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The Demarcus Cousins Paradox

After this weekend's action, the New Orleans Pelicans are 3-6 since trading for DeMarcus Cousins. Their playoff hopes are basically dashed -- New Orleans had only a narrow margin for error when they made the deal, and nine games of mediocrity puts them too far out of the race.

What's especially unsettling is the nature of those three wins. One came in a game in which Cousins was suspended due to an overabundance of technical fouls. A second came in a game in which Cousins fouled out. And the third, on Saturday, happened as Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry benched Cousins (who had five fouls) for the final 10 minutes of the game. That let Anthony Davis cook, and led to a Pelicans win. Tim Cato breaks it down here.

Plenty of Cousins skeptics are using New Orleans' struggles as vindication for their judgment of Boogie. But then how do you explain the Kings' 8-game losing streak? Sacramento has been incapable of scoring against tough defenses late after having won a respectable number of comebacks before trading Cousins.

Fit is the answer: New Orleans will need more time than many of us believed to find out how to play Davis and Cousins together. In the interim, staggering them as much as possible seems like the best plan. The point now is no longer making the postseason, but working out as many kinks as possible, seeing who fits with the big duo and -- well, let's be honest -- preventing the Kings from getting two high picks in the draft.

Right now, Sacramento is on track to pick No. 6 and 7. If the Pelicans flail, that makes the trade look a bit more fair.

For Saturday night’s ABC primetime matchup between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs – the top two teams in the West separated by 1½ games – Warriors coach Steve Kerr rested Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala.

The league’s TV partners are paying the NBA $2.6 billion per season to televise NBA games, and Disney can’t be thrilled about Saturday’s development. Same can be said for fans who invested in tickets for this matchup.

“I’m sympathetic to fans who turn out — whether they buy tickets to games or watching games on television and don’t see their favorite player on the floor,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said previously.

And yet, as Silver has pointed out numerous times, “We also have to be realistic that the science has gotten to the point where there is that direct correlation that we’re aware of between fatigue and injuries. And as tough as it is on our fans to miss one of their favorite players for a game, it’s far better than having them get injured and be out for long periods of time. So we’re always still looking to strike that right balance.”

In2ition wrote:https://twitter.com/NBA/status/841461608341737477 I'm so glad the Suns decided to not get Rubio in a swap with the TWolves for Knight.

Wally_West wrote:

In2ition wrote:https://twitter.com/NBA/status/841461608341737477 I'm so glad the Suns decided to not get Rubio in a swap with the TWolves for Knight.

How I imagine Mori watching that clip

pickle wrote:We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

In2ition wrote:

pickle wrote:We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

LazarusLong wrote:

In2ition wrote:

pickle wrote:We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

I call "ass" on that. Rubio's contract is about the same as Knight's.
Gambo is just swallowing the company line, like a catfish gobbling down stinky chicken livers on a hook.

The problem with that trade would be that one of Booker, Bledsoe or Rubio would have had to come off the bench.
The likely choice, for me, anyway, would be Bledsoe, who is the quintessential change-of-pace guard.
He could sub in for either Booker or Rubio.
But Bledsoe came to Phoenix to be a starter, so that would not have worked out well.
Bledsoe is their guy, and they are going to ride that pony until it breaks down ...

LazarusLong wrote:

In2ition wrote:

pickle wrote:We don't know that that package was on the table. I'm not a McDonough apologist but let's not make our lives more miserable than they already are.

I should've totally traded for Rubio in fantasy though. He's enjoying quite a renaissance after that poor start to the season and his annual minor-injury-that-keeps-him-out-5-to-20-games ride.

According to Gambo, it was on the table, swapping players that both teams wanted to move, but the Suns didn't want Rubio and his contract.

I call "ass" on that. Rubio's contract is about the same as Knight's.
Gambo is just swallowing the company line, like a catfish gobbling down stinky chicken livers on a hook.

The problem with that trade would be that one of Booker, Bledsoe or Rubio would have had to come off the bench.
The likely choice, for me, anyway, would be Bledsoe, who is the quintessential change-of-pace guard.
He could sub in for either Booker or Rubio.
But Bledsoe came to Phoenix to be a starter, so that would not have worked out well.
Bledsoe is their guy, and they are going to ride that pony until it breaks down ...