DMC looking good

[Blob]

They brew the Haterade really strong there in Houston, don't they?

I like DeMarcus Cousins. I am pointing out facts. There is a difference between production and efficiency. There is a difference between tangibles and intangibles. I could go on but having a substantive debate obviously does not appeal to you.

 

[Blob]

The "Cousins is a cancer and coach killer who has created/exacerbated the dysfunction in Sacramento" argument never seems to address two crucial points:

(1) Over the last three seasons the Kings have had a just slightly better win percentage than the Sixers when Cousins doesn't play. So the statistics show that instead of being the guy dragging the franchise down, he's the only thing keeping them from essentially being as bad as a team that has been engaging in the largest tank job in the history of the NBA.

(2) If Cousins had LeBron like control over the head coaching position then why was Malone fired against his wishes and Karl hired against his wishes?

Outside of Joerger (who will be Cousins' 6th coach in 7 seasons) there is only one of those coaches that has had another NBA head coaching job - not coincidentally the only head coach DMC had the best relationship with. In fact, of all the coaches the Kings have hired since Adelman (9), not a single one other than Malone has gotten another head coaching gig after leaving the Kings.

DeMarcus isn't helping the dysfunction. He's not Vlade Divac who can bring a group together with the power of his personality. But the idea that Cousins is the cause of the dysfunction is misguided at best

.

Just because the Kings are bad without Cousins doesn't mean they are good with him! This is so obvious I can't believe more fans don't grasp it. If you are using up a ton of possessions (HIGHEST USAGE RATE IN THE NBA) with a meddling scoring and passing efficiency, this is only appealing in relative terms. The most recent reminder is beating the Thunder, probably the 3rd best team in the NBA, the last game at Arco with Boogie playing like garbage and attempting to ruin the going away party.

This comment is generous at best:

DeMarcus isn't helping the dysfunction. He's not Vlade Divac who can bring a group together with the power of his personality. But the idea that Cousins is the cause of the dysfunction is misguided at best

Boogie is the source of the dysfunction. This can be seen by any fan with two eyes, cursing out and harping over "bad" calls, being mostly dismissive of his teammates, failing to hustle when calls don't go his way. George Karl designed an offense around his skill set. And yet he had this animosity and lingering resentment towards his coach he could not set aside for the collective good. It was the same deal with Voison, playing the role of child and scorned lover, holding a grudge over perceived slight. What a WASTE of time and energy in response to trivial issue.

Boogie had a PG catering to his every move on the court. And yet Boogie choked away the first part of the season, especially December, with injury, poor to average cardio, forced shots and poor discipline. He turned his game around the first half of January posting the best numbers of his career under a Karl designed offense, only to falter in the latter half of the month that dug the team a hole too deep to dig out of.

I am optimistic we are going to see a better than ever Boogie next season, with improved conditioning in preparation of Team USA (and better coach), but that does NOT absolve him of his role in another FAILED season, his sixth consecutively in six professional seasons. He's batting 100% in this regard.

 

[Dime Dropper]

And another one down and another one down, another one bites the ignore function.

 

[Telemachus]

Just because the Kings are bad without Cousins doesn't mean they are good with him! This is so obvious I can't believe more fans don't grasp it. If you are using up a ton of possessions (HIGHEST USAGE RATE IN THE NBA) with a meddling scoring and passing efficiency, this is only appealing in relative terms. The most recent reminder is beating the Thunder, probably the 3rd best team in the NBA, the last game at Arco with Boogie playing like garbage and attempting to ruin the going away party.

This comment is generous at best:



Boogie is the source of the dysfunction. This can be seen by any fan with two eyes, cursing out and harping over "bad" calls, being mostly dismissive of his teammates, failing to hustle when calls don't go his way. George Karl designed an offense around his skill set. And yet he had this animosity and lingering resentment towards his coach he could not set aside for the collective good. It was the same deal with Voison, playing the role of child and scorned lover, holding a grudge over perceived slight. What a WASTE of time and energy in response to trivial issue.

Boogie had a PG catering to his every move on the court. And yet Boogie choked away the first part of the season, especially December, with injury, poor to average cardio, forced shots and poor discipline. He turned his game around the first half of January posting the best numbers of his career under a Karl designed offense, only to falter in the latter half of the month that dug the team a hole too deep to dig out of.

I am optimistic we are going to see a better than ever Boogie next season, with improved conditioning in preparation of Team USA (and better coach), but that does NOT absolve him of his role in another FAILED season, his sixth consecutively in six professional seasons. He's batting 100% in this regard.

I don't know if you are lying yourself or everyone when you say you like Cousins. I can't remember you ever having a positive word for him, and then you accused him of being the primary reason for all the Kings problems the past 6 years. If you want to hate on Cousins, that is your prerogative. But don't try to patronize everyone by saying you like him when you obviously don't.

 

[Blob]

I don't know if you are lying yourself or everyone when you say you like Cousins. I can't remember you ever having a positive word for him, and then you accused him of being the primary reason for all the Kings problems the past 6 years. If you want to hate on Cousins, that is your prerogative. But don't try to patronize everyone by saying you like him when you obviously don't.

I haven't said this:

you accused him of being the primary reason for all the Kings problems the past 6 years

I was accused of hating Jason Thompson for years when all I did was offer objective analysis of skill set. I was 100% right on him as he was given away in a salary dump and waived off of two teams while others accused me of personal bias or animosity were wrong, with sentimentality for a good guy getting in the way of objectivity.

The similar thing happens with Boogie in that Kings fans view him as the franchise guy and want him to be the solution, centerpiece and savior to all the losing. He can be that guy but he hasn't proven it yet. Lack of consistency is another way of saying "you aren't good enough". And when you have a player who uses up a massive number of possessions and lets his offense struggles (when they occur) to spill over to the defensive end of the court, it is a recipe for 25-35 win seasons.

The only way you can have a guy using 30% of possession (his approximate usage rate over 3 years) with meddling efficiency and a 0.7 assist to turnover rate (ranking dead last among player with usage over 25%) is for said player to be a wicked defensive player who hustles and defends without fouling on most possessions. Boogie doesn't do this because (1) he gripes too much with the refs (2) he doesn't respect his opponent enough (3) he fouls too much (4) he's not in good enough shape to play good to great defense for 40 minutes per game.

None of what I said is hate, just facts. I am rooting for Boogie to do better and his slimmed down version is indication that can happen. Peace out.

 

[funkykingston]

I haven't said this:

No, you pretty much did. When I said that the Kings have been a dysfunctional train wreck for 10 years and that Cousins wasn't helping but also wasn't the source of the dysfunction your answer was:

Boogie is the source of the dysfunction.

That's only a few posts back.

I was accused of hating Jason Thompson for years when all I did was offer objective analysis of skill set. I was 100% right on him as he was given away in a salary dump and waived off of two teams while others accused me of personal bias or animosity were wrong, with sentimentality for a good guy getting in the way of objectivity.

The similar thing happens with Boogie in that Kings fans view him as the franchise guy and want him to be the solution, centerpiece and savior to all the losing. He can be that guy but he hasn't proven it yet. Lack of consistency is another way of saying "you aren't good enough". And when you have a player who uses up a massive number of possessions and lets his offense struggles (when they occur) to spill over to the defensive end of the court, it is a recipe for 25-35 win seasons.

The only way you can have a guy using 30% of possession (his approximate usage rate over 3 years) with meddling efficiency and a 0.7 assist to turnover rate (ranking dead last among player with usage over 25%) is for said player to be a wicked defensive player who hustles and defends without fouling on most possessions. Boogie doesn't do this because (1) he gripes too much with the refs (2) he doesn't respect his opponent enough (3) he fouls too much (4) he's not in good enough shape to play good to great defense for 40 minutes per game.

None of what I said is hate, just facts. I am rooting for Boogie to do better and his slimmed down version is indication that can happen. Peace out.

The bit with Jason Thompson doesn't actually help your case here. Given that two teams in the NBA essentially gave him away for nothing and that he was the Kings starting PF for years and years is pretty telling in terms of the Kings lack of talent. The only players that have left the Kings and been productive in any real sense are Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans, both of whom left with the Kings getting nothing in return.

I'm not blind to Cousins' issues. He's ridiculously thin skinned which to me shows real mental weakness. I hate watching him argue calls instead of running back on defense or sometimes acting like a petulant child when things don't go his way. This for instance, is inexcusable in my mind:

The title says Cousins "fell asleep" on defense but he didn't. He was pouting and making some point that apparently only made sense in his mind. I also want to see him stop fouling so much, be more efficient with his shots and improve his passing while cutting back on turnovers. There are lots of ways he can improve his game.

And George Karl didn't design an offense around Cousins. He took his offense, forced Cousins into it and made some concessions in terms of post looks etc because he had to. It's well chronicled that Karl started politicking to trade Cousins as soon as he got the job. He knew the deal. He wanted to run his system and Cousins was a poor fit for that system. Now, it led to Cousins developing his three point shot and putting up career best raw numbers but it also led to him being less efficient and injury problems that you'd expect when asking a hulking big man to run hard on every possession.

Cousins is not a transcendent star who can carry his team to the playoffs on his back. But he IS a top 10-15 player in the NBA when utilized properly. If I felt the Kings could get equivalent talent via the draft or free agency I'd be in favor of trading him. But they can't. And for all his frustrating clashes with refs, reporters, coaches, players etc and his inability to take responsibility for his actions, he's also loyal to Sacramento and the best option for the Kings moving forward. So yes, I hope he grows up and improves, but he's the most talented and best center in the NBA today and he's not responsible for the Sacramento Kings being a tire fire for over a decade. I'm also rooting for Boogie to do better. But I'm also rooting for the organization to do a hell of a lot better to get players around him so they can actually win more games than they lose for once.

 

[Blob]

Your opinion is fairly reasonable with a few exceptions:

And George Karl didn't design an offense around Cousins. He took his offense, forced Cousins into it and made some concessions in terms of post looks etc because he had to.

Karl's viability as a head coach was dependent on maximizing the performance of Boogie. You would have to believe for your above statement to be true he was undermining his own job. That's silly. The reason he was reluctant to put him Boogie in the post more often than he did was because (1) it wasn't successful against larger front lines, (2) it is a lot easier for opponents to send help, (3) lack of Boogie post moves.

Karl did try to encourage early offense and try to take advantage of Boogie's bullying nature and punishing force with rim runs before the defense could set. Additionally the team would look to feed him the ball down low when he had a clear size mismatch. And the whole of the offense was predicated on Rondo setting up Boogie in pick and rolls in the middle of the floor and giving him space to face up drive and make plays.

The dominance with which the offense was revolved around Boogie as primary option was reflected in precipitous decline in production from Rudy (and to lesser degree year of regression from Ben). Rudy was just not featured often enough in favor of Boogie. So this contention the offense was not designed around Boogie is blatantly inaccurate.

The point fans miss is that Boogie is a power player with quick feet and quick hands. He is NOT a post player with a go-to move. This fundamental misunderstanding of his skill set leads to false conclusions.

You may not agree with the scheme Karl chose to implement, but it was done in strategic attempt to get the most out of the best player, which by the way included scoring a total 104 points in two consecutive games!!! Saying Boogie was thrown into a system ill-equipped to his skills is logically inconsistent with the incredible scoring outburst we witnessed back in January.

The bit with Jason Thompson doesn't actually help your case here.

Yes it does. It supports the fact I can set aside rooting interest in favor of objective and accurate analysis. Jason Thompson was a trash player who was NEVER going to be part of a 45 to 50 win team as a starter OR a rotational player. Vlade came to this conclusion. The 76ers came to this conclusion. The Warriors came to this conclusion, as guy in supposed prime of his career couldn't even beat out McAdoo, Speights as 12th man and was cut so the Warriors could go sign Anderson Varejo, an aging player coming off a busted Achilles.

If you would have listened to 95% of Kings fans, excluding myself, Thompson was a perfect role player, hustle guy and third big that could be part of something successful. That has been disproven.

Cousins is not a transcendent star who can carry his team to the playoffs on his back. But he IS a top 10-15 player in the NBA when utilized properly.

If and when the Kings are winning 50-55 games and going to deep into the playoffs, it will happen ONLY if and when Boogie's scoring and passing efficiency improve (55% TS or higher and better than 1.0 assist to turnover rate) AND he is consistently playing smart and active defense. If and when Boogie leads the team to the 8th seed or higher we will look back on his stats and see this improvement in these vital benchmarks that make the difference between winning and losing. This has less to do with Boogie being "properly utilized" and more to do with him improving physically, emotionally and mentally and earning the franchise tag for the first time.

 

[VF21]

I haven't said this:



I was accused of hating Jason Thompson for years when all I did was offer objective analysis of skill set. I was 100% right on him as he was given away in a salary dump and waived off of two teams while others accused me of personal bias or animosity were wrong, with sentimentality for a good guy getting in the way of objectivity.

The similar thing happens with Boogie in that Kings fans view him as the franchise guy and want him to be the solution, centerpiece and savior to all the losing. He can be that guy but he hasn't proven it yet. Lack of consistency is another way of saying "you aren't good enough". And when you have a player who uses up a massive number of possessions and lets his offense struggles (when they occur) to spill over to the defensive end of the court, it is a recipe for 25-35 win seasons.

The only way you can have a guy using 30% of possession (his approximate usage rate over 3 years) with meddling efficiency and a 0.7 assist to turnover rate (ranking dead last among player with usage over 25%) is for said player to be a wicked defensive player who hustles and defends without fouling on most possessions. Boogie doesn't do this because (1) he gripes too much with the refs (2) he doesn't respect his opponent enough (3) he fouls too much (4) he's not in good enough shape to play good to great defense for 40 minutes per game.

None of what I said is hate, just facts. I am rooting for Boogie to do better and his slimmed down version is indication that can happen. Peace out.

Very interesting. I'd like you to link back to some of those comments. Thanks.

 

[Blob]

Very interesting. I'd like you to link back to some of those comments. Thanks.

Go over to Sactown Royalty dot com do a search under user bench_blob and run query for Jason Thompson. You'll have enough links to keep you busy until opening day.

 

[VF21]

Go over to Sactown Royalty dot com do a search under user bench_blob and run query for Jason Thompson. You'll have enough links to keep you busy until opening day.

I'm sorry. If you didn't post it here, it doesn't count...at least as far as your argument goes. People shouldn't have to go to another site IMHO to validate your comments.

 

[New Era]

No, you pretty much did. When I said that the Kings have been a dysfunctional train wreck for 10 years and that Cousins wasn't helping but also wasn't the source of the dysfunction your answer was:



That's only a few posts back.



The bit with Jason Thompson doesn't actually help your case here. Given that two teams in the NBA essentially gave him away for nothing and that he was the Kings starting PF for years and years is pretty telling in terms of the Kings lack of talent. The only players that have left the Kings and been productive in any real sense are Isaiah Thomas and Tyreke Evans, both of whom left with the Kings getting nothing in return.

I'm not blind to Cousins' issues. He's ridiculously thin skinned which to me shows real mental weakness. I hate watching him argue calls instead of running back on defense or sometimes acting like a petulant child when things don't go his way. This for instance, is inexcusable in my mind:

The title says Cousins "fell asleep" on defense but he didn't. He was pouting and making some point that apparently only made sense in his mind. I also want to see him stop fouling so much, be more efficient with his shots and improve his passing while cutting back on turnovers. There are lots of ways he can improve his game.

And George Karl didn't design an offense around Cousins. He took his offense, forced Cousins into it and made some concessions in terms of post looks etc because he had to. It's well chronicled that Karl started politicking to trade Cousins as soon as he got the job. He knew the deal. He wanted to run his system and Cousins was a poor fit for that system. Now, it led to Cousins developing his three point shot and putting up career best raw numbers but it also led to him being less efficient and injury problems that you'd expect when asking a hulking big man to run hard on every possession.

Cousins is not a transcendent star who can carry his team to the playoffs on his back. But he IS a top 10-15 player in the NBA when utilized properly. If I felt the Kings could get equivalent talent via the draft or free agency I'd be in favor of trading him. But they can't. And for all his frustrating clashes with refs, reporters, coaches, players etc and his inability to take responsibility for his actions, he's also loyal to Sacramento and the best option for the Kings moving forward. So yes, I hope he grows up and improves, but he's the most talented and best center in the NBA today and he's not responsible for the Sacramento Kings being a tire fire for over a decade. I'm also rooting for Boogie to do better. But I'm also rooting for the organization to do a hell of a lot better to get players around him so they can actually win more games than they lose for once.

Watching that video makes me sick. I honestly don't understand how people can support a guy who does crap like that. He basically gave up on the play, the game, etc. It's completely inexcusable. In my book, that goes way above and beyond complaining to refs about calls. It really shows the character of a player when they do something like that.

 

[funkykingston]

Karl's viability as a head coach was dependent on maximizing the performance of Boogie. You would have to believe for your above statement to be true he was undermining his own job. That's silly.

No, that's George Karl. Outside of Gary Payton and maybe late career Iverson he has a long history of feuding with his star players (Ray Allen, Kendall Gill, Carmelo, Iguodala, Cousins etc) and generally not adapting to their skillset but instead trying to trade them for players that fit his system. He's stubborn, denigrates his players to the media, feuds with front offices and only wants to do things his way. But he kept getting jobs because he's also a great basketball mind that won games. There's a reason he won coach of the year and was still fired. That's George Karl.

Karl did try to encourage early offense and try to take advantage of Boogie's bullying nature and punishing force with rim runs before the defense could set. Additionally the team would look to feed him the ball down low when he had a clear size mismatch. And the whole of the offense was predicated on Rondo setting up Boogie in pick and rolls in the middle of the floor and giving him space to face up drive and make plays.

The dominance with which the offense was revolved around Boogie as primary option was reflected in precipitous decline in production from Rudy (and to lesser degree year of regression from Ben). Rudy was just not featured often enough in favor of Boogie. So this contention the offense was not designed around Boogie is blatantly inaccurate.

If you actually think the Kings offense was predicated on Rondo/Cousins pick & rolls then I don't know what to say. Adjusted for pace the Kings ran the 2nd fewest pick and rolls of any team in the NBA. The P&R is anathema to the function of the Dribble Drive offense. Cousins was functioning as the four man (with Koufos, Acy or WCS as the five man) and asked to attack from the outside. It was Rondo and Cousins that had to go to Karl and negotiate to sometimes slow the tempo and work in some standard sets including horns and P&Rs. There was a Bee article early in the season detailing that.

Rudy and McLemore struggled because the offense also didn't fit their games. For Ben it was too predicated on quick decisions and he struggles at attacking the rim other than straight line drives with wide open lanes and for Rudy it discourages isolation plays and midrange shots, both of which have always been his main M.O. on offense.

The point fans miss is that Boogie is a power player with quick feet and quick hands. He is NOT a post player with a go-to move. This fundamental misunderstanding of his skill set leads to false conclusions.

You think most Kings fans view Cousins as a strictly back to the basket post player? I think you're reaching there. Cousins is very good in the post when he has an advantage. He doesn't have a go-to move as he's much more of a read-and-react player in the blocks. But he has a drop step, a jump hook, an up and under, a spin move and occasionally flashes an underdeveloped turnaround. But Cousin's main strength is his versatility. He can overpower weaker defenders or he can shoot or drive on bigger, slower opponents. And operating from the elbow he should be a force as a passer or working the corner two man game if utilized that way. I don't think anyone is missing what Boogie is.

Yes it does. It supports the fact I can set aside rooting interest in favor of objective and accurate analysis. Jason Thompson was a trash player who was NEVER going to be part of a 45 to 50 win team as a starter OR a rotational player. Vlade came to this conclusion. The 76ers came to this conclusion. The Warriors came to this conclusion, as guy in supposed prime of his career couldn't even beat out McAdoo, Speights as 12th man and was cut so the Warriors could go sign Anderson Varejo, an aging player coming off a busted Achilles.

Yes, it proves (assuming your claim, which I will) that you labeled Thompson as a terrible player. I don't know about the rooting interest part as you seem to take delight in the failings of JT and Boogie but the larger point I was making is that you think Cousins should be able to carry his team to the playoffs when you yourself called his frontcourt partner a "trash player". How is Cousins supposed to carry a terrible team which has lately given away any players that have any modicum of talent and not only carried fringe NBA players but started them for years?

There's a lot to criticize Cousins about but it's hard to see him as the fundamental problem with the team when he's the best offensive player, the most versatile offensive player, the best defensive player, the defensive anchor and has had a career full of front office chaos, a parade of head coaches, and rosters severely lacking in talent.

 

[Blob]

No, that's George Karl. Outside of Gary Payton and maybe late career Iverson he has a long history of feuding with his star players (Ray Allen, Kendall Gill, Carmelo, Iguodala, Cousins etc) and generally not adapting to their skillset but instead trying to trade them for players that fit his system. He's stubborn, denigrates his players to the media, feuds with front offices and only wants to do things his way. But he kept getting jobs because he's also a great basketball mind that won games. There's a reason he won coach of the year and was still fired. That's George Karl.



If you actually think the Kings offense was predicated on Rondo/Cousins pick & rolls then I don't know what to say. Adjusted for pace the Kings ran the 2nd fewest pick and rolls of any team in the NBA. The P&R is anathema to the function of the Dribble Drive offense. Cousins was functioning as the four man (with Koufos, Acy or WCS as the five man) and asked to attack from the outside. It was Rondo and Cousins that had to go to Karl and negotiate to sometimes slow the tempo and work in some standard sets including horns and P&Rs. There was a Bee article early in the season detailing that.

Rudy and McLemore struggled because the offense also didn't fit their games. For Ben it was too predicated on quick decisions and he struggles at attacking the rim other than straight line drives with wide open lanes and for Rudy it discourages isolation plays and midrange shots, both of which have always been his main M.O. on offense.




You think most Kings fans view Cousins as a strictly back to the basket post player? I think you're reaching there. Cousins is very good in the post when he has an advantage. He doesn't have a go-to move as he's much more of a read-and-react player in the blocks. But he has a drop step, a jump hook, an up and under, a spin move and occasionally flashes an underdeveloped turnaround. But Cousin's main strength is his versatility. He can overpower weaker defenders or he can shoot or drive on bigger, slower opponents. And operating from the elbow he should be a force as a passer or working the corner two man game if utilized that way. I don't think anyone is missing what Boogie is.




Yes, it proves (assuming your claim, which I will) that you labeled Thompson as a terrible player. I don't know about the rooting interest part as you seem to take delight in the failings of JT and Boogie but the larger point I was making is that you think Cousins should be able to carry his team to the playoffs when you yourself called his frontcourt partner a "trash player". How is Cousins supposed to carry a terrible team which has lately given away any players that have any modicum of talent and not only carried fringe NBA players but started them for years?

There's a lot to criticize Cousins about but it's hard to see him as the fundamental problem with the team when he's the best offensive player, the most versatile offensive player, the best defensive player, the defensive anchor and has had a career full of front office chaos, a parade of head coaches, and rosters severely lacking in talent.

None of what you are saying changes the fact that Cousins has to be better and has played a prominent culpable role in the dysfunction, chaos and losing over 6 years. In fact he's at the heart of it. He couldn't coexist and thrive with Reke, IT, Rudy or bury his grudge with Karl for the good of the team. I think it bears repeating that Cousins didn't raise a stink when Isaiah was allowed to walk because Cousins didn't like his PG being shot-dominant. This selfish me-first get-mine attitude (which I think has improved) is independent of the talent shortage, coaching and front office carousel.

Name me one player who joined the Kings and immediately complemented Cousins skill set and vice versa. You can't really find any. As great as Isaiah was for us, he and Boogie had very little on-court chemistry. Reke and Cousins were playing two different games most of the time, though they shared the same court. Only a fantastically unique player like Rondo has meshed well. This is a bit disconcerting, don't you think? He did not nothing to facilitate the rookie transitions of Nik, Jimmer, T-Rob or Willie. In fact he allegedly made Nik cry!!!

Granted these guys had their issues as players but throwing them onto the court with Boogie did not make them better, it only exacerbated their struggle aside a moody, mopey and foul prone chronic complainer.....amidst the EXTRAORDINARY skill set he possesses.

The final point that I will make is Boogie displayed way TOO MUCH VARIANCE relative to good (great) games and bad games. If you look at his stretch of games in December, and the final couple of weeks in January after his monster run, he ACTIVELY lost games for us. A team has to be able to compete (and win) when its best player has an off (or average) game, but Boogie's immaturity in response to adversity included blowing up at refs, forcing shots, making poor decisions, and the like. Instead of say 6 for 15 FGs, 14 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 TOs on a off-night, we got 7 for 24 FGs , 3 assists and 5 TO games.

This is not reflective of the best big man in the game. Its reflective of temperamental guy lacking in poise, patience and skill. Too many possessions with forced shots and give-aways has been a chronic issue his entire career. I am not just going to chalk this up to untalented teammates and bad coaching.

None of this analysis overlooks the fact that Boogie is extraordinary talent, the best talent the Sacramento Kings have ever had!!! But if he was as good (great) as you want to declare him, he would have carried this team further than he has through the will and force of his dominance in spite of the shortcomings around him. But there are holes in his game mentally and physically. Once these issues are addressed, (and I remain relatively optimistic they still can be) commensurate with other prudent machinations, the winning can commence.

 

[IfAt1st]

I was accused of hating Jason Thompson for years when all I did was offer objective analysis of skill set. I was 100% right on him as he was given away in a salary dump and waived off of two teams while others accused me of personal bias or animosity were wrong, with sentimentality for a good guy getting in the way of objectivity.

Well, it's kind of odd to point to some unseen posts on another board to prove a point.
You registered here 10/3/2014, so you certainly didn't rail against the consensus opinion for years about JT on KingsFans, that's for sure.

I was one of only a couple (few?) people who regularly went against the KF's consensus and pointed out (yes, for years) how unskilled JT was and how we needed to get better at that position.

re: Cousins - one of the only things I hold against him is his inexcusable whining to the refs and not getting back on defense.
The battles with incompetent coaching, management, unmotivated players, and refs who have been screwing him harder than any other star I know of in the history of the NBA (I'm completely serious with that bold statement), the superficially-awful-looking clear message to a hard-headed FO and coaching squad (him not playing defense to show them defense is important)...
...all that stuff I simply have no problem with him about.

In fact, if I was him, I guarantee I would have acted out in much more demonstrative, inappropriate ways to make the point that there is a crap-ton of crap flying around in the background of this team that few people know anything about.
I would not have fallen on the sword as quietly as Demarcus has during his career, I can tell you that.

 

[EIM86]

None of what you are saying changes the fact that Cousins has to be better and has played a prominent culpable role in the dysfunction, chaos and losing over 6 years. In fact he's at the heart of it. He couldn't coexist and thrive with Reke, IT, Rudy or bury his grudge with Karl for the good of the team. I think it bears repeating that Cousins didn't raise a stink when Isaiah was allowed to walk because Cousins didn't like his PG being shot-dominant. This selfish me-first get-mine attitude (which I think has improved) is independent of the talent shortage, coaching and front office carousel.

Name me one player who joined the Kings and immediately complemented Cousins skill set and vice versa. You can't really find any. As great as Isaiah was for us, he and Boogie had very little on-court chemistry. Reke and Cousins were playing two different games most of the time, though they shared the same court. Only a fantastically unique player like Rondo has meshed well. This is a bit disconcerting, don't you think? He did not nothing to facilitate the rookie transitions of Nik, Jimmer, T-Rob or Willie. In fact he allegedly made Nik cry!!!

Granted these guys had their issues as players but throwing them onto the court with Boogie did not make them better, it only exacerbated their struggle aside a moody, mopey and foul prone chronic complainer.....amidst the EXTRAORDINARY skill set he possesses.

The final point that I will make is Boogie displayed way TOO MUCH VARIANCE relative to good (great) games and bad games. If you look at his stretch of games in December, and the final couple of weeks in January after his monster run, he ACTIVELY lost games for us. A team has to be able to compete (and win) when its best player has an off (or average) game, but Boogie's immaturity in response to adversity included blowing up at refs, forcing shots, making poor decisions, and the like. Instead of say 6 for 15 FGs, 14 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 TOs on a off-night, we got 7 for 24 FGs , 3 assists and 5 TO games.

This is not reflective of the best big man in the game. Its reflective of temperamental guy lacking in poise, patience and skill. Too many possessions with forced shots and give-aways has been a chronic issue his entire career. I am not just going to chalk this up to untalented teammates and bad coaching.

None of this analysis overlooks the fact that Boogie is extraordinary talent, the best talent the Sacramento Kings have ever had!!! But if he was as good (great) as you want to declare him, he would have carried this team further than he has through the will and force of his dominance in spite of the shortcomings around him. But there are holes in his game mentally and physically. Once these issues are addressed, (and I remain relatively optimistic they still can be) commensurate with other prudent machinations, the winning can commence.

I think it's safe to say most of the forum disagrees with you.

 

[Bricklayer]

I was being nice. I have been nothing but nice as I figured the anti-Cuzzes were in for a rough summer, and each had to find their own way back around to reconcile themselves and needed some breathing room. But this has gone on long enough.

 

[peacelate]

How is Cousins being treated more horribly than any other star player? Cousins averaged 10.2 FTA per game, which was tied with Harden for most in in the league.

 

[Bricklayer]

How is Cousins being treated more horribly than any other star player? Cousins averaged 10.2 FTA per game, which was tied with Harden for most in in the league.

I think Cuz is a bit like Shaq. Moses Malone was notorious back in the day too. Play such a physical game that if you are going to go by the rulebook there is a foul taking place almost every play. It especially stands out in the modern era where the frilly skirts on the perimeter let out little screams everytime their delicate skin is touched. But you can't call them all. Unfortunate of course because Cuz has such a highly overdeveloped I'm being picked on response.


But I think the larger issue that WAS there was the refs giving him absolutely no breaks on the defensive end, so that he was constantly in foul trouble. That was the huge concern. And some of it was his fault with the undisciplined swipes and whatnot, but there were times when he was getting really and truly screwed over by the whistles. I remember that last month with Malone in particular -- there was some report from our China trip about how some "official" in China reportedly said that Cuz was the worst guy they'd ever experienced and he'd NEVER be an All-Star (he should have already been that previous season). Well, we were there with the Nets, and Westphal was on their bench as an assistant coach, so it might have been him. But it also occurred to me it might have been an actual official, some of whom were also on the trip. Boogie obviously has given them hell. And I was reminded of that remark at the start of that season as the officials were calling fouls on him at a ridiculous rate. He was being immensely productive, but struggling to stay on court 30 min a night, and it was all...well **** you refs. Not sure this is fair. Maybe they were actually trying to influence outcomes. I don't trust Donaghy as far as I could throw him, but his many stories of refs talking and holding grudges and playing games against players they didn't like rang kind of true.

Anyway though, I think the combined weight of the FIBAs, All Stars, All NBAs etc., as well as improved discipline on his part, has greatly ameliorated that problem. He still gets in foul trouble, and our inability to play without him means its always a disaster, but his minutes have gone up for 5 straight years, and been over 34min/gm the last two seasons as the accolades began rolling in. So he may now finally have crossed over to starting to get the star consideration himself. I guarantee you it would be as their least favorite "star". But his foul issues are manageable now. He averaged 34.6min last season. Paul George averaged 34.8. Westbrook averaged 34.4. I'd like to see him get up to 36, but he's right in line with other stars now.

 

[King Baller]

Well, let's see. LeBron just won the NBA championship with largely the same group of players who were lottery bound each year before he came back.

Next question?

This statement is so easy to disprove. Did you research it?

2013-14 Cleveland roster - http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2014.html

2015-16 Cleveland roster - http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2016.html

The only hold overs are Irving, Delly and Thompson