Bank on DeMarcus Cousins being named to the Western Conference’s 2015 NBA All-Star roster.
It feels good to write those words in that particular order.
Statistically speaking, Cousins should have been All-Star last season. He’s become a 20-point, 12-rebound, three-assist, one-steal, one-block guy. Those players make All-Star teams, even if they play center, which has officially been removed from the ballot (the categories are frontcourt and backcourt these days).
But Cousins’ past schtick has hurt him. He was too emotional, too volatile, too immature. He didn’t deserve an All-Star appearance because of his attitude. Forget the numbers, he wasn’t mentally ready.
While you should feel free to call bullshit—that’s what I’m doing—it sounds like the stigma is slowly vanishing.
From Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Something that reflected well on DeMarcus Cousins with several Western coaches in All-Star voting: His public backing of Michael Malone.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) January 28, 2015
Woot, woot.
This is good news for those who support the right players being chosen to participate in February’s festivities. The voting for All-Star starters is a brazen popularity contest, so Cousins was never going to land within the top five. He has neither the international clout nor the established transcendence. Maybe one day, his reputation will precede him in a good way. But not now.
Which is fine. All-Star exhibitions are meaningless at this level. They still matter in terms of resumes, but they’re not end-all, be-all measuring sticks. I mean, knowing Joe Johnson made the East’s team last year, they barely even matter. The luxury of that pointlessness is being able to vote Kobe Bryant into the game when he’s clearly past his prime. If he was healthy and could play, it wouldn’t matter. This isn’t MLB. Home-court advantage in the NBA Finals is not on line.
Anyhow, Cousins deserves the honor. Never mind the psychological transformation he appears to have undergone. He definitely seems like more of a level-headed leader this year, from the way he spoke out in favor of the departed Mike Malone, to his improved demeanor on the court.
Really, though, his numbers do the talking.
When he’s off the court, the Sacramento Kings are being outscored by 12.5 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. That, my friends, is the net rating equivalent of the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, it’s actually worse. They’re “only” a minus-12.4 per 100 possessions.
Meanwhile, when Cousins is on the floor, the Kings are outscoring opponents by 6.8 points per 100 possessions. That would rank as the fifth-best mark in the league, sandwiched between the Dallas Mavericks (6.9) and Portland Trail Blazers (5.5).
Holy shit.
So, yes, Cousins belongs on the West’s All-Star team. If he doesn’t get there, it will be one of the biggest snubs ever.
EVER.
And, in the spirit of that, I have only this to say: See ya in New York, Boogie.
