Demarcus Cousins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Anthony Davis To Be Added To Team USA Pool

May 2nd, 2012 at 12:43pm CST by Sean Highkin

12:43pm: Monroe won't be the second addition to the U.S. Olympic pool, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

12:18pm: Anthony Davis will be one of the two finalists added to the Team USA pool, according to SI.com's Sam Amick. Along with Monroe, Al Jefferson is a candidate to be the second finalist, says Amick.

11:08am: Lamar Odom hasn't been ruled out for the 2012 Olympic roster yet, Colangelo tells Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Colangelo also said that Cousins won't be added to the player pool this year, according to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

WEDNESDAY, 8:09am: DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Anthony Davis are among the big men being considered for the Team USA pool, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Hibbert, unfortunately, is ineligible to play for the U.S. team because he played for Jamaica's senior national squad during the 2010 Centrobasket tournament. FIBA rules prevent players from representing two different countries at the senior level.

TUESDAY, 8:29pm: Jerry Colangelo told reporters (Associated Press link via ESPN.com) that he is leaning towards adding a couple of players to the pool from which the final Olympic team will be drawn. He gave no indication as to who those players might be, however.

7:30pm: With the U.S. Olympic team's projected roster increasingly depleted due to injuries, Jerry Colangelo is reportedly reconsidering his stance against adding new players. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Pacers center Roy Hibbert has expressed interest in joining the team should they look to add new talent.

“It would be nice to be able to do something like that,” Hibbert said. “I always said I wanted to play in the Olympics for the US. I played with Team Jamaica last year. Hopefully I can get a quick release. It would mean the world to me to be able to participate for Team USA.”

With Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge out for the summer, the frontcourt rotation for Team USA is looking thin outside of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler. If Colangelo does decide to bring on new players, Hibbert, who made his first All-Star appearance in 2011/12, would appear to be a logical candidate.

Failed Deals: Beasley, Crawford, Allen, Pierce

March 15th, 2012 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

You've read about the trades that were completed prior to the deadline, but there were also plenty of moves that didn't quite work out. Here are a few that have been reported so far:

The Lakers had been in talks to acquire Michael Beasley in a deal that would've sent Jamal Crawford and Derek Fisher to the Timberwolves, with Dallas' first-round pick going to the Blazers, says Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (on Twitter).
Crawford also could've gone to the Lakers, but the Blazers didn't want to take on Derek Fisher, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Before they acquired Nick Young, the Clippers talked extensively with the Rockets about trading for Courtney Lee, tweets Sam Amick of SI.com.
The Clippers were also "this close" from acquiring Ray Allen, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
The Celtics had serious talks with several teams about both Allen and Paul Pierce, but nothing came together, says Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Another interesting tidbit from Amick: He says the Nuggets tried to engage the Kings on Nene/DeMarcus Cousins swap about a month ago, but the Kings weren't interested (Twitter links).
The Bucks made a "strong late push" for the Hornets' Carl Landry, but couldn't work anything out, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
GM Otis Smith told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com that the Magic explored many deals to bring in help around Dwight Howard, but that the risk/reward factor didn't make sense (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Howard, Cousins, Hornets

February 25th, 2012 at 9:37pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Anytime there is a gathering of NBA general managers and reporters, rumors are sure to fly. This year Orlando offers an interesting backdrop for such discussion–the Magic's best player, Dwight Howard, is at the center of the biggest trade talks. Some news and notes from All-Star weekend:

Calling himself Superman, Dwight Howard should be familiar with dual identities. But switching between team ambassador and the player requesting a trade is not easy task writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
Howard has already lost some of his credibility as a leader in the locker room, writes the Orlando Sentinel's Brian Schmitz. Trying to fill that void, Glen Davis?
Schmitz also writes David Stern has no sympathy for the Orlando Magic.
Over at Hardwood Paroxysm, our own Sean Highkin talks about Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and big men in small markets.
Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops and David Stern verbally joust over the ramifications of the Chris Paul trade.
According to ESPN Los Angeles's Ramona Shelburne, former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy is a member of the group interested in buying the New Orleans Hornets.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Lakers, Bobcats, Draft

February 24th, 2012 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Links from around the league as All-Star Weekend gets underway in Orlando….

Speaking to reporters in Orlando, including Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, Andrew Bynum had some strong words regarding DeMarcus Cousins and Sacramento: "It’s terrible that he has to play in Sacramento. He could take his talents somewhere and really help a team" (Twitter links). For his part, Cousins doesn't seem to mind Sacramento, having said earlier this week that he hopes to remain with the Kings long-term.
As he tells Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times, Derek Fisher knows the Lakers' roster may undergo some changes soon: "With the trade deadline looming, personnel can change, if that's what ownership or management decides. But if this is our team I think we're getting a better feel for who we are and what we're capable of doing."
Bobcats GM Rich Cho tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's not panicking or rushing the team's rebuilding process. Cho identifies the Thunder, who went through some growing pains when Cho was a part of their front office, as a team whose patience in rebuilding paid off. Of course, if Charlotte can strike gold in the draft like Oklahoma City did with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, it would go a long way toward improving the team's outlook.
Speaking of the draft, ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider-only link) says a 2012 draft class that once looked stacked is starting to show some cracks. While Anthony Davis remains locked in at the top of draft boards, the players behind him have some question marks.
Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman thinks the Thunder's win last night over the Lakers is the latest example of last year's acquisition of Kendrick Perkins paying off.

Cousins Hopes To Remain Long-Term With Kings

February 21st, 2012 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

DeMarcus Cousins made headlines earlier this season when he found himself at odds with Kings coach Paul Westphal over whether or not the second-year big man had asked the team for a trade. However, since Westphal was fired early in January, Cousins has adjusted admirably to new coach Keith Smart. Cousins is so comfortable with the team and its new coach that he told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida he hopes to stay with the Kings long-term.

"Absolutely, this is where I want to be," Cousins said. "I'm loyal to the city. I'm loyal to my fans. I'm loyal to my team. I'm loyal to the organization."

After struggling a little early in the year under Westphal, Cousins has blossomed into a double-double machine, boosting his season averages to 16.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 1.2 BPG. While the Kings have gone just 10-21 so far, the 2010 fifth overall pick has been a bright spot for the team, and he gives Smart credit for his development.

"It's been incredible," Cousins said. "I've learned a lot. I've become a better player just from him taking over some things, and I enjoy playing in the system. … Everything is great. Everything has been positive."

The Kings have picked up Cousins' $3.88MM option for next season, and figure to exercise their $4.92MM option for 2013/14 as well. Cousins will be eligible for restricted free agency following that season if he hasn't signed a long-term extension with the Kings.