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| Two Titans. But how much good will this trade do New Orleans? (Photo creds to ProBasketballTalk.com) |
Joe Smeltzer and Alex Gordon both have conflicting views on the recent trade of DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans. Here, we will both state our cases in seperate blog entries, starting with Joseph.
DeMarcus Cousins is pretty good at basketball
In fact, he is one of the best in the world at what he does. Therefore, he is an asset to any team lucky enough to land his services. However, the New Orleans Pelicans might not be as lucky as you would think in landing the big man
On the surface, this deal to send Cousins and small forward Omri Casspi to Bourbon Street made all the sense in the world for New Orleans. They received an elite basketball player, and now have what is without question the best front-court in the league with Cousins and Anthony Davis. However, a key question is, how much does this do for the Pelicans in the long term?
On the surface, this deal to send Cousins and small forward Omri Casspi to Bourbon Street made all the sense in the world for New Orleans. They received an elite basketball player, and now have what is without question the best front-court in the league with Cousins and Anthony Davis. However, a key question is, how much does this do for the Pelicans in the long term?
New Orleans is currently 24-38. That's not good. In fact, only two teams in the entire Western Conference are currently in a worse position. Ordinarily, teams that make these types of deals are in position to win a championship or at least make a deep playoff run. Not here. If the Pelicans are lucky, they will sneak into the playoffs as a #8 seed, and even that might seem like a stretch. New Orleans is currently behind Jamir Nelson and the Denver Nuggets for the #8 spot, and according to ESPN's BPI Playoff odds, the probability of the Pelicans getting in is at 0.5%. Yikes.
Even if New Orleans somehow does make it to the dance, in all likelihood, the Golden State Warriors or San Antiono Spurs will await them. Uh, good luck with that.
There is a way that this trade could work out for the Pelicans. Sure there is. While there might not be a huge benefit to the Pelicans as far as the rest of this season goes, and honestly, probably next season as well, the future might be a different story; if New Orleans is able to resign Cousins in his free agent year of 2018.
If the Pelicans progress next season, that will be a start to convincing Boggie to stay, and playing with a stud like Anthony Davis (who, like Cousins attended the University of Kentucky), is a tempting option. However, every team in the league with a need for an inside presence is going to want DeMarcus Cousins, and if it comes down to the Pelicans vs. the field, I would bet my money on the field.
We know what the Pelicans received. But what about what they lost? On the surface, New Orleans didn't give up very much as far as getting a top-ten player in the world goes. The most notable piece that went to Sacramento was Buddy Hield, a rookie out of Oklahoma University. Hield's stats are modest, but there is a reason that he was selected #6 overall in this past June's draft. The man has great potential, and hopefully he can showcase that in Cali.
Also, the Kings received guards Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway, neither of which are notable, as well as New Orleans' first and second round draft choices for 2017. Does this seem like a steep price to give up for an elite player? In my opinion, it does not. Aside from Hield, none of the players that the Pelicans gave up are noteworthy. However, what might hurt New Orleans is the draft picks. As I mentioned earlier, the Pelicans are not a team that should be in "win now" mode, and if the Cousins trade does not work out as planned, losing those draft choices could come back to bite. Building for the future is important for a team like New Orleans, and trading picks is not a good way to do that.
Sacramento did not exactly make out like bandits in this deal, either. They could have gotten a (no pun intended) king's ransom. Instead, all they received was two draft picks, a promising player, and a couple of scrubs. Congrats. There isn't a lot more to say about the Sacremento Kings aside from that they have been in shambles since the days of Chirs Weber, and it does not look like things are getting any better.
So, the biggest trade of the 2016-17 NBA season could very well end up being a big waste of time for all parties involved. That, my friends, is something you do not see everyday.
Even if New Orleans somehow does make it to the dance, in all likelihood, the Golden State Warriors or San Antiono Spurs will await them. Uh, good luck with that.
There is a way that this trade could work out for the Pelicans. Sure there is. While there might not be a huge benefit to the Pelicans as far as the rest of this season goes, and honestly, probably next season as well, the future might be a different story; if New Orleans is able to resign Cousins in his free agent year of 2018.
If the Pelicans progress next season, that will be a start to convincing Boggie to stay, and playing with a stud like Anthony Davis (who, like Cousins attended the University of Kentucky), is a tempting option. However, every team in the league with a need for an inside presence is going to want DeMarcus Cousins, and if it comes down to the Pelicans vs. the field, I would bet my money on the field.
We know what the Pelicans received. But what about what they lost? On the surface, New Orleans didn't give up very much as far as getting a top-ten player in the world goes. The most notable piece that went to Sacramento was Buddy Hield, a rookie out of Oklahoma University. Hield's stats are modest, but there is a reason that he was selected #6 overall in this past June's draft. The man has great potential, and hopefully he can showcase that in Cali.
Also, the Kings received guards Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway, neither of which are notable, as well as New Orleans' first and second round draft choices for 2017. Does this seem like a steep price to give up for an elite player? In my opinion, it does not. Aside from Hield, none of the players that the Pelicans gave up are noteworthy. However, what might hurt New Orleans is the draft picks. As I mentioned earlier, the Pelicans are not a team that should be in "win now" mode, and if the Cousins trade does not work out as planned, losing those draft choices could come back to bite. Building for the future is important for a team like New Orleans, and trading picks is not a good way to do that.
Sacramento did not exactly make out like bandits in this deal, either. They could have gotten a (no pun intended) king's ransom. Instead, all they received was two draft picks, a promising player, and a couple of scrubs. Congrats. There isn't a lot more to say about the Sacremento Kings aside from that they have been in shambles since the days of Chirs Weber, and it does not look like things are getting any better.
So, the biggest trade of the 2016-17 NBA season could very well end up being a big waste of time for all parties involved. That, my friends, is something you do not see everyday.
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