The Nuggets have strong interest in re-signing backup center DeMarcus Cousins, according to Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com. Cousins began the season in Milwaukee and finished it in Denver, averaging 8.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 31 regular-season contests and 10.6 PPG and 3.4 RPG in five postseason outings. Whether Denver makes that move depends upon the market for Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
We have more from from the Northwest Division:
- Having Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back in the lineup will certainly boost the Nuggets’ offense next season. However, they need to get much better defensively to truly become a championship team, Mike Singer of the Denver Post notes. The club was 24th defensively in points allowed in the paint and also aided the opponent’s cause with careless turnovers. “To be a dangerous, deep playoff team, you have to have an elite defense,” coach Michael Malone said.
- If the Jazz don’t trade Donovan Mitchell, should they make him the primary ballhandler over Mike Conley? Sarah Todd of the Deseret News believes so. Putting Mitchell in that role next to a larger complement of wing players makes the most sense if Utah retains him, Todd says.
- While the postseason experience will certainly help the Timberwolves down the road, they’ve got a lot of growing up to do, Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune opines. Scoggins notes that Minnesota gave away three double-digit fourth-quarter leads against Memphis due to a lack of maturity and composure, abetted by poor shot selection. The fact that D’Angelo Russell played his way out of the crunch time lineup also needs to addressed.
Cousins to the Bulls makes the most sense to me.
If Cousins farts blood, no team will sign him. The closest ICU Units makes for a better signing. He is probably dead.
I dunno. He apprised himself well in his time in Denver. I get that he’s not the old “Boogie” but you’d think he finally found a place where he fits, even if he does fart blood
Lol … what?
Russell will bounce back!
His history says no. Rather have John Wall.
Really hope the Jazz blow it up. I want to poach O’neale for the Sixers. Him and Clarkson would be ideal.
Can they trade their 2022 1st on draft night if the Nets defer?
Trade would be structured as Green (Gentleman’s agreement that hell accept a cheaper BO), Furkan, Thybulle, and Joe for Clarkson and Oneale. That gets them to matching.
If they could pull that trade… taxpayer MLE is 6.4M so theres a smaller pool of players than who would be attracted vs at the 10.3M non taxpayer level. They also wont have the BLE. So the rest of the bench is vet min.
Maybe the 76ers should blow it up. Over the last 5 seasons much like the Jazz they’ve been good to great during the regular season then consistently fall short in the post season. Hell neither team has made it past the Semis.
That’s true
They make a dramatic change each year though. If Joel weren’t MVP runner up 2 yrs I’d probably agree. But as long as Jo is MVP caliber you figure out the pieces. Window is 2-3 years tho.
If Tyus Jones leaves, I’d like to see Conley make it back to Memphis.
Why is the narrative in Utah. That Mitchell can be traded. Who is responsible for this BS. I mean why do writers run with this. It’s amazing a guy signs a 175 mill 5yr extension. And all we get is. Should Jazz trade him. When will Mitchell ask for trade. This is the knowledge you listen to. The Geniuses
The Jazz FO believe all that “noise” is being generated by the CAA agency. They’re trying to get Mitchell to NY. However, that’s very unlikely considering he’s under contract and the Knicks trade package ideas aren’t ideal. In other words, it’s all fake news. Just ignore it.
Cousins has been very good. He has gotten himself back in as a rotation big. Imo Denver needs a Defensive big, a rim protector backing up Jokic. That’s the best chemistry for this team. Cause that’s what they lack most. A guy like McGee fits them much better.
Mitchell is not a good PG. He is many things but not that. Not as good with opportunities for others as he is with his own, nor especially smart. The team would wind down with him setting the tone… although supposedly it is anyway.
A deal for Irving is not out of the question. Get Brown too.
Teams have been trying to make Mitchell a PG since his prep days. He gives you some things as a lead guard no doubt. Physically, he’s handful for wing defenders, few PGs in the league would want that assignment. But he’s a natural ball stopper. In his NBA minutes on the point, it appears to put pressure on his 3 point shooting, which isn’t that high percentage to begin with. He’s not CJ McCollum who is a natural PG/SG. I assume it’s being considered because he wants to do it. It’s worth a shot if he’s willing to work at it.
The person with the highest IQ in the world said mysteries increase your IQ. That could mean entertainment, situational, work, or whatever. I know this is true. In my current job, I solve mysteries every day. I feel I’ve become noticeably more intelligent over the years.
If Donovan wants to be the PG, then he’ll need to raise his basketball IQ and decision making. He already has the passing ability. He only lacks the necessary pattern recognition that playing PG gives you. Some players are just natural PG. A lot of it is guessing where guys will be on the floor ahead of time. You’re essentially leading them with the pass so the defender can’t reach it.
The skill is being able to make the right kind of pass for each situation. Experience teaches you where your teammates want the ball for the smoothest transition into a jumper or layup. John Stockton is the absolute master at this. He’s worked with the other Jazz PGs before. If he’s serious then why not give him a call?