This is yet another example of the Andre Blatche scenario.
During the off season I was begging for Danny to sign Blatche. My theory was that he's young, he's big and he's talented and he's available for cheap. At the end of the day if it didn't work out it would be a very small risk, but if it did it would be a very big gain. The only risk in the end was his personality, but there was always the chance he would break out if he went to a team with good mentors and a winning attitude.
85% of people here were disgusted by the idea and said they would rather have Collins, Darko and just about anything that walked over Blatche because of his "personality issues".
Right now Blatche is averaging 11.5 points (on 50% shooting) and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. He could probably make a case as one of the better 6th men in the league.
With Cousins it's a similar scenario, only Cousins is both younger and FAR more talented then Blatche. If he were to get his head together he has almost limitless potential - he could easilly develop into a top 5 center in the NBA if his mentality was right.
People here say that KG's mentality doesn't help people, but look at the number of comments Sullinger has made about KG taking him in and how much he has tought him. Look at what happened when Hollins and Stiemsma came to Boston. Nobody knew Stiemsma existed, and Hollins was a joke - both turned out to be productive and useful players within a month or two of being here.
Yes it's true that getting KG's approval isn't easy. If Cousins came over with an arrogant and selfish mindseet then KG would not want anything to do with him i'm sure. BUT who in Sacramento does Cousins have to actually admire or look up to? What type of role model is there who he could actually respect enough to listen to? He is understandably arrogant there because he's the most talented player on the team, so it's natural that (given his age, and talent level) he's going to get a little cocky.
He comes here and suddenly he's playing the most successful franchise in history - he walks in, sees all of those championship banners hanging from the ceiling.
Then he comes in and talks to Doc - he's a guy who has coached a championship team. He's achieved what Cousins ultimately is hoping for - you have to respect that.
Then he walks in the locker room and talks to Paul Pierce and KG. Both of these guys are future hall of famers and legends within the league. Both are in the record books and all time standings, and both have championship rings.
Then he talks to Rondo, a guy considered by some as being the best PG in the league (without a doubt top 5).
Suddenly he feel choked up. Suddenly when he's talking to all of these people, being surrounded by all of this greatness, he starts to feel humbled. He realises right now that he has a LONG way to go.
I'm not saying that this is what would happen because you can't predict human nature, but I can imagine myself in his situation and it would be VERY different being the best player on a horrible team with no tradition, versus being the 4th or 5th best player on a team that has made the second round of the playoffs (or better) every year since 2008.
At the end of the day as Doc once said, you cannot say no to talent. If you have a chance to get talent, you take it. Maybe it works out and maybe it doesn't, but you need to take that chance.
Either way, I LOVE the look of this sttarting lineup:
Cousins
Garnett
Pierce
Evans / Bradley
Rondo
As well as this bench:
Collins
Wilcox
Green
Evans / Bradley
Terry
Because Cousins is only young he could easilly play 36 minutes per game, so we'd only need Wilcox and Collins between them to give us 12 minutes max a night.
Green can now back up both Pierce (14 minutes) and KG (20 minutes) at both SF and PF positions. This opens up about 30-34 minutes of playing time for Green, which is what many believe he really needs to be at his most effective. I do honestly believe we could get about 15 and 5 from Green if he played those kind of minutes on a consistent basis.
At the guard positions it wouldn't really matter which combo we went. If we started Rondo and Bradley we have one of the most dominant backcourts in the league (as we learned last year). A starting backcourt of Rondo + Evans would be deadly too, and Evans has the size to defend larger SG's and some SF's nmuch like Pietrus did for us last season.
On the bench both Terry and Evans are combo guards capable of backing up the PG spot or playing off the ball as volume scorers. The other option would be Terry + Bradley which would give us an outstanding offense/defense combo on our second unit. Personally I'd rather Bradley start because he has great chemistry with Rondo, but either works well.
You KNOW Doc has been hoping for a chance to pick up a capable PG so as much as this deal seems unlikely, I have little doubts that Danny would be trying to pursue it. Either Evans or Isiah Thomas can man the PG spot which allows Bradley and Terry to play their natural role off the ball.
Certainly not holding my breath, but god I would love this move. Cousins is a major upgrade over Sullinger, Evans is a major upgrade over Lee, Bass is redundant as it is, and any draft picks we have will be low ones in a weak draft. There is no chance you would refuse this deal.