DeMarcus Cousins is a bad dude, with a worse attitude. He doesn't get along with his head coach, he’s not a great teammate, and he’s not someone you want dating your daughter. But the Boston Celtics have to trade for him if the opportunity arises.
Reports yesterday are swirling that the Sacramento Kings are actively fielding calls for all-star center Cousins. The three teams that are reportedly interested in the big man are the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics. No team in sports has a treasure chest of assets like the Celtics. A young core of hardworking, dedicated players and more importantly four—yes, you read that correclty—four first-round picks in 2016.
There have been rumors about Cousins to Boston for a few years now, and every time I hear them I shrug them off and say something along the lines of “I don't want Boogie Cousins within 100 yards of the Boston Garden.” I have a lot of solid reasons why I originally didn't want the player. Yet now I am willing to swallow my pride and would be perfectly okay, with general manager Danny Ainge pulling the trigger on a deal to send Cousins to bean town.
Danny Ainge has done a fantastic job acquiring assets and picks from other teams in the span of the past three years, going back to, in my mind, the greatest deal in the history of basketball.
At least in the modern era of the game—when the Brooklyn Nets acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and three first round draft picks (2014, 2016 and 2018), as well as the right to swap first round picks in 2017.
At the time, the Nets had just made the move to Brooklyn, and owner Mikhail Prokhorov had promised season ticket holders the moon and more. Ainge took advantage of the Nets dealing away future hall-of-famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Both players were on the back nine of their career and Brooklyn ended up getting little to no production out of both players before Garnett was traded to Minnesota and Piece would eventually leave for Washington.
What would Brooklyn end up with three years later? A lottery team minus the picks. A nightmare for the team from Brooklyn. Although Ainge pulled a rabbit out of his hat with the Nets trade, he has remained very protective of those picks, passing up on multiple opportunities to rather flip a few of those picks for a proven NBA experienced commodity or package the picks to move up in a draft.
This time, Ainge needs to take a risk and trade for Cousins. You would be getting a talented 25-year-old rim protector who is also remarkably gifted offensively. For all intended purposes, he is the best center in basketball in my mind.
I am willing to take a risk on all of his baggage and the negative reputation he would bring into town because of one word: skill. He is incredibly talented. He is a star. Actually scratch that, he is a super star with limitless potential. He is only 25 and still growing both on and off the floor.
He would be leaving an organization in Sacramento that is about as stable as a Larry King's marriage, and would be coming to Boston, who takes immense pride in their organization's culture and family-like atmosphere.
He would be playing for Brad Stevens, who, as an NBA coach, has earned the respect of the most polarizing figures the game has.
If Boston passes up on an opportunity like Cousins, they may live to regret it. They would make selections in the top 10 for the next three years and watch young, tough players like Marcus Smart slowly develop and play solid defense—only to be swept at the hands of LeBron James. The Celtics could very easily be the Memphis Grizzles of the East. A smart, tough, ballsy team who will give you their all and then ultimately fall to a team with a bonafide superstar. Boston needs to roll the dice and take a chance on a player that could change their franchise for the foreseeable future.
