37", to give you guys an idea of the kind of athlete Shaq was.

I'm saying DMC is phyical and tough like a young shaq, with more refined post skills than shaq. Not as athletic, but I take skills in the long run any day.

I wouldn't refute the 35" vertical claim. Young Shaq was a specimen. The "Black Tornado" was one of the best moves by a big man ever. But he took several years to really get comfortable with anything other than a slam around the rim, being able to spin right, finish left, use some touch, etc.

If Cousins already has that kind of finesse around the rim, and has the physicality to bang every night, then that's a huge deal. I don't care about the comparison, that's a nice young center. Since we're talking about Bynum, it took three years of work with Kareem for Bynum to be able to establish position and go to his strong hand, never mind his off hand. He's still not the kind of guy who will push and shove all game to get his spot on the block, and then finish in your face. Spencer Hawes made him look like a beast, but Bynum really only gets off once every ten games. It also doesn't help playing with Kobe, both on and off the court. If he doesn't develop a mean streak, he'll be a huge waste of potential.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I thought he was hugely important to their defense and you can see how it hurt them at times when he was out and had to rely on Odom's awful D.

 

[Vlade4GM]

I'm not a big fan of Bynum's and think he's somewhat overrated. But I do think he impacted the finals just by his mere presence on the floor. As long as Gasol was on the floor at the same time. He wasn't nearly as effective when he was out there without Gasol. Don't misunderstand me. I think Bynum is a fine player. I just don't think he's as good as some think he is.

I think that if you take away his injury troubles and the fact that he has to compete with Pau for touches, he'd be at least as good as Brook Lopez.

 

[The Hammer]

In terms of their bruiser physicallity, yes. But DMC is not nearly as athletic as a young shaq supposedly had a 35"+ vertical. kobe's is 37", to give you guys an idea of the kind of athlete Shaq was.

I'm saying DMC is phyical and tough like a young shaq, with more refined post skills than shaq. Not as athletic, but I take skills in the long run any day.

Let's not forget that DMC is a far, far better shooter too. Shaq had no jumpshot.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

I wouldn't refute the 35" vertical claim. Young Shaq was a specimen. The "Black Tornado" was one of the best moves by a big man ever. But he took several years to really get comfortable with anything other than a slam around the rim, being able to spin right, finish left, use some touch, etc.

If Cousins already has that kind of finesse around the rim, and has the physicality to bang every night, then that's a huge deal. I don't care about the comparison, that's a nice young center. Since we're talking about Bynum, it took three years of work with Kareem for Bynum to be able to establish position and go to his strong hand, never mind his off hand. He's still not the kind of guy who will push and shove all game to get his spot on the block, and then finish in your face. Spencer Hawes made him look like a beast, but Bynum really only gets off once every ten games. It also doesn't help playing with Kobe, both on and off the court. If he doesn't develop a mean streak, he'll be a huge waste of potential.

I looked up Shaq's vertical and some say 32", some say 33" so I was off a few inches by memory. Regardless, very impressive for his size. Shaq's main move through out his career was back down, hard turn/drop step into his defender and finish with a dunk. Later it turned into a 3 foot tiny baby hook if you can even call it a hook. At 38, he is still trying to do that move and really has not much to go to. Thats why you see him miss so many easy shots within 3 feet because he no longer has the lift and strength to finish the play.

The difference with Cousins' skills is that he has an array of moves, not just 1 or 2. He can also step outside up to 20 feet and shoot comfortably according to the Nets GM (obviously it will take some practice to translate to in game), but thats light years better than shaq's shooting. What impresses me most about this kid is that he doesn't want to only rely on his power and size to score like mostly every other big guy his age. He is interested and concerned with skills and post moves. Thats what I mean by DMC being a rare best of both worlds.

Pau has great skills, but he can't play as physical as DMC. Shaq can but doesn't have those skills. Thats why I think Cousins can be the best big in the league if he follows up with hard work.

Bynum, the thing thats crazy with him is that he really has the perfect body for a center (not counting how injury prone he is). He measured 7' 3/4" barefoot at 17 yrs old and supposedly measured 7' 1.25" barefoot and 7' 2.5" with shoes and at 20 (he is 7'3" by NBA standards). 9'4" standing reach and 7'6" wingspan. He has bulk, yet his skills are not there as you said. Considering he has a HOF Kareem teaching him 1 on 1 just showing him the moves, he really is very overrated and underachieving. Bynum as a rookie talked about brining back the Sky Hook. What happen to it? He is a waste of time.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Shaq was extremely explosive, and Cousins is not. They're very different players.

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

He must feel like Bynum gets too much credit, because in addition to Pau being his favorite big man, I think he's spoken highly about Kobe. It definitely isn't generic Laker hate.

Nothing on you NME, but I think it needs to be made clear that Cousins doesn't regard Pau as his "favorite" big man, because every time I've seen him being asked that question, he is adamant about letting the interviewer know that he doesn't actually admire Pau as a player. Or any player for that matter. He admittedly appreciates and tries to emulate Gasol's low-post and ballhandling skills, but -- and this is the great part -- it's obvious in the way he phrases his answers that he doesn't like Pau's style and approach to the game (which, let's say is a little "softer" than Cuz would like).

It's these little tidbits he drops that hint at the depth of his feel for the game. You couple his analysis of his (soon to be) peers with his aggression and own skill on the court, and you can't help but salivate and wonder how scary this guy could be once he's let loose on the floor.

By the way, on Bynum -- gutsy, gutsy performance from him these playoffs, at least when he was able to get on the court. But I fall on the side of those who think he is a bit overrated, rarely showing the willingness or ability to dominate games in spite of all that priceless tutoring from the likes of Kareem.

I think he would have trouble keeping up with Cousins in the low-post even with a healthy knee -- the best of luck to him when he tries to guard DMC this fall with a bum one. He'll need it.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Shaq was extremely explosive, and Cousins is not. They're very different players.

I stated very clearly that Shaq is a lot more athletic. Cousins is a lot more skilled. They are the same in the bruiser physicality sense. Thats all.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Nothing on you NME, but I think it needs to be made clear that Cousins doesn't regard Pau as his "favorite" big man, because every time I've seen him being asked that question, he is adamant about letting the interviewer know that he doesn't actually admire Pau as a player. Or any player for that matter. He admittedly appreciates and tries to emulate Gasol's low-post and ballhandling skills, but -- and this is the great part -- it's obvious in the way he phrases his answers that he doesn't like Pau's style and approach to the game (which, let's say is a little "softer" than Cuz would like).

Yup, thats what I was saying earlier regarding another post.

 

[Tetsujin]

I wouldn't refute the 35" vertical claim. Young Shaq was a specimen. The "Black Tornado" was one of the best moves by a big man ever. But he took several years to really get comfortable with anything other than a slam around the rim, being able to spin right, finish left, use some touch, etc.

If Cousins already has that kind of finesse around the rim, and has the physicality to bang every night, then that's a huge deal. I don't care about the comparison, that's a nice young center. Since we're talking about Bynum, it took three years of work with Kareem for Bynum to be able to establish position and go to his strong hand, never mind his off hand. He's still not the kind of guy who will push and shove all game to get his spot on the block, and then finish in your face. Spencer Hawes made him look like a beast, but Bynum really only gets off once every ten games. It also doesn't help playing with Kobe, both on and off the court. If he doesn't develop a mean streak, he'll be a huge waste of potential.

You're also forgetting that Bynum also made Hawes look like Kevin McHale when they were matched up

 

[NME]

Nothing on you NME, but I think it needs to be made clear that Cousins doesn't regard Pau as his "favorite" big man, because every time I've seen him being asked that question, he is adamant about letting the interviewer know that he doesn't actually admire Pau as a player. Or any player for that matter. He admittedly appreciates and tries to emulate Gasol's low-post and ballhandling skills, but -- and this is the great part -- it's obvious in the way he phrases his answers that he doesn't like Pau's style and approach to the game (which, let's say is a little "softer" than Cuz would like).

It's these little tidbits he drops that hint at the depth of his feel for the game. You couple his analysis of his (soon to be) peers with his aggression and own skill on the court, and you can't help but salivate and wonder how scary this guy could be once he's let loose on the floor.

I didn't expect he was looking to become a Pau-clone, but good clarification. Once again, we can only hope that he holds his own game to the same high standards. Look out!

 

[NME]

You're also forgetting that Bynum also made Hawes look like Kevin McHale when they were matched up

Hey, are you insinuating that 30/11 isn't a representative night for Spence?!?

 

[VF21]

er...generally you should wait until, I don't know, you have played maybe ONE game in the league before starting to yap. And about somebody that as far as I know is totally unrelated to him as well. Either this was absolutely intentional, or somebody asked a very particular question to elicit such a reaction. Given its twitter, which I'm afraid is going to be the end of us all, and is especially damaging to athletes, it was probably just him on his own initiative. Wonder if he considered this is not the best way to put to rest the questions about your attiude.

I find myself in complete agreement. I'd like to see the guy talking smack actually step foot on the court in the NBA before I applaud him for making dumb comments on Twitter.

 

[vikinginferno]

I find myself in complete agreement. I'd like to see the guy talking smack actually step foot on the court in the NBA before I applaud him for making dumb comments on Twitter.

As a person who wasn't even in the NBA yet and was making many comments on the series and players throughout, that is not talking smack at all. At that point he was basically just like any other fan expressing his opinion. People really need to start taking everything said on twitter with a grain of salt and make sure not to get their panties in a bunch over such meaningless comments.

 

[EIM86]

jeez just don't say anything and chill like reke.

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

I find myself in complete agreement. I'd like to see the guy talking smack actually step foot on the court in the NBA before I applaud him for making dumb comments on Twitter.

And this is where the generation gap is created. The beauty of Twitter is that people are able to speak their minds as real people -- and sometimes we get an unfiltered glimpse into the real personalities of these people rather than the guarded (some might say fake) ones we see in the media. He shouldn't be getting killed for making casual observations about the league as a fan of the NBA (and at the time it was written, he was still an outsider and strictly a fan of the NBA, not a member of it). And an observation about Bynum being overrated is far from ridiculous and dumb, as was attested to by several people in this very topic. Let him be -- trying to douse a young player's fire based on casual statements is ridiculous in itself.

 

[Boogie - Big Cuz]

And this is where the generation gap is created. The beauty of Twitter is that people are able to speak their minds as real people -- and sometimes we get an unfiltered glimpse into the real personalities of these people rather than the guarded (some might say fake) ones we see in the media. He shouldn't be getting killed for making casual observations about the league as a fan of the NBA (and at the time it was written, he was still an outsider and strictly a fan of the NBA, not a member of it). And an observation about Bynum being overrated is far from ridiculous and dumb, as was attested to by several people in this very topic. Let him be -- trying to douse a young player's fire based on casual statements is ridiculous in itself.

Nice take.

 

[Ed2009]

He must be blind because Bynum played through a very serious injury and made a pretty big impact when he was in. What Bynum did that whole postseason was very gutsy and he deserves a championship just as much as anyone else on that Lakers team.

NO LAKER DESERVES A CHAMPIONSHIP

 

[Chupacabra]

NO LAKER DESERVES A CHAMPIONSHIP

Agreed. I second...

 

[Prince_XY]

Nice take.

Yup. Nice take.

But you know what? I am having second thoughts now.

What if with this kind of arrogance in Cousins ( before even stepping on the NBA floor), Cousins fails to deliver his own?

No. I don't want to kill my hope on Cousins this early. I'd rather think he said the thing as a fan.

 

[Andre87]

I think that if you take away his injury troubles and the fact that he has to compete with Pau for touches, he'd be at least as good as Brook Lopez.

Brook Lopez is much more athletic lol
Hopefully our own Boogie is too.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Brook Lopez is much more athletic lol
Hopefully our own Boogie is too.

Maybe after the injuries and with his knee brace on, but if he is, it's not by much. Lopez isn't that great of an athlete. Bynum was a pretty good athlete before his injuries, and he is held back by his knee brace. He's got more lift than he has shown recently.

Bynum is definitely a better athlete than Cousins, I have no doubt about that.