DeMarcus Cousins

[deNIEd]

Wait...are you serious? Chris Webber wasn't a superstar? Chris Webber wasn't a go-to guy on that team? Peja wasn't a star? What is wrong with you.

We had a team of average players? WTF are you smoking.

A lottery team doesn't jump to a contender over night. But a lottery team that has a high enough ceiling will jump to that contender status over a few years. The issue is how high that ceiling is. Are you that naive to realize that some teams just flat out have absolutely no shot at winning anything? Are you that blind to see that certain rosters can only improve so much, and that improvement is simply not good enough to win a title? The focus should be, building up a roster that DOES have the potential for improvement to make that transition. A roster that DOES have the pieces to make moves to get to that level.

I know EXACTLY what happened that pre-dated 2002. But from your own history lesson, it's clear that YOU have no idea what happened. What were the 3-4 most important pieces of that 2002 team?

Without doubt, the most important was Chris Webber. And how did we get Webber? We used the 3rd pick to eventually pawn our way to Webber. It started with a 3rd pick, which turned into Mitch Richmond, which turned into a disfunctional/problematic Chris Webber...who luckily worked out. Webber would never had been possible without a Mitch Richmond (who in case you forgot, for some of us who started to become a King's fan because of Richmond, he was an absolute beast and one of the best guards in the league and easily would have been considered a superstar if he played for a large market).

Now, once the team had Webber in 98/99, the team had a bright future, simply because we had a guy who had the potential to become a superstar. In addition, we had two rookies that had tremendous potential in Jason Williams and Peja. That team, with the addition of Vlade, HAD the potential to become a title contender. Peja ended up peaking at a MVP level candidate. Webber peaked at a MVP level candidate. Vlade was solid. Jason Williams showed signs of all-star potential.
Those were the four main pieces to the 2002 team. We had everything in place and simply had to develop and move a few pieces around.



I swear, you must have been one of the many people who fails to see the big picture in life and is one of those people who is easily convinced into buying sh**y mortgages and making (Please Use More Appropriate Word) life decisions.

[deNIEd]

The 2002 King's were made possible, because we had one of the top 3-4 guards in that decade. Without having that piece, NONE of it would have been possible.

On top of having a top 5 guard of the 90's, we also became extremely lucky through the draft, free agency, and player development.

But again, IT ALL STARTED WITH MITCH RICHMOND.

[SacTownKings4Life]

Chris Webber... dysfunctional/problematic... sounds vaguely familiar...

Seriously, who outside of Kings fans actually considered Chris Webber among the ELITE players in the league? As in, on the same talent level as Shaq, Duncan, or Garnett (actual MVP winners)? He never had a TRUE shot at winning that MVP and you know it. How many times did Chris Webber take the last shot for this team? Would you feel comfortable with the ball in his hands down by one with the last shot of the game? Cause that's how most people define the role of a the average superstar. I quite clearly recall Charles Barkley calling into question "who is Sacramento's go-to guy?" implying that we didn't have one. Although we had plenty of guys who could score collectively, he never believed in us as a LEGITIMATE title contender because we did NOT have "that guy".

I said a team of average-to-very-good players. You take a look at the roster:

Bibby - Average when playing in Vancouver (i doubt most people had even heard of him); became very good after a couple breakout seasons in Sacramento, though was never even an All Star; done nothing ever since.

Christie - Great defender, average all around player; never did anything before or after Sac.

Peja - Great shooter; below average defender; average all around player; did nothing since leaving Sac and was considered by most as washed up until Dallas last year.

Webber - Very good player; never quite crossed the threshold of "superstardom" (perhaps due to nagging injuries); forever labeled as a "choke artist"...

Vlade - Great facilitator and forefather of flopping; good yet aging center (at that time. best years were behind him) who was considered by default as the 2nd best center behind Shaq, due in part to a lack of quality centers overall.

B Jackson - Good sparky plug, Van Exel/Terry type 6th man; none the less, never accomplished anything again outside of Sacramento.

Barry - Average role player

Turkoglu - average role player (at the time); developed into a solid player later on.

Funderburke - Average role player.

Pollard - Average role player

Another note: Williams - Got us national attention, but turned out to be all flash and not a lot of substance; take away the flash and he was another average player.

My point is none of those players were ever considered "great" individual players. But when brought together, they became great as a unit. No one player had to carry the team (as a superstar is supposed to) because our offense was generated by great PASSING, not by great individual players. Had anybody even HEARD of half these players before they came to Sacramento?

Also, ask ANYBODY if they think Peja Stojakovic was ever a superstar. Let me know how long they laugh at you...

[SacTown Kings]

Eh Webber was a superstar IMO. In his prime he was a top 10 player, that's pretty much superstar status. If he was playing in Chicago, LA, New York...others around the league would label him a superstar. I don't take what Barkley says seriously, never ever.

[SmellingColors]

On another note, I'm slobbering over the potential a big man lineup of:

PF Davis/JT
C Cousins/Whiteside

Of course Davis is an extreme long shot, but that lineup would be deadly if Whiteside can become what we're hoping for.

[boogie-reke]

Ofcourse Webb was a superstar, are you kiddin me?

And Peja was a star aswell. you don't play like a legit MVP candidate and not be a star.

[pillwenney]

To me, it's more like night and late afternoon. But it's mostly about the fact that Cuz should be our main concern because he's going to be who we rely on. He can't just make some progress over the next couple of years. He has to become a superstar for us to do anything. And he still is very prone to technicals, he's still very prone to losing his focus, and his intensity (particularly on D) wavers a lot. All of these things need to change if he's going to be the player we need him to be.

I'm happy with the progress he has made, and I have plenty of hope for him continuing to make progress. But I don't think we can be like "Well, that's settled now. Phew." There's still a lot of work to do.

Ah, there it is. Superstar or bust. THAT'S why you come off as so thoroughly unimpressed. A team is nothing without a superstar (*cough*2002*cough). If one fails to establish themselves as a superstar by at least halfway through their rookie contract, they suddenly become worthless and expendable (see Tyreke). Looks like Cousins only has so much time to elevate his game before his welcome has officially been worn out around here... Trade Cousins 2013... I can see it now...

Jesus Christ, dude. I'm just saying he still has a lot of work to do. Is that really so radical? He still needs veteran leadership around him.

[pillwenney]

And guys, cool it on the personal stuff right now.

[408Kings]

Bibby - Average when playing in Vancouver (i doubt most people had even heard of him); became very good after a couple breakout seasons in Sacramento, though was never even an All Star; done nothing ever since.

Bibby was pretty damn good coming out of college. He's definitely not a superstar, but Arizona would not have won an NCAA championship without him.

Peja - Great shooter; below average defender; average all around player; did nothing since leaving Sac and was considered by most as washed up until Dallas last year.

Peja played at an MVP level when Webber got injured! He averaged 24 pts, 6 rbs, 2 ast, 1 stl, and shot at 48% and 43% on 3's. He was the main reason we were still able to get to the playoffs that year. The reason he's washed up is due to his chronic injuries. Happens to a lot of potentially great players.

Webber - Very good player; never quite crossed the threshold of "superstardom" (perhaps due to nagging injuries); forever labeled as a "choke artist"...

This is arguable. He was great in college, fab 5, and signed one of the biggest/longest contracts as a rookie ever. He was in the running for MVP, and helped our team get to the playoffs year in and year out, leading the team in points and rebounds.

I agree with some of your points that the team gelled very well, and played off each others' strengths greatly and were able to accomplish a lot because of it. But if Webber had not been the player he was, we definitely would not have gotten to the conference finals.

[SacKingZZZ]

Here's the thing about "superstars", they aren't created, they're born. You either have that inherent talent or you don't, PERIOD. Cousins has it, but as Pill points out, he still has a lot of work to do to reach that point on a nightly basis and have that stability every recognized great player has. Superstars while not created, need to be cultivated. Then it's a question of putting the right pieces around them. Petrie now has his work cut out for him, it's clear what the road to travel down is, now it comes time to find who rides the lanes with Cuz. I personally think there are some very nice pieces and in particular with Thornton, a running mate to handle the bulk of your offensive output.

[MVP Rose]

He's a beast, well on his way to becoming a superstar. One of the most skilled big I've seen in years

[SacTownKings4Life]

Now don't get me wrong, Webber WAS our best player, I just believe that the injuries he sustained combined with the fact that he played in Sacramento prevented him from achieving superstar status. I also believe that the main reason why "Games 6" even happened in the first place (in addition to the fact that we are such a small market) was because we DIDN'T have a marketable big name superstar player that the rest of the casual nba viewers nationwide could identify with. I believe they panicked at the thought of a Sacramento / New Jersey NBA finals headlined by Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyon Martin vs Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Chris Webber. None of those names pack the same punch of a "Shaq & Kobe" NBA finals. Money may have been lost due to an overall lack of interest (in their view).

[thecircle]

Can we keep COUSINS long term? does he want to stay here? and can maloofs afford it?

Oh yeah and why is general board have a stupid thread talking shht about cousins.....
there is alot insecure and jealouse posters on realgm.