Kings may actually be ready to deal DeMarcus Cousins, could Kevin McHale point him towards Boston?
Apologies to Bill Walton for the awesome photoshopping. |
The NBA offseason is full of crazy rumors and trade ideas, but this doesn't qualify as either one of those yet. In fact, the reality of this situation is basically on par with that of the above photo.
However, there is unrest in Sacramento, and that always leads to rumblings of a DeMarcus Cousins trade. The Kings have been without a head coach since firing George Karl immediately after finishing the regular season 33-49 and missing the playoffs for a 10th straight year. Both Patrick Ewing and David Blatt are reportedly interviewing for the job this week (more on that in a bit).
On the day of Karl's dismissal, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee wrote a piece entitled "Kings shouldn't hire coach to accommodate Cousins." Voisin stated:
A year ago, Cousins was untouchable. A year later, the sense within the organization is [GM Vlade] Divac is tempted by the prospect of pairing his center with his personally selected coach but that he has become increasingly frustrated by his center’s ongoing issues and, for the first time, is willing to test the market for the two-time All-Star.
Karl has plenty of company. The disconnect between Karl and Divac, and Karl and Cousins, is rivaled closely by the discord within the fragmented locker room. Apart from [Rajon] Rondo, Cousins has few friends among his teammates. Several players privately have complained to management about his mood swings and disrespect for those around him, including his coaches and in particular Karl.
A younger, healthier Karl – one who felt fully empowered by his organization – would have reacted to Cousins’ profane tirades by throwing punches or tossing him out of practice.
Part A, it appears Cousins could legitimately be on the block--for real this time. That's where Part B, Kevin McHale, comes in. Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowksi left us with this tidbit at the end of his report regarding Sacramento's interest in Ewing:
Owner Vivek Ranadive has been most intrigued with former Houston and Minnesota coach Kevin McHale, but McHale has been cautious in his approach to the job, league sources said.
Alrighty then. The Kings owner wants McHale to be his guy. I wouldn't blame the Celtics legend for not being interested, but it's worth paying attention to how this plays out.
It was nine years ago that then Timberwolves GM McHale worked out the deal with Danny Ainge that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston and resurrected the Celtics dynasty. Obviously as head coach of the Kings McHale wouldn't have that kind of power, but you have to like Boston's chances of prying Cousins from Sacramento better if McHale is on board.
Hey, we can dream, right?
Follow Mark Van Deusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan