NEW YORK — There will come a point in time, and history tells us it will be sooner rather than later, when DeMarcus Cousins goes off the rails with his sixth and newest coach, Dave Joerger. That’s when the Kings will need to figure out whether it’s finally time to part ways with Cousins.
Here’s a little free advice for Kings vice president Vlade Divac: When that time comes, call Boston.
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Celtics president Danny Ainge might not be quite ready to pull the trigger on a Cousins deal, risky as it sounds. It appears as if he’s still looking to make a deal with the Sixers for Jahlil Okafor, who has been slow to take the court in preseason after having offseason knee surgery, or giving this current roster a shot with Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson rotating between the big men spots.
But Ainge has the necessary assets to make an even bolder move, for Cousins, one that would undoubtedly get LeBron James’ attention in the Eastern Conference. And, he’s got something else going for him when weighing whether he should roll the dice on Cousins. He has the perfect player to keep him in line: Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics' All-Star point guard and former Cousins teammate.
"If he came to Boston, that would be good, really good," Thomas told Sporting News last week, walking near the Barclays Center court in Brooklyn after the Celtics’ preseason win over the Nets. "The thing is, I’ve got his respect. I’ve always had that."
That’s no small consideration, if you know anything about Cousins’ erratic behavior. The 5-9 guard spent three seasons with Cousins in Sacramento, building a relationship no one else in the NBA has. From all accounts, he’s the one and only King whom Cousins truly listened to when he had one of his legendary blow-ups and went astray.
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Today, there are Kings officials who still remember that Thomas was never afraid to stand up to Cousins during his worst moments. Since Thomas was traded to the Suns, then the Celtics, Cousins has bullied Kings coaches and players, unhappy with the franchise's continued losing through his six seasons without a playoff berth.
The Kings don’t have an established, star-caliber player whom Cousins will respect. That’s why they fear he’s going to be trouble, once again.
"He needs to be a better teammate," Divac told Sirius XM NBA radio. "It’s up to him now to go to the next level as a player and it starts there."
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Cousins has been saying all the right things as he begins his seventh season. He believes that is going to change. He’s been singing Joerger’s praises, calling him, "the perfect piece of the puzzle." He believes playing on Team USA and winning the gold medal in Rio has changed him for the better. "I was a sponge with the guys. … I came out a better player," he said.
But a more grounded and emotionally stable player? We know his history: the outbursts at coaches, the suspensions and his failure to get along with teammates. So it’s no stretch to think it’s probably not going to happen in Sacramento, even if Joerger was able to work with some difficult characters in Memphis, including Matt Barnes and Lance Stephenson.
Joerger, of course, wants Cousins to grow up because it will make his job so much easier. Imagine having arguably the most skilled center in the game, who can get you 27 points and 12 rebounds a night, and who also acts like a professional?
But Joerger came in with his eyes open and knows that Cousins was a nightmare for some of his predecessors, most notably Paul Westphal and George Karl. It got to a point where Kings owner Vivek Ranadive seemed like the only one who wanted to keep the big man. Now, he might not even have Ranadive on his side if he causes more trouble.
The problem will be finding a landing spot. There are more than a few NBA executives who won’t trade for Cousins because he’s too difficult to handle. So the Boston scenario makes perfect sense, even if Brad Stevens is a non-confrontational coach. He managed to weather the storm that was Rajon Rondo for 1 1/2 seasons. Ainge has the assets to get Cousins, including the Nets’ No. 1 pick this coming June. But it all starts with having the right kind of leader.
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Several minutes after the game in Brooklyn, Thomas stood in front of a chalkboard in the visitors’ locker room and talked about being a leader for a team that won 48 games last season and added Horford, the All-Star big man from Atlanta, in free agency.
"He definitely speaks his mind and that’s important," Horford told Sporting News. "I’d rather have guys like that than a quiet guy. The thing I’ve already found about Isaiah is, if he sees something he doesn’t like, he lets you know right away. You want to be held accountable and he does that."
Now entering his sixth NBA season at 27, Thomas reminded several reporters that he’s been doing it all of his life, starting back in his home state of Washington.
"I always voice my opinion, no matter what," he said. "That’s what got me here, to this day. I continue to try to grow being a leader. I watch other guys on other teams and how they lead their guys. The biggest thing and the most important thing is, when guys love playing with you, that’s a big sign you’re doing the right thing."
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Cousins loved playing with Thomas, even if he did have problems and there was a lot of losing. But Thomas is convinced he could make it work with Cousins if the Kings and Celtics eventually get together on a blockbuster deal. Thomas’ No. 1 goal for the coming season is to prove he can do more than just lead a team to the playoffs. He wants to show the NBA that he can lead a team out of the first round and make a deep postseason run. Cousins could make that a reality.
"When I was with him, I didn’t back down," Thomas told Sporting News. "I’m a point guard and that was my job. No matter if we did or didn’t get along off the court, on that court we were going to get along, and I was going to hold him accountable. That’s just how it is. It’s how I’ve always been. And he respects me for doing that."
