Cousins agree to $62 million extention

[86MaxwellSmart]

I meant Owners in general....not these particular owners.

[Chris]

I meant Owners in general....not these particular owners.

My point is I don't see your logic.  Brand new owners come in, and give a contract to a player that is probably market value, and still won't bring that team up that close to the luxury tax...and that means the owners are lying about the money they make?

I think the owners have been honest about how much money they make.  It's a lot overall, it is just pretty uneven, between different franchises. 

[celticmania]

I can't wait til he messes up again and the kings want to trade him

[NocturnalRebel]

I was hoping he could have somehow made his way to Boston but I hope can live up to that 62 mil.

[indeedproceed]

I meant Owners in general....not these particular owners.

My point is I don't see your logic.  Brand new owners come in, and give a contract to a player that is probably market value, and still won't bring that team up that close to the luxury tax...and that means the owners are lying about the money they make?

I think the owners have been honest about how much money they make.  It's a lot overall, it is just pretty uneven, between different franchises.

I agree in that the contract and how much owners make isn't linked at all. sac has had the toughest of times figuring out how to get talent on the roster. DMC is a talent , and he's the type to take not getting a max extension extremely personally. If he didn't get it, it might have ended up messy.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

I think any team would offer him the max anyway. At least SacTo saves the trouble of having this as an issue.

He does have max contract potential so it remains to be seen if he's worth this. 

[Galeto]

I don't understand why Washington and Sacramento didn't just wait.  There was no risk they were going to lose them and they would've had the benefit to see if both of them were truly worth the max.  Based on their play thus far, neither guy has been.  Cousins gets dinged more because he's so combustible on and off the court.  What good team has ever had a guy like Cousins as one of its top two players?  A guy like Paul George probably isn't a max player yet either but his play last season was a lot closer than Wall's and Cousins'. 
 
I read on a Washington blog after Wall signed his extension that that if the Wizards hadn't signed him to an extension early, a team could've made an offer sheet that included an out after two years.  But that scenario was ridiculous because teams are not in the business of wasting their time making offers that are guaranteed to be matched.  Both these teams threw away the massive control that restricted free agency gave them. 

If Sacramento was concerned that Cousins would react poorly not to getting an extension, well, isn't that a sign that maybe's he's not your guy?  If a player can't be counted on to perform and behave well in a contract year, then maybe he's not worth it.

For me, mostly it comes down to thinking that Cousins just isn't all that good.  He's a poor defender, inefficient scorer, ridiculously slow in getting back on defense because he spends his time pouting at the refs, and a below-average athlete with terrible balance on his moves.  It seems like his mercurial nature makes him more talented than he really is.  I'm not a huge fan of Greg Monroe either but I'd take him over Cousins easily.

[BUTerrier]

While I appreciate the "Is Cousins worth that money or isn't he?" I think you have to factor in the team we're talking about here. There's a salary floor in the NBA just like there's a luxury tax, and for years now the Kings have had to overpay mediocre players not to get them to play there but because they had so many rookie contracts that they couldn't reach the salary floor. If they're expecting Cousins to stay all 4 years, paying him this kind of money isn't going to push themselves near the luxury tax; frankly, I can't see a scenario in which the Kings lose out on anyone they actually want in the next few years just because they made this deal. It just prevents them from needing to receive players like John Salmons (who I like, but who is overpaid) in deals just to ensure they have a minimum team salary. If they get to take fliers on untapped talent for minimum contracts who have a low-risk/high-upside profile because they don't need to worry about paying the Salmons of the world by making this deal, that's a better result for them.

[hpantazo]

I don't understand why Washington and Sacramento didn't just wait.  There was no risk they were going to lose them and they would've had the benefit to see if both of them were truly worth the max.  Based on their play thus far, neither guy has been.  Cousins gets dinged more because he's so combustible on and off the court.  What good team has ever had a guy like Cousins as one of its top two players?  A guy like Paul George probably isn't a max player yet either but his play last season was a lot closer than Wall's and Cousins'. 
 
I read on a Washington blog after Wall signed his extension that that if the Wizards hadn't signed him to an extension early, a team could've made an offer sheet that included an out after two years.  But that scenario was ridiculous because teams are not in the business of wasting their time making offers that are guaranteed to be matched.  Both these teams threw away the massive control that restricted free agency gave them. 

If Sacramento was concerned that Cousins would react poorly not to getting an extension, well, isn't that a sign that maybe's he's not your guy?  If a player can't be counted on to perform and behave well in a contract year, then maybe he's not worth it.

For me, mostly it comes down to thinking that Cousins just isn't all that good.  He's a poor defender, inefficient scorer, ridiculously slow in getting back on defense because he spends his time pouting at the refs, and a below-average athlete with terrible balance on his moves.  It seems like his mercurial nature makes him more talented than he really is.  I'm not a huge fan of Greg Monroe either but I'd take him over Cousins easily.

Your assuming teams like the wizards or kings would get top tier free agents to sign with them, which basically has never happened and is unlikely to happen. Keeping young talent like Wall or Cousins is a smart move for them in myopinion

[guava_wrench]

Yeah, only reason is to try and get Cousins head in the right place and off his next contract.

I don't see this working out well for them.

Yeah. Even if that's the Kings' thinking, his needing a max contract to "get his head in the right place" is actually a pretty good reason to NOT give him a max contract.

Agreed. He seems like the type who benefits from feeling respected and being officially labeled the man.

[guava_wrench]

While I appreciate the "Is Cousins worth that money or isn't he?" I think you have to factor in the team we're talking about here. There's a salary floor in the NBA just like there's a luxury tax, and for years now the Kings have had to overpay mediocre players not to get them to play there but because they had so many rookie contracts that they couldn't reach the salary floor. If they're expecting Cousins to stay all 4 years, paying him this kind of money isn't going to push themselves near the luxury tax; frankly, I can't see a scenario in which the Kings lose out on anyone they actually want in the next few years just because they made this deal. It just prevents them from needing to receive players like John Salmons (who I like, but who is overpaid) in deals just to ensure they have a minimum team salary. If they get to take fliers on untapped talent for minimum contracts who have a low-risk/high-upside profile because they don't need to worry about paying the Salmons of the world by making this deal, that's a better result for them.

TP

[Celtics4ever]

He got paid but I really do not see him as a winner.   He has every right to cash in and support his family and self.   But as far as being a team player, that he is not.  Good for him and good for us we didn't get him, I suppose.

[LilRip]

Just my two cents but the Kings need some form of identity. Signing DMC pretty much sends that message that "this is our guy" and gives them someone to build around and bring a sense of "stability" to the franchise. It would also stop all the "trade rumors" that were circulating around him (which i'm pretty sure is a distraction to all the Kings players and coaching staff), and lends credibility to management when they say something like "we're not going to trade him".

I'm also guessing what Sacto is trying to avoid is something similar to the DH12 situation, where he signs a 1-yr QO and becomes a UFA afterwards. The Kings aren't near the top of the list in desirable FA destinations and their current assets aren't enough to land them a star. If DMC walks, then the Kings would need to get lucky in the draft again to pick up a potential franchise player.

And contrary to what some posters on here might believe (given their extreme dislike for him and his game), a bunch of other teams would actually be interested in signing this guy for pretty much the max.

[SHAQATTACK]

At least LA won't have him either 

[guava_wrench]

He got paid but I really do not see him as a winner.   He has every right to cash in and support his family and self.   But as far as being a team player, that he is not.  Good for him and good for us we didn't get him, I suppose.

I think your assessment is fair based on his performance so far, but guys like this sometimes mature. Look at how Zack Randolph has gone from bad guy to admired.