Sacramento Kings: Will Willie Cauley-Stein Build Bridges?

Having selected Willie Cauley-Stein as the next piece of the Sacramento Kings puzzle, the overwhelming question surrounding his role is as much how he will fit into the team’s personal dynamics as its playing style.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: 50 Greatest NBA Players Without a Championship

For the last several days (or months, depending on your perspective), the Kings and DeMarcus Cousins have been at odds over the presence of head coach George Karl, whose hiring in February was opposed by Cousins’ management. Since that overtone dominated his arrival, Karl has apparently been more than willing to explore a situation wherein the franchise center would leave in return for a bundle of rebuilding pieces.

Given Karl’s recent history of non-committal rhetoric regarding trades of dominant, team-defining players, it would seem plausible that Karl was never sold on being in the shadow of one franchise player whose management team was unhappy with his arrival. Though Karl came into this situation in the middle of an already unstable season, buy-in from players was going to be key to their remaining in Sacramento – with talent obviously being a factor as well.

Now that Cauley-Stein is officially a part of the Kings picture, he will have to find space in a situation where his on- and off-court roles will be key to creating some kind of balance this season. How he arrived in this position says a lot about how he could be used going forward.

Cauley-Stein is a defensive wunderkind who should be able to jump into that role with more immediacy than a lot of rookies. The fact that the Kings are so thirsty for his skill set (they ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season, per Basketball-Reference.com) that they will have little to lose by unleashing him on perimeter shooters and post scorers alike. His offense can be ramped up more steadily. His shooting ability is a project, but if he and Cousins (and Karl) can find a frontcourt balance, he can snag some shorter-range field goals and seal a few dunks to pull his weight.

Cousins and his camp likely knew this shift on the defensive end would alter his game, and likely for the better. Cousins may have earned accolades and an All-Star appearance by being the be-all, do-all center who redefined what the position could look like, but if the team is to make it out of the lottery any time soon, he shouldn’t have to.

Cousins and Cauley-Stein would allow each other to take advantage of weak-side help close to the baseline, but having two giants down low would allow for (as-yet-undetermined) sharpshooters to hover on the wings and at the top of the key with hopes of contributing as teams swarm toward the two bigs. If he opts to stretch the floor, Cauley-Stein would have to act primarily as a hinge, initiating a pass to a better shooter. His three-point shooting is non-existent at this point. This is not mere hyperbole; Cauley-Stein did not shoot a single in-game three during his three years at Kentucky.

It certainly seems from his post-draft media availability that Willie is aware of the environment into which he is arriving, and that he is ready to set a tone of team play and positive interdependence. Considering his reputation as somewhat of a goofball, perhaps he can add some levity to what will at first be gloomy surroundings.

Beyond the functionality of their on-court interplay, the Boogie/Willie pairing is a sign of good faith on the part of Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac. Faced with a flurry of reports and rumors surrounding the future of Cousins, Karl, and possible trade negotiations, Divac made a clear decision to show investment in the All-Star center, while demonstrating that he cannot be swayed into doing the bidding of other team leaders.

Though no one would call him the consummate sports franchise owner, it is a hopeful sign to see that Vivek Ranadive has fully endowed his vice president with the full powers of his lengthy title. Hopefully these boundaries become solidified over the coming months: an owner hires talented management; basketball operations personnel drive long-term building; the coaching staff applies the talents of those players in the most effective way possible.

It seems silly that these patterns of organizational behavior are taking such painful, embarrassing steps to be realized, but perhaps Divac’s declarative and strong overtones will keep everyone in line as he continues to shape the front office in his image.

Next: 5 Potential Partners For A DeMarcus Cousins Trade

More from Hoops Habit

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout