Kiss-off Cousins: Pelicans scoop up trouble with an all-star blockbuster
Well, so much for the Toronto Raptors’ acquisition of Serge Ibaka setting the bar for the NBA trade deadline.
The impact-trade title was ripped away and all but sewn up in the hour just after the all-star game came to a not-soon-enough end as the Sacramento Kings finally said farewell to franchise cranky-pants DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins, who learned about the still-looming trade as he sat down in front of a slew of microphones when a team official whispered the details in his ear, leaves Sacramento to join Anthony Davis in Louisiana. He arrives to the New Orleans Pelicans along with Omri Casspi in exchange for lottery pick Buddy Hield, one-time Kings guard and former rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, a first-round pick, a second-round pick and Langston Galloway thrown in for good measure.
It was a baffling trade to many, but only if you ignore everything except the talent going each way.
On a strictly talent-for-talent basis, this was a huge win for the Pelicans, who with Cousins and Davis can now pair one of the top two big men in the game with the other.
But there’s a reason the Pelicans got Cousins for 50 cents on the dollar. It’s the baggage he brings and the potential harm he could do to the rest of whatever team he joins.
Fans are quick to write that off as the cost of a small-market team acquiring a top-level talent, but in doing so ignore the risks associated with bringing in Cousins. A prima donna in Sacramento who did what he wanted regardless of team wishes, Cousins arrives with plenty of warts.
Any team hoping to compete still needs a 15-man roster working as one to achieve success, but if the guy at the head of that roster is selfish and unable to control his emotions — thereby hurting his team — it’s problematic.
Those words will likely be ignored by Cousins’ fans, but his defenders need to consider a few facts and read the tea leaves a little.
The Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, teams far better situated to build a package for Cousins with picks and young talent, turned down the opportunity, despite the holes he would fill on their rosters.
Why? Only those teams know for sure, but you can safely assume his penchant for selfish behaviour on the court — he’s already reached his technicals limit for the year and will now sit out a game for every two subsequent techs he receives — and the bad reputation he has earned off the court don’t make up for his prodigious talent.
That the Kings would give up such a brilliant player for such a paltry return only backs up the argument.
They hung on to Cousins for six and a half seasons, hoping he would grow up and become a professional. They gave up waiting for that to happen.
MEANWHILE, IN T.O.…
Anyone who says they know what Masai Ujiri has up his sleeve outside of his immediate management team is quite simply lying. The Raptors’ team president does not give up even the slightest competitive advantage for anything, real or perceived.
Having already addressed the biggest need with the acquisition of power forward Ibaka, Ujiri may be done. Or he may not be.
The reason he might not be: the roster imbalance the trade created, leaving the Raptors with four centres and three power forwards and technically just two small forwards with Terrence Ross gone.
Now, Norm Powell can play some three as well, but a lack of depth at small forward might be reason for at least one more trade from Ujiri by Thursday’s deadline.
QUICK HITS
The all-star game was low on news value. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who had his arm wrapped in a towel on the bench of the Eastern Conference team, admitted he hurt the arm in Wednesday’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. As for any concerns, Lowry said: “I’ll be OK. It’s all right. You know me — soldier.” … Lowry’s teammate, DeMar DeRozan, on his favourite part of Sunday’s game, which in truth was hard to watch: “Probably just going out there and starting with everybody, being introduced as a starter, just being back here, that’s definitely the highlight.” … Something has got to give with this all-star game format. It used to be that at least the two sides would play a competitive final half-quarter of real basketball with some defence. That started to disappear last year in Toronto and completely disappeared in New Orleans. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested some sort of incentivebased plan with the winning players’ charities benefiting. At this point, mixing it up could only help.