Some of the greatest joys of being a sports fan, besides your favorite team winning the championship, are the debates that arise between fellow sports nuts along the way. It’s with this in mind that we have begun providing a forum for basketball fanatics to voice their opinions, debate trending topics, and simply hang out with like-minded hoops aficionados. We’ve begun been posting a new topic for readers to discuss each weeknight, which we hope that this will become a regular part of your sports day. If you missed our previous discussions you can view them here, or simply head over to the sidebar and select “Hoops Rumors Community Shootarounds.”
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Now that the preamble has been taken care of, on to the topic of the day: What should the Kings do regarding DeMarcus Cousins?
There are reports swirling that new Kings head man George Karl would prefer it if his job description didn’t include coaching the talented big man next season. This is a bit of a puzzler, seeing as team owner Vivek Ranadive and vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac have adamantly opposed any idea of dealing away Cousins. If there indeed was a disconnect between Karl and Cousins, one would think that would have come up during the interview process. Nevertheless, there remains the distinct possibility that Boogie may be terrorizing the paint in another uniform during the 2015/16 campaign.
What do you think the team should do regarding Cousins? Firing Karl and replacing him with a coach who embraces Cousins is likely not an option since Karl recently inked a multiyear pact. There has been talk that the Lakers could be in play with the No. 2 overall pick, though it would likely take more than that to land such a talented player. What realistic return should Sacramento expect for Cousins? What does the fact that we’re discussing this potentiality say about the Kings organization as a whole? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts, opinions, and trade ideas. We look forward to what you have to say.
Note: There won’t be a Shootaround posted on Thursday night. But I will be hosting a live chat during the NBA Draft that will begin at 6pm (Central). Come join us as we discuss, debate, and critique all of the selections as they occur.
The better decision is to fire Karl than trading Cousins. You will never get equal value to a guy of Cousins caliber. Okafor is not a sure thing and Randle will always be an injury concern.
What I find confusing is that this is something that should have been discussed PRIOR to hiring Karl. If he wanted Cousins gone and the front office didn’t…why was he hired? Very puzzling.
Because it’s Sacramento.
Sit cousins, vlade and Karl down and hash it out. U cannot trade a talent like that. U build around cousins and develop the talent around him. If Karl’s not the man, then take it as a loss and get another coach. If cousins is the man, keep him satisfied and talk to him about decisions. Ur not going to get talent like cousins via free agency and it’ll take a while in a draft.
Magic?
Regardless of the proper move, Ranadive has always been considered a win-now type owner, even when the team clearly needed to rebuild, so it’s hard to think he’s going to trade Cousins, especially when he’s already proclaimed as much publicly.
Best case, you try and get Karl and Cousins at least on speaking terms and go from there. He’s certainly talented enough to be worth the headache if you’re close to a title, but I have to agree with Karl. You may not get equal value, but you’ll get pretty close to that (two-top 10 picks at least).
I would probably blow the whole thing up by trading Cousins and firing Karl all in one swift motion. Probably pull the trigger on Cousins to the Lakers for Clarkson, Randle, and both first-round picks this year. The ineptitude of the front office brought this situation upon itself by unjustly firing Malone and impulsively hiring both Divac and Karl- and now they are deservedly paying the price. The cold hard truth is that a trade would best serve Cousins and the organization in the long run.