Purple Reign
Starter
Based on what you have seen or heard from this week's combine would you select DeMarcus Cousins at #5
Would You Draft Cousins at #5
- Thread starter Purple Reign
- Start date
ElRey
Starter
If Cousins is available, I'd draft the guy and run!
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
You need to edit that first line to just Wall, Favors and Turner.
Vlade4GM
All-Star
I think he wrote it that way because he's assuming that if Cousins is available, Johnson was most likely taken by Minny.
Nighthawk1
Starter
Without a doubt
Sparky6string
Bench
Cousins is not that guy, he is also a guy that throws it up and hope it drops actually. If he lost weight and hit the weights he could be that guy though.
EDIT: But yeah take him at 5
I wanted him at 3, heck I even thought trading down if we got the top pick to get him was a good plan. He fills the most immediate need on this team and the likelihood of us ever getting a player of his level at the center position is nil. Lastly even if he can't get over his attitude issues he'll still be a highly moveable piece at the end of his deal because someone will think they can change him.
hammystyle
Starter
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Yes, but let's keep our eyes open on this kid. His size, talent and skill fit our needs about as perfectly as you could hope for. In fact, with Reke being a bullying half court PG more than an up and down type you could argue Cousins bullying half court game is the prototype for what we'd be looking for.
However the news clippings about his immaturity are a red flag. And yes there are a lot of things out there that he's a good guy overall with a good heart. But after seeing that interview with DX I can se exactly what those red flags are referring to. I went into viewing that interview hopeing to really lik him, but he's just so awkward and dismissive. Things get harder when you get to the NBA. Its an 82 game grind and there's a tremendous amount of pressure on everyone in the locker room. He got along ok with Calipari, but an NBA coach has much less power and authority than Calipai did over Cousin's one year in Kentucky. Cousin will have a guaranteed contract from the start, and he'll know that pretty much no matter how he acts, he will get a second guaranteed contract if he puts up 20-10 numbers which is fully within his powers. He will undoubtedly be a major challenge for Westphal as he tries to take this young team to the playoffs and further over the next couple of years.
All that said, I do think the Kings have a strong infrastructure to help Cousins along. Tyreke is at the top of that. He's the franchise alpha male, but he's a quiet and driven human being. Most of the other young bucks fit into that driven, team-oriented mentality. There's a saying that its ok to have one knucklehead in the lockerroom, but not two. So yes, if we're lucky enough to pik him at 5 lets get him. But let's do it with our eyes open and put him in a place to succeed.
Long answer: Yes, but let's keep our eyes open on this kid. His size, talent and skill fit our needs about as perfectly as you could hope for. In fact, with Reke being a bullying half court PG more than an up and down type you could argue Cousins bullying half court game is the prototype for what we'd be looking for.
However the news clippings about his immaturity are a red flag. And yes there are a lot of things out there that he's a good guy overall with a good heart. But after seeing that interview with DX I can se exactly what those red flags are referring to. I went into viewing that interview hopeing to really lik him, but he's just so awkward and dismissive. Things get harder when you get to the NBA. Its an 82 game grind and there's a tremendous amount of pressure on everyone in the locker room. He got along ok with Calipari, but an NBA coach has much less power and authority than Calipai did over Cousin's one year in Kentucky. Cousin will have a guaranteed contract from the start, and he'll know that pretty much no matter how he acts, he will get a second guaranteed contract if he puts up 20-10 numbers which is fully within his powers. He will undoubtedly be a major challenge for Westphal as he tries to take this young team to the playoffs and further over the next couple of years.
All that said, I do think the Kings have a strong infrastructure to help Cousins along. Tyreke is at the top of that. He's the franchise alpha male, but he's a quiet and driven human being. Most of the other young bucks fit into that driven, team-oriented mentality. There's a saying that its ok to have one knucklehead in the lockerroom, but not two. So yes, if we're lucky enough to pik him at 5 lets get him. But let's do it with our eyes open and put him in a place to succeed.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
hammystyle said:
Interesting that you would say that. I already posted this, but why not again. I finally listened to the interview with Jerry Reynolds on the Rise
Guys. Toward the end of the interview he was asked about Cousins, his immaturity, and the possible effect a player like that could have on a team.
Jerry responded by saying that the current make up of the Kings team is one of the best he's ever been around. He said they're a solid bunch of guys. And when you add that Westphal is very good at dealing with young players, he didn't think that adding a player like Cousins would be detrimental.
He also pointed out that when the Kings drafted J. Will, he had a very similar reputation. And because of the makeup of the team it worked out just fine. He also said he thought that as good as Adelman was, Westphal is better at working with young players
hammystyle
Starter
That's good to hear and kind of jives with the way I thought it was from the outside. When everyone is on the bus in the same direction, its actually pretty hard to be the one guy trying to pull it the opposite way. Why not just make it easy on yourself and sit shotgun with Reke? If you show you're ready, he'll probly even let you drive it a bit.
At least until WHIT EBOY came unglued over some heckling, started shouting racist slurs at fans, was fined $15,000 by the NBA, had to apologize to the Maloofs and the public, and was traded away at the next possible opportunity, a few months later.
I wonder if Jerry couldn't have come up with a better example? Ron Artest and Tony Massenberg are out, obviously, but... someone... ?
hammystyle
Starter
It didn't really affect the team goals or chemistry. For the most part the guy was a good soldier and that was a speed bump along the way. The trade was an easy basketball decision.
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SacKings7
Starter
Jimmy Jackson, for one
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I think J.Will would have been traded regardless. He was fun while he lasted, but there's no doubt that Bibby was a better fit for the team. J. Will had a lot of run in's. I could tell you a personal one that took place at the Outback Steakhouse, but I'll let it die.
Just my personal opinion, but from what I've seen, J. Will was a far worse head case coming out of college than Cousins is. I followed his college career fairly close and he had serious problems just about everywhere he went, including his last stop at Florida. And to be truthful, he had less excuse at the time. Lest people forget, J. Will was 23 years old when he came to the Kings, and Cousins is 19 years old. Off court, J. Will could be a true A** h***. I know, because I experienced it first hand. But on the court itsself, there's no doubt that he helped transform the Kings into one of the most watched teams in the NBA.
I'll leave it to you and others to decide whether the price was too high or not. To me it wasn't. He helped put the team on the map, and his trade brought us Bibby, and that almost led to a championship.
Yeah, I thought of him too, but a guy who walks after a year isn't exactly an inspiring Cinderella story.
Oh well, maybe JWill is as good as it gets.
Well, he was traded away for a better player, so it's not like it was a fire sale.
Absolutely YES, Unless there is another BIG out there available who you think will be better than Cousins, then NO.
Circa_1985_Fan
All-Star
He really needs to get his butt(and KEEP it)in shape though, 16.4% body fat at the combines is not acceptable. 'Hot Plate' or 'Tractor Trailer' in the making??...Scary...
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Don't forget Mad Max. Another strange dude that worked out ok for the most part.
With Paul Westphal and Tyreke Evans on board I'm about 1000% more comfortable drafting a guy like Cousins than I would have been a year ago. Teams with internal turmoil tend to breed more turmoil, but I think those two personalities being the leaders on this new team have already gone a long ways toward righting the ship in the last year.
Have agreed all along unless Cousins passes the Petrie test.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Did J Will work out fine? I thought the Bibby trade was made because of the immaturity issues of J Will, as much as anything.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I think I stated that I thought J. Will would have been traded for Bibby regardless, because he was a better fit and more of a disciplined pt guard. which was needed for the style the Kings wanted to play. After Bibby they went with the princeton offense, which doesn't advocate one on one play.
Thats what was said at the time and I tend to believe that. Your welcome to beleive what ever you want.
