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Everyone expected the Los Angeles Lakers to be major players in the 2015 NBA offseason, but few expected them to try to acquire an All-Star player before free agency even kicked off. However, per numerous reports, that is exactly what they are trying to do.
The Lakers are rumored to be extremely interested in acquiring DeMarcus Cousins from the Sacramento Kings, with a general framework for a deal reportedly in place. Talks are expected to intensify tomorrow before the start of the 2015 NBA Draft. Word out in Sacramento is that Cousins and head coach George Karl simply do not see eye-to-eye on a myriad of issues, which may lead to Cousins’ exit from the team.
You can hardly blame him for wanting to maybe start over somewhere else, as Karl seems intent on bringing every single player who played for him on the Denver Nuggets two years ago to his new team. However, I do not believe the Lakers are a good fit for Cousins at all.
It is clear that the Lakers want to make a splash this offseason and they are tired of being stuck in “rebuild” mode with an impatient fanbase that always demands success. What is shocking is that they would be interested in a player like Cousins. It appears the Lakers learned absolutely nothing after acquiring Dwight Howard in an offseason blockbuster trade during the summer of 2012.
Like Howard, Cousins has a similar whiny temperament about him where he is often caught staring down teammates after they make mistakes, and pouting about every single thing that does not go his way. Howard’s antics on the court eventually created a rift between him and Kobe Bryant when he was on the team, which ultimately played a part in Howard leaving the following summer for the Houston Rockets.
Did the Lakers simply just forget the Howard trade happened or what? Are they just hoping that Cousins is magically going to change his attitude coming to the brightest city in the NBA, where he will be under more pressure to help carry his team to the playoffs? Now granted, this is just a rumor and there are plenty of them out there right now, but this one appears to at least have some legs on it.
Personally, I believe the Lakers would be much better off drafting Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and developing him as the center for their future. He may never be an offensive powerhouse like Cousins, but unlike Cousins, who has been caught sleeping on defense many times in his career, Okafor could certainly turn into a Tyson Chandler-esque defensive anchor for the Lakers if he is developed the right way.
The Lakers should stay as far away from Cousins as possible. He is an extremely talented player with a ton of potential still left in the tank, but they should be extremely cautious about trading future chips for an obvious ticking time bomb of a player.
With that said, I would not be shocked at all if the Lakers do this deal just to shake things up and get their fans excited. That doesn’t mean it is the best move for the franchise, but as we have seen plenty of times before, All-Star players sell tickets, even if it will ultimately just result in yet another season without them making the playoffs.
It reeks of desperation, but the Lakers have always coveted dominant centers, and Cousins can absolutely be that kind of player. However, that does not mean he will make them a playoff contender this year or the next few seasons unless the team acquires some more top-tier talent this summer.
Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google,
