The DeMarcus Cousins trade affects many careers, but none more than the careers of two former Kentucky Basketball stars.
On Friday, in my “He Did What?!” column, I dreamed of a world where DeMarcus Cousins is given a shot in a new organization. By the recent plot twists in the NBA, it appears Sacramento Kings GM Vlade Divac had similar thoughts.
Cousins was traded by the Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, one future first-round pick, and one future second round pick, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. If you are not regularly following the NBA at home, Portland Trail Blazer CJ McCollum put it best:
Forreal ? https://t.co/nEyvSEcFnR
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 20, 2017
No, this is not a good look. Divac will take plenty of heat for this, along with the rest of Sacramento Kings management. But this move should not shock you. Those who are in charge of the Kings are expected to make mistakes, and they will keep making them as long as they are in position to do so.
Their career trajectories seem cemented. But for Cousins and his new teammate Anthony Davis, this trade forges a new, mysterious fork in the road.
How did we get here?
Two of the top big men in the NBA are joining forces in the Big Easy, and for the first time, winning may come a bit easier for them too.
Both Cousins and Davis have been held back by poor front-office management since entering the league, riddled by a lack of team consistency. Desperate for a playoff push, Pelicans GM Dell Demps made a big bet on Cousins, and Kings GM Divac was left merely looking desperate.
Now, the Pelicans have Cousins, a two-time All-NBA Second team selection, and Davis, an All-NBA First team selection in 2015, and an All-Star MVP hardly an hour before the trade.
The two former Wildcats have carried the torch for John Calipari’s one-and-done big men, along with the burden of winning alone in the NBA. Neither have enjoyed much team success; the one playoff appearance between the two came from Davis as the Pelicans were swept by the Warriors in 2015.
Whispers of doubt have grown over the years. Cousins is infamously temperamental, and Davis’ size and length are both a blessing and a curse. Cousins is often too demanding, while Davis may not demand enough. As what happens with so many young stars, they did not immediately deliver, so they were slowly cast aside as newer, shinier toys entered the league.
Cousins and Davis have been through a lot. Cousins began the season playing for his sixth NBA coach. Davis has annually been tasked with carrying uninspiring groups of talent, leading to physical breakdowns.
One became “uncoachable,” the other became “fragile.”
Welcome to Blue Orleans
Both players have remained in the spotlight, but neither has inspired quite the same praise lately. In searching for answers, New Orleans offered a wild solution:
For two big men coming out of the same college program, they play very differently. When you count their perceived personalities, they could not seem farther apart. But in a modern “small-ball” NBA, this highly skilled front court offers unique possibilities.
Next: Kentucky's All-Calipari Starting Five
Ultimately, this may work, and this may not. But for two polar-opposite Kentucky big men, lost on paths leading nowhere fast, blazing a new, unlikely trail together may be their way to find the success they have been searching for.