DeMarcus Cousins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Cousins, Nets, Hibbert

December 29th, 2012 at 5:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons reportedly have plenty of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, but Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News believes GM Joe Dumars has cooled on Cousins as Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond have developed (Twitter link). In another tweet, Goodwill asserts that Detroit won't be dealing any picks and thinks that the Celtics could offer Rajon Rondo in what would be the most attractive trade package for Sacramento. With that aside, here are a few more links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors would have to bite if the Kings offered Cousins for Andrea Bargnani, but he's not optimistic Cousins can overcome his volatile personality (Twitter links).
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post dissects Mikhail Prokhorov's remarks to reporters on Friday, concluding that the Nets owner is sold on Phil Jackson and would entertain keeping P.J. Carlesimo for the rest of the season if he can't get the Zen Master of Jeff Van Gundy immediately.
Roy Hibbert got off to a disconcerting start this season after signing a four-year deal for the maximum in the offseason, but his play has picked up of late, as HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham chronicles.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic, at 12-16, have little chance of landing a high lottery pick, and writes that the team should set its sights on making the playoffs instead. Schmitz also speculates that Stan Van Gundy's next coaching job will be on the West Coast, and doesn't foresee Phil Jackson taking the Nets job.
In a Q&A with The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston discusses the career-altering injury he suffered six years ago, being cut by the Rockets, and playing alongside Kyrie Irving.

Pistons, Celtics Interested In DeMarcus Cousins

December 29th, 2012 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics and Pistons have both made it known that they are highly interested in Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins if he becomes available, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein expects to see many more to inquire between now and the February trade deadline.

Cousins has had a tumultuous year in Sacramento to say the least. The center was suspended from the team after a run-in with head coach Keith Smart but was quickly reinstated. Cousins also dropped agent John Greig in favor of Dan Fegan. Fegan doesn't have the greatest history with the Kings' front office, leading some to speculate that the move is a precursor to a trade request.

This isn't the first time we've heard that Boston and Detroit are possible fits for Cousins, but it is the first word of them directly expressing interest. For their part, the Kings say they're not pushing Cousins out of the door, but they are reportedly listening to offers.

Odds & Ends: Thunder, Cousins, Mavs, Brackins

December 28th, 2012 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A few links from around the NBA on the last Friday of 2012:

The Thunder don't have any interest in making trades at the moment, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins were supposed to be the cornerstones of the Kings' rebuilding project, but with Evans injured and Cousins benched, things have been rocky in Sacramento, says Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
The Mavericks' front office is flexible and opportunistic, which could make Dallas a logical suitor for Cousins, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. However, as MacMahon outlines, there would likely to have be a lot of moving parts involved to find a trade between the Mavs and Kings.
For his part, Mark Cuban tells Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that the Mavericks are "not going to do something just to do something. It’s got to be something that helps us."
David Mayo of MLive.com also fielded a question about the possibility of a Cousins trade in his latest Pistons mailbag.
Former Sixers first-round pick Craig Brackins was waived today by Italian team Angelico Biella, according to Emile Martano of Sportando.

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 27th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Deron Williams and Avery Johnson may have stolen the day's headlines when it came to potentially dysfunctional player/coach pairings, but DeMarcus Cousins and Keith Smart aren't far behind. Smart told reporters today that he's made a decision about whether or not Cousins will play for the Kings tomorrow against the Knicks, but he has yet to tell the media or the player (Twitter link via Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee). Here are the day's other Cousins-related updates:

Cousins' answers and body language during his media availability today didn't suggest he's anything but bitter and angry, tweets Bryan May of Sacramento's KXTV-TV.
Despite teams calling about Cousins' availability, the Kings don't seem all that eager to move him, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. One league executive indicated to Kyler that it's unclear what sort of value Sacramento could extract for Cousins, since many teams wouldn't want to roll the dice on such a volatile and disruptive player.
In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes that he feels the Pistons' interest in Cousins may have been overstated in some reports. According to Langlois, the Pistons were once very interested in Cousins, but have since addressed their frontcourt needs with players like Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee believes it's time for the Kings to deal Cousins.

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 26th, 2012 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings lifted DeMarcus Cousins' suspension on Monday after just two days, but that doesn't mean the big man will immediately return to the court for Sacramento. According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter), Cousins is not with the team in Portland for tonight's game, a decision made by coach Keith Smart.

The move seems to signal that Smart wasn't prepared to reinstate Cousins so soon after his "indefinite" suspension ended, something that Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty discussed earlier today. Zeller pointed out that Smart's comments, in which he indicated that Cousins may not play right away, suggested that the coach "isn't on board with bringing D.M.C. out of the corner just yet."

While the Kings figure out what to do with Cousins on the court, there's still speculation that the club could explore trading the former fifth overall pick. In his weekly chat, ESPN.com's Chad Ford predicted that new agent Dan Fegan will be "pushing hard" for a trade, and hears that there's a split between the Kings' front office and ownership about what the team would want in return.

According to Ford, the Celtics are one team that could pursue Cousins, with the Pistons, Heat, and Mavericks among the other clubs that have "a lot of interest."

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 24th, 2012 at 8:08pm CST by Luke Adams

DeMarcus Cousins has been making headlines over the past few days, after a run-in with coach Keith Smart resulted in the Kings suspending him. The team announced today that Cousins has been reinstated, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's all smooth sailing going forward. Sacramento isn't said to be actively shopping the big man, but is reportedly willing to at least listen to offers. Here are the latest Cousins-related links:

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, likening Cousins to Bull Durham's Nuke Laloosh, says the Kings haven't completely given up on the former fifth overall pick, but could decide to move him by February's trade deadline. Ingram also spoke to Smart about a few of the things he has worked on with Cousins this season.
Cousins is regressing both on and off the court, and the Kings need to "save themselves" from the 22-year-old, opines Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes (via Twitter) that voices were raised between Cousins and assistant coach Clifford Ray today. While there may be nothing to it, it's "not a good look" for Cousins, says Jones.

Kings Listening To Offers On Cousins

December 24th, 2012 at 12:59pm CST by Sean Highkin

12:59pm: The Kings have reinstated Cousins from his suspension, the team announced (via Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter).

10:19am: After a tumultuous week in which he was suspended indefinitely by the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he wants to stay in Sacramento. Following his suspension and the firing of his agent this week, speculation has begun as to whether the third-year center is demanding a trade. However, although he has privately voiced his frustrations with the Kings organization, Amick writes that Cousins has yet to formally demand a trade.

Cousins is no longer considered untouchable in trade talks, Amick writes. At this point, however, the Kings are not actively shopping him as much as they are listening to offers. Although the fifth overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft is coveted by several teams, his recent behavior has resulted in his trade value declining around the league. Amick names the Pistons, Rockets, and Nuggets as teams that have had interest in trading for Cousins in the past.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets that teams around the league would be open to exploring trades for Cousins, but are not interested in giving up valuable assets for him. He also adds that the Nets and Rockets, two teams known to have had interest in Cousins in the past, are no longer pursuing him.

Odds & Ends: Cousins, Rockets, Humphries

December 23rd, 2012 at 9:48pm CST by Zachary Links

With one game still in progress from tonight's docket, let's take a look around the Association..

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes that the Rockets have had interest in Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins in the past. However, Houston may not want to take on the troubled center at the cost of breaking up what they already have in place. James Harden & Co. are two games above .500 and riding a three game winning streak.
It would not surprise Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) to see the Nets try and deal forward Kris Humphries and two-guard MarShon Brooks. The early returns on tonight's poll concerning Hump's future in Brooklyn show that 85% of Hoops Rumors readers see the Nets shopping him prior to the deadline. Humphries cannot be traded until January 15th.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle watched a Texas Legends game in order to check out Jared Cunningham and wound up coming away impressed by Chris Douglas-Roberts, who signed with the club earlier today, tweets Earl K. Sneed of NBA.com. The arrival of CDR meant that Dallas had to let Derek Fisher go after his short stint with the club.
The Knicks may be "stuck" with Amare Stoudemire, but Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld doesn't necessarily see that as a bad thing. The forward was reportedly offered around the league for next-to-nothing this summer but there were no takers due to his contract and injury woes.
With Fisher gone, now could be the time for Rodrigue Beaubois to steal the spotlight for the Mavericks, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. The 6'0" guard has been mentioned as a trade candidate this season.

Latest On DeMarcus Cousins

December 23rd, 2012 at 9:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Speculation about the future of DeMarcus Cousins is mounting after yesterday's news that the Kings have suspended him indefinitely following his run-in Friday night with Kings coach Keith Smart. The Kings are becoming increasingly concerned about Cousins, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets, and the team reportedly isn't completely closed off to the idea of trading him. Teammates feel as though Cousins has not matured into the better communicator he has talked about becoming, Jones reports, adding that many of them have passed the ball to Cousins during games simply because they haven't wanted to endure one of his tirades if he feels he's being overlooked.

Still, GM Geoff Petrie maintains the Kings are committed to Cousins, and as the Bee's Ailene Voisin writes, the Kings don't want to trade Cousins.

"It's not something that just showed up yesterday, last year or two years ago or five years ago," the GM said. "But he's our player so we want to work with him to get past this so he can be what everyone sees as possible."

If the Kings do shop Cousins at some point, Marc Stein of ESPN.com believes the Heat could have interest, given team president Pat Riley's prior success with troubled players (Twitter link). Yet Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't think the Heat would break up their championship core to acquire Cousins, and figures the Kings would want young players and draft picks, assets Miami doesn't possess. Yesterday, more Hoops Rumors readers identified the Celtics as the best potential suitor for Cousins than any other team. Though Cousins could certainly shore up Boston's rebounding, and the Celtics' veterans might be able to keep him in line, I'm not sure C's team president Danny Ainge is prepared to rip up his squad's foundation, despite Boston's slow start.

Best Potential Suitor For Cousins?

December 22nd, 2012 at 8:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Whether or not the Kings' long-term plans involve DeMarcus Cousins, the team will eventually have to address the topic. Last season, just a few days after then-head coach Paul Westphal had barred Cousins from being with the team, Westphal had been fired in what some believed was management's way of resolving the issue of them not getting along. After a recent clash with current coach Keith Smart and a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, one could only wonder how Sacramento will try to handle this situation moving forward. Also, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com also points out that Cousins' decision to sever ties with agent John Grieg poses some significance, as Grieg was known to be somewhat of a good buffer between Cousins and Smart (Twitter link).

Similar to how Javale McGee and Andray Blatche have demonstrated in their respective post-Wizards careers, a change in scenery can possibly be beneficial for a young player who may not be in a situation that fits him best. In the event that the Kings were looking for a deal, which team would be the best suitor for Cousins?