DeMarcus Cousins - Goodman vs. Indy highlights

[Dr. Spaceman]

Found this video of our boy continuing to stay active during the lockout. It's not the best competition, and it's hard to see if he's actually improved his skills in this type of environment, but we can glean a few things.

His body looks noticeably more trim, and he's moving with increased fluidity and quickness. Is his body at the level it needs to be for him to be a star? Nope, not yet, but I like that we're seeing progress. Glad he and Reke are finding competition for themselves to keep the rust off (though I wish all of these Kings would come together to work on their chemistry, especially the two guys decorating our banner up there).

 

[Bricklayer]

That handle remains just ridiculous for a C. Combined with the lack of shotblocking is it possible he just really is a colossal 4?

 

[Entity]

damn he looks a little more athletic.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

we got lucky in that draft

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I hope we see some of those explosive dunks whenever this season starts, Cuz seems to play away from the basket more then I think he should have.

 

[kingsboi]

that J is wet

 

[Double-K]

Did I really just see our C doing a behind-the-back dribble?

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

Did I really just see our C doing a behind-the-back dribble?

You also saw our C do a quick euro-step between two defenders for a lay-up. We didn't see any post moves in the low block, but his footwork and craftiness remain impeccable for a big man and it'll only get better as he ups his conditioning and quickness.

That handle remains just ridiculous for a C. Combined with the lack of shotblocking is it possible he just really is a colossal 4?

If we could just get this kid on whatever cyborg workout program that Dwight Howard enlisted in after his first couple years in the league, we could get an exact answer to this. He'll always be able to play both positions depending on the matchup though -- but if he plays his cards right he could be a nightmare matchup for anyone at the 4 or 5.

Hell, I'll even settle for the Whiteside Workout.

 

[bajaden]

Cousins already had a good handle for a big, but its obvious that he's worked on it over the summer. He's lighter and quicker due to weight loss, and also better conditioning. He also blocked three shots in that game. Not that it means much in a game of that type. I'm not willing to write him off just yet as a center incapable of blocking shots. Marc Gasol made a remarkable transition from his first year in Memphis and his second year. I almost didn't recognize him. He also averaged 1.7 blocked shots last season.

Cousins has the length, so all he needs is the quickness and improved leaping ability, both of which can come from being lighter and being in better shape. Not saying it will happen. Just saying there could be a significant improvement.

 

[cuad]

He's a PF.

 

[Arkitect]

I hope we have a season this year. I really want to see the improvements DMC and Tyreke have made this offseason.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

That handle remains just ridiculous for a C. Combined with the lack of shotblocking is it possible he just really is a colossal 4?

Thats why Dalembert is such a good fit... I still hope we can find some way to get him back here.

 

[itzcoatl]

Holy cow! Those were some sick moves! He does look to be in noticeably better shape, which was one of his big question marks before the draft. Good to see DMC is working on proving all the doubters wrong.

 

[Glenn]

That handle remains just ridiculous for a C. Combined with the lack of shotblocking is it possible he just really is a colossal 4?

If we require people to have a stated position or a number, heck yes!

 

[Glenn]

Given his "behavior problems," I think most of us can agree that we will put up with it. This kid wants to be the best. He must be a treat for a coach - other than punches thrown, of course. People said he needed to be in better shape and lose a few pounds so he did. THAT takes hard work. Dunks are easy for a guy his size but he is moving quicker and maybe 6" more on his vertical measuring it in the practical sense of a basketball game.

He is hard not to like. He's a little young to be a team leader but a few more years in the league will make him very credible. As it is, I feel pretty certain the guys in the locker room look to him. We need a leader and an effective leader also needs skills. Maybe this is a reach but he may be our man in the future. As a side note, Jimmer is a leader also. As is Garcia. This is ALL good. Reke is not a leader but I am tempted to say, "so what?" That hole in Reke's personality is more than made up for by the team he is on.

We are on the right track.

As to the video: wow! I said it last year when he made dumb pases and ill advised excursions of dribbling and that is that I think he needs to find his limits and will never find them without trying what has worked against lesser mortals.

 

[bajaden]

I picked this up off of twitter.

RT @thechrispalmer Whether there's a season or not Cousins will pass Bynum by March. Second best center in the NBA in two years.

Chris Palmer is a writer for ESPN insider. He went on to say in several consecutive twits, that Cousins learns at a rate much faster than Bynum, and started out being twice as talented to begin with. Someone else in another twit asked if Palmer thought Monroe, who is very talented could compete with Cousins. Palmer said no, that Cousins was much tougher than Monroe.

Always nice to hear....

 

[Lockehead]

I have confidence that Cousins will surpass Bynum. Bynum is a giant for sure. But basketball is a thinking game, and thats hwere i think Cousins has Bynum beat by a mile. Cousins knows how to play the game of basketball, hes a smart kid and as hes shown, the game comes fairly naturally to him. The only thing holding him back, at least in his rookie season, was his god awful conditioning. Still, that didnt stop him from showing up some of those veteran star bigs from time to time. He definitely has his head on right when it comes to basketball, but i just hope he pushes in the physical aspect of the game.

 

[gunks]

Cuz already battered Bynum (and Pau) in that game against the Lakers....Case closed as far as I'm concerned. Sure, it was one game, but rookie bigs dont just "get lucky" against the Lakers on their home court. Once he starts getting calls/honing his shot selection the dude is going to get that % up and be good for 20ppg minimum. Bynum will never be a consistant 20ppg player. Even Lakers fans admit this.

Hopefully Westphal actually tries to coach (if there is a season). Reke and Cuz have all the potential in the world but both of those players have tons of bad habits that need to get nipped in the bud. His handles might be sick, but the fact that he likes putting the ball on the floor so much is also why he had so many TOs last season. Not that I'll mind him taking slower defenders off the dribble, but I still cringe every time he tries to bring the ball up the court.

Anyways, cool vid, thanks for sharing!

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

I picked this up off of twitter.

RT @thechrispalmer Whether there's a season or not Cousins will pass Bynum by March. Second best center in the NBA in two years.

Chris Palmer is a writer for ESPN insider. He went on to say in several consecutive twits, that Cousins learns at a rate much faster than Bynum, and started out being twice as talented to begin with. Someone else in another twit asked if Palmer thought Monroe, who is very talented could compete with Cousins. Palmer said no, that Cousins was much tougher than Monroe.

Always nice to hear....

Thanks for that, but I have to say that those of who could see the forest for the trees (including yourself baja -- I know you've been a big supporter) and look past Cousins' "behavioral problems" could see from the beginning that this kid is smart enough and talented enough to be a real star. Bynum has had the privilege of working with Kareem his entire career and has proven to be little more than serviceable while making up for the rest with his immense size.

 

[Bricklayer]

same game:

Just silly. If he's a center, this is a player who has a chance to be revolutionary. Vlade couldn't do that, nor Walton, nor Sabas, nor Hakeem, Admiral..if you call him a center I don't think I've ever seen anybody who could do that. Even if you call him a colossal PF I've seen maybe 2 -- CWebb and Sir Charles. Except neither of them was 6'11" 270.

 

[Glenn]

Maybe he's really a point guard.

 

[cuad]

Except neither of them was 6'11"

I know you've seen the games. Neither is Cousins.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I know you've seen the games. Neither is Cousins.

His official pre-draft camp measurement was 6'10.75" in shoes. Player height is traditionally measured in shoes. So, sure, that's a 1/4" round up.

 

[kennadog]

same game:

Just silly. If he's a center, this is a player who has a chance to be revolutionary. Vlade couldn't do that, nor Walton, nor Sabas, nor Hakeem, Admiral..if you call him a center I don't think I've ever seen anybody who could do that. Even if you call him a colossal PF I've seen maybe 2 -- CWebb and Sir Charles. Except neither of them was 6'11" 270.

Shuttin my gaping mouth here. Amazing. I want a damn season!

 

[kingsboi]

I have no doubt about Cousins surpassing Bynum, what I'm more concerned about is if he is going to be that franchise big that we need him to turn into to become a playoff team again.

 

[mac]

Cuz already battered Bynum (and Pau) in that game against the Lakers....Case closed as far as I'm concerned. Sure, it was one game, but rookie bigs dont just "get lucky" against the Lakers on their home court. Once he starts getting calls/honing his shot selection the dude is going to get that % up and be good for 20ppg minimum. Bynum will never be a consistant 20ppg player. Even Lakers fans admit this.

Hopefully Westphal actually tries to coach (if there is a season). Reke and Cuz have all the potential in the world but both of those players have tons of bad habits that need to get nipped in the bud. His handles might be sick, but the fact that he likes putting the ball on the floor so much is also why he had so many TOs last season. Not that I'll mind him taking slower defenders off the dribble, but I still cringe every time he tries to bring the ball up the court.

Anyways, cool vid, thanks for sharing!

Hmm I don't agree with you on the whole thing about Cousins battering the Lakers... Spencer Hawes had quite a number of good games against them too. Cousins is definitely better than Bynum, I'm just not in agreement about his games against the Lakers proving that.

 

[rainmaker]

Lat year, in my mind he looked like a more talented version of a young Webb, without the athleticism. He has the skills of a 4, but had the body of a 5. Well, damn! Now he looks like he can hang with any 4 or 5 in the league, and either bang with them down low, or beat them with speed/handle/jumper from outside.

Seriously, at his age, his tool box is more advanced then Webb's was. Can he put it all together and have the same type of career, or even better? I think so, but ultimately time will tell. He's obviously been working, and while there are concerns about his on court temperment, it's a good sign that he seems to be working hard on game and body during the summer. If Reke ever learns to shoot consistently, and off screens/pick & rolls, these two could be an absolute lethal combo down the road. Lethal.

We might just have two of the most physically dominant players at their positions in the league. Cousins at c/pf, and Reke at the point. If these guys keep developing like they are, there won't be a players in the league who plays their positions, who can handle their physicality, along with speed/skill. Unless you can put Lebron on Reke, and Dwight on Cousins, you might be screwed trying to stop these two in a couple years.

 

[bajaden]

Hmm I don't agree with you on the whole thing about Cousins battering the Lakers... Spencer Hawes had quite a number of good games against them too.

Cousins is definitely better than Bynum, I'm just not in agreement about his games against the Lakers proving that.

Sort of missing your point there. The issue was about Cousins being better than Bynum, to which you seem to agree. It seems that his games against Bynum would suggest that he is better, or will be in the near future. The Lakers enter the equation only because Bynum happens to play for them. So if you agree that Cousins bested Bynum in head to head matchups, then its fair to say that he also had good games against the Lakers. Its difficult to say that Cousins is better than Bynum, when he's playing the Knicks.

Of course from my biased point of view, he was better than Bynum before he ever set foot on an NBA court. Bynum can only dream of having the skill set that Cousins possesses.

 

[bajaden]

Just for the hell of it, here's an article on Andrew Rodgers, someone quite familar with Cousins.

http://www.centralkynews.com/winche...-business-is-booming-20111001,0,7464052.story

 

[mac]

Sort of missing your point there. The issue was about Cousins being better than Bynum, to which you seem to agree. It seems that his games against Bynum would suggest that he is better, or will be in the near future. The Lakers enter the equation only because Bynum happens to play for them. So if you agree that Cousins bested Bynum in head to head matchups, then its fair to say that he also had good games against the Lakers. Its difficult to say that Cousins is better than Bynum, when he's playing the Knicks.

This is what I was referring to:

Cuz already battered Bynum (and Pau) in that game against the Lakers....Case closed as far as I'm concerned. Sure, it was one game, but rookie bigs dont just "get lucky" against the Lakers on their home court.

My point is that anyone can have a good game against another player - that alone doesn't make them better than the other guy. Like I said, Hawes put up pretty good games against the Lakers, but I don't think he's better than Bynum.

You can compare players over a course of a season even if they don't play against each other. Let's say the Kings don't play the Celtics for the whole season, but you most of each team's games. Can you not say that Paul Pierce is a better player than Donte Greene? Even if we play them for 4 games, and in all 4 games Greene outperforms Pierce - does that mean Greene is better than Pierce?

So having watched both Bynum and Cousins play a fair amount in the NBA, I can see that Cousins is much more talented and already has a better skillset than Bynum. That's how I come to my conclusion that Cousins is a better player - not just because Cousins played better than Bynum in their few games against each other.