I knew this for a while, but watching the olympics gives the opportunity for fans to see how bad this guy can be
He is not a winning basketball player. As you get older, you start to throw away all the stupid hype talk from every end of the spectrum. You start to break down the reality of basketball.
If you start watching Euroleague ball as well as the entire world basketball you become even more smarter, then you begin to see how NBA players are not as good as advertised.
With all that said you see the differences of team basketball and one on one ball.
You also see how FIBA basketball play defense. They do not give you 5 feet to shoot at will like the NBA does, they play tight.
You watch Cousins and you realize he is a drifter basketball player, posing as an All Star. He need the ball, or he becomes a lazy worthless ball player on offense. Defensively he is attrocious. Lazy, non caring, also low low IQ.
No way you want a guy like Cousins here to win a ring. The team he is on , any team , besides maybe a Warriors team will not win a ring.
When we are evaluating a basketball team. All you have to do is ask yourself one question.
The answer to that question will often result in solving the problem.
WWRD
What would Red Do?
If Cousins played for Red Auerbach and he had this attitude. Red would get him more touches.
Some players defense feeds off their offense. Cousins many be one of those, as you so aptly pointed out. It doesn't make him a bad attitude. I think you have to put more of this on the coaches. Team chemistry at the defensive end, starts with the coaches.
Cousins only having 25 shots and shooting over 60 percent. Perhaps team USA shouldn't be playing so much iso basketball. The system seems to be outside, dribble drive.
I don't think that your observations are wrong, but I also don't think its fair to put this all on Cousins. I think he remains a product of the players around him. And that might never change.
Are you forgetting that he has been in Sacramento where all coaches have pretty much been axed when they tried to instill discipline in him.
Cousins remains a gifted player with a flawed attitude. Not unlike many of today's athletes.
Still, I'd welcome him to Boston, in a Faneuil Hall heartbeat with a Bill Russell dinner and conversation.