Following a rallying win while also basking in the wake of alleged multi-hundred million dollar contract extension negotiations, Sacramento superstar shooting center Demarcus Cousins was asked, “Do you want to stay here?” However, instead of answering, the contentious Cousins turned both the question and the microphone around to Sacramento Bee columnists Ailene Voisin and Andy Furillo, attacking the well-known critics about whether they want him in Sacramento.
After Voisin folded on the question with a “no comment,” Andy Furillo at least answered Cousins’ questions with a flat out “no” following a weak, “How much would it cost?”
Yes, it’s true. Cousins will not only require a lot of cash and cap space to stay in Sacramento, but also a dramatic shift in behavior.
In fact, Cousins becomes one of the few players already eligible for the Designated Veteran Player Exception starting with the newly agreed Collective Bargaining Agreement. This distinction allows Cousins to control 35 percent of Sacramento’s salary cap, instead of the prior 30 percent in the current CBA, which, based on the most recent projections, equals a five-year, $219 million contract extension that would kick in during the 2018-19 campaign.
Yet, with the NBA reaching new heights in terms of business savvy and analytic efficiency on and off the court, I have found that pundits and analysts lose sight of that humanity of the NBA player beyond their status as an asset. In the business of team sports, losing that basic skill can ultimately lead you to pass up on generational talent that has yet to even unleash his full potential.
The Sacramento Kings as an organization are as dysfunctional as a franchise can be in the association, having missed the playoffs every year since 2006. But since being drafted in 2010, the 26-year old center has led the Kings in nearly every statistical category while being the obviously most talented player on the team; consequently, blaming Sacramento’s woes on his play and even more on his actions completely ignores how much weight he actually carries for the team.
Cousins is currently averaging a team-high 28 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game while also averaging 45 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from the perimeter. Conversely, if we look at the help surrounding Cousins during his tenure with the Kings, the Kentucky standout has been surrounded by virtually no above-average players in his rotations. During his six seasons with the Kings, Cousins legitimately owns Sacramento’s player efficiency with the closest in recent history being now-Celtics superstar Isaiah Thomas and current guard Rudy Gay, who is almost sure to leave following his contract expiration.
In addition to not finding any “win-now” talent to surround Demarcus in his one-man show, the Kings have used their multiple lottery picks in numerous seasons to bring in key additions of Willie Cauley-Stein, Nik Stauskas, Ben McLemore, Thomas Robinson and Bismack Biyombo. So, with a minuteless Cauley-Stein showing as the best lottery pick in that span for the Kings, Sacramento has also failed to foster young talent and show an upcoming trend within the organization.
Thus, Sacramento cannot blame Cousins for its competitive failings in recent years and ultimately can’t point to its only highlight in over half a decade. And, when listening to columnists or any NBA-viewer who doesn’t see the $219-plus million in value that Demarcus brings to that, then they either don’t understand the generational talent in front of them or have removed themselves too far from what’s successful in this superstar-driven association.
Contact Lorenzo Rosas at enzor9 ‘at’ stanford.edu if you think his support for huge NBA salaries is self-serving, considering his soon-to-be debut as the NBA’s first-ever 5’8” center.