Sacramento Kings: What Does Cauley-Stein Mean for Cousins?
Rumors have been running wild through the NBA, as Sacramento Kings‘ head coach George Karl wants to trade superstar DeMarcus Cousins, and make him someone else’s problem, as Karl might say. But it’s only Karl that wants Cousins to play for someone else, as team owner Vivek Ranadive and the team’s “leading decision maker” Vlade Divac are both adamant about Cousins staying in Sacramento, insisting that he is the main building block to the team’s future.
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The disjoint between the two sides has gotten so bad that Ranadive has considered the possibility of firing Karl, and fixing the situation that way. On the other hand, doing so would continue a much bigger, longer lasting situation the Kings have become accustomed to: dysfunction. Firing Karl would bring about another head coach, the fourth in less than a calendar year for the team.
So when the team selected Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein with the sixth overall selection in Thursday’s draft, that would seem to point to Karl getting his way, with Cousins being traded and Cauley-Stein taking his place. Is Cousins essentially as good as gone? Should fans start writing up “Good luck Boogie” tweets?
No, not necessarily. If you look at mock drafts that came out in the few months leading up to the actual draft, Cauley-Stein has been projected to go to the Kings at number six for months, well before the Karl and Cousins saga gained any steam. While mock drafts are certainly not indicative of what a team is thinking, it can show that, even with Cousins firmly planted in the middle, Cauley-Stein could still fit in.
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Divac has clearly not changed his stance regarding Cousins in the days after the draft. In Cauley-Stein’s introductory press conference, Divac stated that “I want Kings’ fans to trust me and to know I’m not going to do something stupid.” If Divac truly means that, Cousins is not going anywhere. He would also say, about Cauley-Stein, that “he’s our future”. Combine those two statements, and one can surmise that Cousins and Cauley-Stein will be the building blocks of the Kings for a long time.
The two could really create an extremely dynamic duo. A good comparison for the two might be the Chicago Bulls’ frontcourt of Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. Gasol is like Cousins, although Cousins is a much more authoritative player offensively. The two can each change a game with their scoring, and they do enough defensively to help the team.
Noah and Cauley-Stein are very similar players. Neither are real big offensive threats, but on the defensive end, they can change games. Noah is a former Defensive Player of the Year, and still has that ability when healthy, and Cauley-Stein looks to have that same capability.
Cauley-Stein is versatile enough to play center or power forward. Actually, he’s versatile enough to guard basically anyone on the basketball court. If Cousins were to remain the team’s center, Cauley-Stein can easily slide in as a power forward. If the team comes to the decision to have Cousins play forward, Cauley-Stein can play center. Either way, there will be a 6’11” player (Cousins), and a seven-footer (Cauley-Stein) on the floor at the same time. The size alone will be the cause of a lot of mismatches and confusion.
Combine the two, and a few years down the road, the Kings could have the best frontcourt combination in basketball. But the two have to stay together, and Cousins has to be happy to be playing in Sacramento. Right now, Karl is not doing a very good job of keeping his superstar happy.
The lack of cohesion could really hurt the team’s future, as it has done in the past. But if things smooth over and Cousins stays, DMC and WCS will be fun to watch. Like Divac said, we just have to trust him.