Randle or Vucevic. Would love either. What do we think they'd realistically command in FA?
The problem with Randle is defense. Rumor has it that word is foreign to him and not sure how lack of effort on one side of the ball would fit with Stevens..
Not sure why I would actually want Cousins now as before I would have avoided him but Cousins would be a big swing for the stars kind of move. I really believe it could possibly work out for us if he did not have his heart set on the west coast.He is a big alpha though and safe to say if healthy he would not roll over at home in the playoffs. What kind of deal will he get as free agent? I wonder.
I am 100% on board with taking a run at Cousins.
Even in the Raptors series, when he was fresh off returning from an injury, he still showed flashes of dominance in a couple of those games.
When Cousins is healthy he is a monster - almost certainly a top 3 big man in the game. Talent wise, he's right up there with AD when healthy and motivated.
It doesn't sound like many teams are going to be willing to take a gamble, and even last year he got almost no interest. If Boston throw him an offer of say, $20M/year over 2 years, that might be far beyond what any other team is willing to offer. On top of that, with Kyrie and Horford gone you can now offer Cousins the added temptation of being able to take his place as the face of one of the game's most storied franchises. You'd have to think that opportunity would be tempting.
Best case, he and Hayward play like All-Stars and the Celtics are back in the "contender" argument.
Worst case Hayward and Cousins both expire in 2 years time, and the Celtics get $50M in cap space freed up to go after some stars.
Even at 75% of his ability, Cousins can still defend the paint, he is still one of the best passing bigs in the NBA, and he can still stretch the floor out to the three point line - which is most of what Al brought while he was here. Throw in his elite rebounding and low post presence (two things we haven't had since KG) and he could offer a lot to this team even if he never gets back to 100%.
Bonus:
If Hayward and Cousins are playing well after a couple of months and the Celtics are holding a top 3 seed, there's the potential to take a next step by taking a swing at a Bradley Beal trade at the deadline - a healthy Hayward and Cousins combined with Bradley Beal should be enough for Boston to make a serious run at a championship as soon as this coming season.
Throw
Cousins is the biggest baby in the NBA. If we thought Kyrie was a problem in the locker room or not meshing well with Brad, imagine the chaos that a clown like Cousins would cause.
Jaylen and Jayson have already put up with last years debacle of anti[chemistry. Another year or two of Cousins and they'll be gone the second they hit free agency.
I didn't see any indication of Cousins creating locker room issues last season in Golden State, or the prior seasons in new Orleans.
All the worst of his locker room dramas seemed to have occurred in Sacramento, a franchise that was infamously toxic at that time
Cousins is also a couple of years older now, and has spent a year in Golden State, playing for a winning team, within the culture of a championship locker room. And he's spent two seasons being humbled by injuries and limited production.
If there is EVER a turning point for Cousins in terms of attitude, that time is going to be now. His capabilities on a basketball court make him worth the risk.
Also Kyrie and Cousins are two very different problems.
Kyrie's issue is ego / selfishness. He wants to be the center of attention, the #1 guy, wants everybody to bend to his will and do things the way HE wants them. I've never seen an indication of Cousins having any of those problems. DMC's issue's have always been lack of maturity and lack of emotional self control - much similar to Marcus Smart, who despite his issues has been very successful in Boston.
Topic: Per Shams...C's going hard after a center (Read 17190 times)