1. DeMarcus Cousins
Could you imagine the reaction in the NBA world, and particularly in Philadelphia, if one sleepy morning in July you woke up to the news the 76ers had just signed DeMarcus Cousins?
Hey Boston, you ready to take on a lineup of Embiid, Simmons, a rejuvenated Fultz, Covington and Boogie Cousins!
If you think the 76ers would have no interest in getting the 6-foot-11 center, he reportedly almost came in February, 2017 in return for Jahlil Okafor but the proposed trade fell through. And remember, all the people in place now (except one) were in the Sixers front office back then.
Speaking strictly as a player on the court, the guy does basically everything: score inside, shoot from outside, pass and rebound. The only thing he has not been able to do is stop getting technicals and being a general pain for whatever team he is on.
For an organization that talks so much about culture one wonders if they are a basketball squad or going to the ballet, Cousins’ history represents everything coach Brett Brown and management have tried to avoid.
However, two factors special to this offseason mitigate his usual behavior and would have made him an attractice pickup for the Sixers.
1. No one really wanted him
With his history of being, well, DeMarcus Cousins, the top teams did not want him to hurt their chemistry. On the other hand, the bottom teams had seen how he had been unable to lift the Sacramento Kings to even playoff status so, basically, who needed the aggravation?
Having suffered a torn Achilles tendon in January, who knew how good Cousins would be upon his return, and when exactly that would even be.
So when Cousins hit the free agent market on July 1, no one cared.
On a cheap one-year deal, Cousins ended up with the Warriors, the one team that had a locker room impervious to Cousins’ antics, and also the only one with so much talent they can toss him aside like yesterday’s news if he can’t play like he used to, or becomes a distraction.
If the Sixers had swooped in at the start with a decent offer, it would have been time to Boogie in Philadelphia.
2. Waiting for Cousins
The hoopla of signing DeMarcus Cousins would have to be tempered by the fact a team would have no idea when he would actually take the court.
He hopes to be ready by training camp but most experts think a December or January return to action is more likely. Of course, it is not like Golden State has to rush him to make the playoffs or anything.
The positive of the injury is that Cousins will have to slowly work his way into game shape.
If Boogie showed up 100-percent healthy for any team, he would expect to be starter. Now, coming back from a serious injury, playing time will come slowly.
If the 76ers had signed Cousins, no one’s nose would have gone out of joint because they would have their playing time cut. He would be more like a pre-paid mid-season pickup. Brett Brown could look at various lineups for a few months and see which ones would work the best when Cousins finally came.
DeMarcus Cousins, on a cheap contract and simply looking to get back to playing, would have been the best free agent move the 76ers could have made this offseason.