It’s rumor season, ladies and gentlemen.
Where the rumors and speculation for the future of your favorite team seem to change every hour as you continuously refresh your Twitter timeline.
For the Mavericks, the popular rumor as of late has been the resurgence of Dallas’ interest in DeAndre Jordan.
Now, we all know what happened in the 2015 summer when DeAndre verbally agreed to a deal with Dallas. He cowardly ran back to the Clippers as Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin and company wouldn’t let Jordan leave his home until signing his contract, but we’ve moved past it, right?
Don’t agree with the furniture layout but I’m not an interior designer. pic.twitter.com/23PNgQB88z
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) July 9, 2015
Though, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “rumor” as I see truth in the Mavericks pursuit of Jordan and the Clippers readiness to part ways with the 10-year veteran. This move truly makes sense for both teams.
But, for those wondering, why DeAndre Jordan when there’s other options at center for the Mavericks to pursue? Well, you’re right. There are other big names out there, specifically, DeMarcus Cousins.
Oh, Boogie. Where do we begin?
The eight-year product from Kentucky has been a force to be reckoned with ever since he stepped on an NBA floor. You could debate that Cousins is the most-skilled big man in the league, when healthy.
In 48 games with the Pelicans last season, Boogie averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game along with 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks. Cousins also posted three 40 point-20 rebound games in 2017-2018. Since 2003, this has only happened eight times. More importantly, in one of those games, Cousins logged 44 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists, and four steals; the first 40-20-10 game since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972.
It’s evident; you can’t argue the talent and on-court production from Cousins, but you can argue the attitude and health concerns.
Cousins is known for having somewhat of a short temper and being selfish, specifically in his time in Sacramento. Was it the coaching? The lackluster front office? Are the referees out to get him? Maybe, but it’s no excuse for the poor morale from a four-time All-Star.
This past season in New Orleans, you could see Boogie starting to turn over a new leaf playing alongside fellow star Anthony Davis. Boogie was on a winning team for the first time since his days at Kentucky and though playing alongside another big like The Brow, his production didn’t take a hit, until the injury.
Tearing an Achilles is not an injury to turn your cheek at. As for a player of his stature, the fear is that Cousins will lose his versatile mobility. Not to say that he’s an explosive athlete, but his ability to handle the ball on the perimeter has become a big part of his game.
In the past, players coming back from a torn achilles have not returned back to form at a high rate. Players such as Rudy Gay, Wes Matthews, Elton Brand, Chauncey Billups, and even Kobe Bryant. The one true exception was Dominique Wilkins, who averaged 28 points the following season. But don’t question or turn your back on Boogie, because he has #0Doubt that he will be back better than ever.
When it comes to comparing the fit between Jordan and Cousins, it’s not a clear-cut decision. Jordan is the better overall rebounder and defender and will work wonders in the pick-and-roll with Dennis and Luka. Offensively, DJ isn’t in the same threshold as Cousins. DeMarcus can really do it all on the offensive end of the floor, whether that’s scoring from all three levels or getting others involved.
And let’s not forget, the fit between Cousins and Carlisle would be an interesting one, for sure. We’ve seen how Carlisle and Rondo bumped heads in the past and it seems that Cousins has a similar personality to Rondo. Oddly enough, Rondo has played with Cousins over the past two seasons and the two have grown close.
At the end of the day, is Jordan a better fit as a defensive anchor with this current Mavs team? Probably. But, would a healthy Cousins and his offensive arsenal take this team to a different level? I wouldn’t doubt it.
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