SEC: Sacramento Kings Need To Trade DeMarcus Cousins

There might not be another athlete in the NBA that is more vilified, scrutinized and criticized more than the freshly named 2015 All-Star and potentially (should be) the All-NBA member, DeMarcus Cousins.

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People get judged, prejudged and rightfully judged but that doesn’t mean that anyone should ever be judged. Someone who has played in the league for four years has been subject to rash judgment because of the perception about his “rough around the edges” persona on the basketball court.

When it comes to the Sacramento Kings center Cousins it seems like there is no holds barred and no filter when it comes to speaking about him. The way that the media portrays him is borderline racist and he’s always been subject to unjust and unfair criticism.

During the season and offseason there have been conflicting reports from the owner of the Kings Vivek Ranadive, (who doesn’t want to trade Cousins), to head coach George Karl, who said this earlier in the year:

"“I’ve had some great players and I’ve never had one player that I have said is untradeable,” Karl added. “You always got to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that could come your way."

The Kings need to cut their losses and start to move on without Cousins because during the five years they’ve had him they’ve done nothing to help the team, let alone his career.

April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) shoots the basketball against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Just look at the 2010 NBA Draft class.

John Wall is a two-time All-Star and he’s become one of the premier point guards in the playoffs.
Evan Turner has turned himself into a decent rotation player and is showing his true value now playing for the Boston Celtics.
Paul George has turned into one of top 10 players in the league.
Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz is closer to joining the playoffs before Cousins.
Even Al-Farouq Aminu, Landry Fields, Lance Stephenson and Greivis Vasquez have all played in meaningful playoff games before Cousins and they were drafted after him.

Cousins has been in the league for as long as all of the players mentioned before him but what does he have to show for it?

Outside of making the 2014 FIBA World Cup team and being named an All-Star he’s had to achieve his success through his own skill, not through the success of the Kings.

They might not want to make a trade but keeping Cousins on the team hasn’t been helping the franchise win games. Instead the Kings might need to start looking to once again rebuild and scrap their plans from the beginning. Cousins value as a trade asset could help bolster their team more than it could if he was playing on their roster.

Cousins would absolutely warrant a king’s ransom because of his all world talent.

Cousins this season averaged a career high 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. He even shot from the three-point line better than he ever did in his career, shooting 25 percent from distance.

Cousins this season also rounded out the top 10 in PER, finishing with a rating of 25.29 giving him the edge at No. 9 above Blake Griffin.

It’s that fire that he plays with that puts his talent in the conversation with the best centers in the game. There’s no person that can overlook him when he plays because each night he laces up his sneakers we see an undeniable talent with a ferocity of Hall of Fame players before him.

It’s that competitive streak inside of his heart which keeps Cousins in the eye of the national spotlight even though he’s playing for a lousy team.

Even children can notice how hard Cousins plays.

Kevin Garnett had that mean streak and was looked at as a villain.
Kobe Bryant had that mean streak and was looked at as a villain.
Metta World Peace had that mean streak and was looked at as a villain.
Rajon Rondo had that mean streak and was looked at as a villain.

What do all of these players share in common?

They all were winners.

For someone who’s highly competitive it should be killing Cousins to see the success of his draft class and other All-Stars in the league that are making an impact in the playoffs while he’s once again sitting at home and not participating in the yearly ring chasing tournament.

It hurts saying this as a fan of the early 2000s decade Kings that featured a team with Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Gerald Wallace, Hedo Turkoglu, Bobby Jackson and Scot Pollard but the Kings organization is not a winning franchise. That’s not going to change with Cousins on the roster either.

The culture that has been created, the incompetence that has been displayed from the front office, hiring and firing good coaches, from even waiving Hassan Whiteside, it’s too much.

The Kings are a mediocre team and they should look to move Cousins for a top-three pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, as well as other talented veterans of equal value. For the Kings it would make more sense since they would be adding in two lottery picks in this deep draft including bringing back another great player in a trade for Cousins.

They could instantly jumpstart their team into a playoff caliber team with the depth they would create.

Let DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins wake up from this nightmare.

Next: SEC: Who Else Will Join The Kentucky Wildcats 2015 Recruiting Class?

SEC: Stop Wasting A Great Career; The Kings Should Trade DeMarcus Cousins

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau | Apr 26, 2015

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