Around the League Discussion - 2018-2019 (Playoffs)

Kobblehead · Post #941 » by **Kobblehead** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 12:17 pm

The Warriors don't really have Klay Thompson, though. For all intents and purposes, Russell is basically temporarily replacing Thompson.

Kobblehead · Post #942 » by **Kobblehead** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 12:32 pm

Wilfried wrote:They are pretty
Deep

I disagree.

Willie Cauley-Stein - He can play in space and protect the rim, but he's weak in the post and can't hit a free throw.
Kevon Looney - Another guy who can switch and protect, but he's a liability in the post and offers no offense.
Jacob Evans - Talented, but hasn't established himself.
Alec Burks - Suspect and unreliable.
Jordan Poole - Unproven rookie.
Eric Paschall - Unrpoven rookie.
Alen Smailagic - Unrpoven rookie.
Alfonzo McKinnie - Scrub.
Glenn Robinson - Scrub.

So Steph, DeAngelo, Draymond, and a weak/unproven cast are supposed to be a major player in the West?

Kobblehead · Post #943 » by **Kobblehead** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:41 pm

Read on Twitter

Maybe the Lakers should be the ones to combine salary and get an expensive, past-prime post defender.

76thBearCub · Post #944 » by **76thBearCub** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:49 pm

Cousins ain't a likeable dude, but man is that rough.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using RealGM mobile app

Kobblehead · Post #945 » by **Kobblehead** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:42 pm

Are 9 years of great stats enough to get him in the hall of fame even though he didn't have many individual accolades or team success?

Bum Adebayo · Post #946 » by **Bum Adebayo** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:59 pm

Yes, he deserves it, he had the passion for the game unlike some of the modahn artificial scorers of today like Booker or Towns. Prime Cousins would be in the discussion for best center in the league, though I believe Embiid has more value with his defense.

LloydFree · Post #947 » by **LloydFree** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 6:12 pm

Kobblehead wrote:Are 9 years of great stats enough to get him in the hall of fame even though he didn't have many individual accolades or team success?

He won't get in. Because of how he's viewed he's the type of player that would have to wait. And by the time the perception of him fades, the people voting will look back and see only one All-star appearance and one playoff appearance and pass him over.

Post #948 » by **Sixerscan** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:57 pm

He actually made 4 all star teams but either way I don't think he's particularly close to getting in.

VDT · Post #949 » by **VDT** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:03 pm

Cousins has been largely irrelevant as player despite his talent, and i say that as someone that likes his passionate yet immature at times personality and game.

Scoring a lot of points for a few years on a middling efficiency while playing for bad teams should not get you in the HOF. He is overrated because of ppg and becauuse of the sorry state of the center position a few years ago when every "good"center was a rim running roleplayer.

Kobblehead · Post #950 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:09 pm

Wouldn't you agree that there are a lot of examples where the NBA was loose with their standards when it came to an entree? There's a lot of "great stats, no team success" guys in the Hall. Also some "garbage stats, a lot of team success" guys. I think Boogie will get in.

Kobblehead · Post #951 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:16 pm

Bum Adebayo wrote:he had the passion for the game

VDT wrote:his passionate yet immature at times personality and game.

I see this a lot in regards to Cousins and I'm always urged to push back. I always got the impression that Cousins' demonstrative nature on the court was just due to his emotional instability. I never really got the sense that he had this intense passion for the game.

VDT · Post #952 » by **VDT** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:36 pm

Kobblehead wrote:Wouldn't you agree that there are a lot of examples where the NBA was loose with their standards when it came to an entree? There's a lot of "great stats, no team success" guys in the Hall. Also some "garbage stats, a lot of team success" guys. I think Boogie will get in.

They do it sometimes but Cousins doesnt have anything going for him. Having high ppg (with mediocre efficiency) for 4-5 years while being in the lottery every year is not much. You need to have either individual accolades or team success. Cousins has none, all he has is being a talented headcase but even that not in a Rodman way.

As i said he became overrated because his competition were basically rim running roleplayers. Now that multiple big guys are leading their teams in the playoffs he is viewed less favorably.

Kobblehead · Post #953 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:54 pm

Are you implying that Cousins only became a star big because his competition at the position was a bunch of dunk and block role players?

I disagree with that. Cousins would have been putting up 25+ regardless.

VDT · Post #954 » by **VDT** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:02 pm

I said that the 25ppg are more impressive when no one else in your position is doing that (and people are saying how it is impossible for centers to lead a team in this era) compared to now that you have centers with better statlines than Cousins while leading their teams to the playoffs or possibly titles in the future.

To put it simply Cousins looks more impressive next to Noah or Deandre than next to Embiid or even players like Jokic or KAT.

Kobblehead · Post #955 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:24 pm

I would put more of that on Cousins if the Kings were getting to the playoffs and getting bounced in round 1 each year.

It sucks that Dame Lillard went 6th in 2012 and the Kings took Thomas Robinson at #5, instead. All of these narratives could have been reversed.

Having Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray has gone a long way to helping Embiid/Jokic be legitimized as winning players. Cousins never got that benefit of an early running mate.

VDT · Post #956 » by **VDT** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:40 pm

Embiid in his rookie season playing 20 min per game and with a largely tanking roster would have led (if healthy) the Sixers to more wins than Cousins ever did.

Cousins played for some bad teams but he was part of the problem. No surprise how the team is on the rise since he was traded.

Defensively he doesnt protect the rim and he cant defend on the perimeter.

Offensively he is skilled but he lacks the physical profile to be dominant as a center. He is fairly strong but that's it. Not explosive, not agile\quick not particularly tall\long. He was never going to be an efficient volume scorer on a good team. He is not a bad passer and maybe could further improve his 3point shooting and play a bit like Marc Gasol, maybe with a bit more inside scoring. That's probably his role offensively on a good team. Is Marc Gasol without the defense HOF material?

Kobblehead · Post #957 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 3:57 pm

Embiid in his rookie season playing 20 min per game and with a largely tanking roster would have led (if healthy) the Sixers to more wins than Cousins ever did.

Probably. Embiid is better than Cousins.

Cousins played for some bad teams but he was part of the problem. No surprise how the team is on the rise since he was traded.

Sure, he was part of the problem. Most players in their early 20s don't know how to win yet. That usually comes with seasoning.

Kings are on the rise because they've been on fire with young talent for a couple of years now. If they did that during the Cousins era instead of whiffing on nearly everyone, they would have won more.

Defensively he doesnt protect the rim and he cant defend on the perimeter.

Sounds like you just described Jokic. Both he and Cousins are wayyyyy better defenders than they get credit for.

Offensively he is skilled but he lacks the physical profile to be dominant as a center. He is fairly strong but that's it. Not explosive, not agile\quick not particularly tall\long. He was never going to be an efficient volume scorer on a good team. He is not a bad passer and maybe could further improve his 3point shooting and play a bit like Marc Gasol, maybe with a bit more inside scoring. That's probably his role offensively on a good team. Is Marc Gasol without the defense HOF material?

Or....Nikola Jokic. Or....Chris Webber.

Let's stop pretending that Cousins needed to take a backseat for his team to ever become winners. He easily could have been the #1 or #2 option on a team that made noise in the playoffs.

Negrodamus · Post #958 » by **Negrodamus** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 4:06 pm

Cousins, while a pain in the ass, was completely wasted on the Kings. They did nothing to help his cause and sucked due to incompetency from the top down. If he was ever on a team that fit his needs, they would have been a perennial playoff team.

Negrodamus · Post #959 » by **Negrodamus** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 4:13 pm

Ironically, if we just took him at 2, he would have been matched up with Jrue and would have had a nice little core for a rebuild. However, our future wouldn't have been as bright as it currently is.

Post #960 » by **Sixerscan** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 4:16 pm

Kobblehead wrote:
Embiid in his rookie season playing 20 min per game and with a largely tanking roster would have led (if healthy) the Sixers to more wins than Cousins ever did.

Probably. Embiid is better than Cousins.

Cousins played for some bad teams but he was part of the problem. No surprise how the team is on the rise since he was traded.

Sure, he was part of the problem. Most players in their early 20s don't know how to win yet. That usually comes with seasoning.

Kings are on the rise because they've been on fire with young talent for a couple of years now. If they did that during the Cousins era instead of whiffing on nearly everyone, they would have won more.

Defensively he doesnt protect the rim and he cant defend on the perimeter.

Sounds like you just described Jokic. Both he and Cousins are wayyyyy better defenders than they get credit for.

Offensively he is skilled but he lacks the physical profile to be dominant as a center. He is fairly strong but that's it. Not explosive, not agile\quick not particularly tall\long. He was never going to be an efficient volume scorer on a good team. He is not a bad passer and maybe could further improve his 3point shooting and play a bit like Marc Gasol, maybe with a bit more inside scoring. That's probably his role offensively on a good team. Is Marc Gasol without the defense HOF material?

Or....Nikola Jokic. Or....Chris Webber.

Let's stop pretending that Cousins needed to take a backseat for his team to ever become winners. He easily could have been the #1 or #2 option on a team that made noise in the playoffs.

But he wasn’t so no hall of fame for him mostly likely.

Mitch Richmond is the weakest modern guy in right now and he still had a much stronger resume than boogie does.

You’re not getting in the hall with only 7.5 healthy seasons, 4 all stars, 2 all nba teams, and literally zero playoff appearances during your prime unless you have some sort of special angle from some other part of your career.