The only next level is Top 10 all time. That's it.
If he does absolutely nothing but settle in under Karl and start duplicating 24-12 seasons for a decade he'll go down as one of the 10 or 15 best centers of all time.
I was going to start a thread on this anyway, so I'll give a preview.
On Top 10 All Time List
Wilt
Kareem
Russel
Shaq
Hakeem
On Top 20 All Time List
Moses
Admiral
On Top 30 All Time List
Ewing
Others HOFs
Mikan
Cousins <--------healthy Cousins, playing at this level for full prime.
Reed
Mourning
Bellamy
Dwight
Thurmond
McAdoo
Cowens
Gilmore
Walton
Arvydas
Yao
Sampson
Mutumbo
Unseld
Daugherty
Whatever on the exact order, I was just throwing them up there superstars to great roleplayers, with short career guys pushed down the list. Mikan is impossible to rate.
You have Cousins in the 10th spot on your list, and based on his current achievements and skill level, that's about where I would have him. Sadly, I saw everyone on your list except Mikan play, and actually, I did see him play a couple of times on black and white TV, but not enough to say I really knew his game. What makes Cousins so unique is his ability to be effective both at the basket, and away from the basket. And I'm talking about centers in particular. Not many centers on that list had the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the way Cousins does. Those that did, wern't the physical player that Cousins is around the basket. Walton, was a very good ballhandler, passer, and scorer away from the basket. And he could score around the basket as well, but he couldn't physically impose his will under the basket the way Cousins can.
Here's the thing, Cousins is far from a finished product. He still makes a lot of mistakes. His post game while good, still could be a lot better. His decision making could be a lot better. But despite his remaining flaws, he's putting up all star numbers. Yes, he misses shots around the rim. One could argue that he misses too many. But a lot of those missed shots are putbacks of a teammates miss. While it may be a missed shot, it's probably a shot no one else would have had. The idea that his leaping ability is suddenly a concern, is one of the most ridiculous things ever posted on this forum. To what degree does Cousins lack of vertical affect what he does. When I last checked, he's one of the top rebounders in the NBA. Doesn't seem to be affecting his rebounding. I've seen him dribble the length of the floor and throw down a thunderous dunk. So he's capable of dunking. Or are we just talking about last nights game, which I couldn't watch by the way, since it was blacked out. Mercifully as it turns out.
Could he have missed shots last night, because he was operating on tired legs? Is that remotely possible? Could he be missing more shots at the basket this season because every time he touches the ball he's double and triple teamed. Have you ever tried to make a basket with two players banging and hacking at you? Oh yeah, I know, that's no excuse. Their getting paid millions of dollars to go out there and perform. Try telling that to your battered body and tired legs. They have a new coach with a new system, who just put them through two tough practices followed by a game, seemingly played at warp speed to them, followed by a back to back game in which they were trying to duplicate what they had done the night before. Perhaps the tank just ran dry. Sometimes the mind is willing, but the body says, excuse me, I don't think so. When that happens, you don't finish plays. You start taking the easiest shot you can find. Your reaction time is just a tad slow. You get out hustled for loose balls and rebounds. You don't have the lift on your jumpshot and start leaving shots short. Then you try and compensate and start shooting everything off the back rim. You start arguing with the refs to get a short blow, leaving your teammates 4 on 5. Does any of this sound familiar?
I'm not going to say that Cousins doesn't irritate me at times. I get tired of his arguing, seemingly after every play. I get tired of his not getting back on defense on time. I get tired of his dribbling into double and triple teams when he could have passed the ball. I know he does it out of frustration at times. And amazingly, sometimes he pulls it off. So yeah, like I said, I know he's far from perfect. But NO! I'm not concerned. What I'am, is grateful that he's on our team, and not some other team. There's not a team in the NBA that wouldn't take Cousins on their team in a heartbeat, and give up a lot to get him. Now if for some reason, you don't like Cousins, or don't want him on your team, then maybe that says more about you than it does Cousins.
