SHANE SMITH

Cousins has just begun his second season with the Sacramento Kings and has created some of the most underreported locker-room turmoil in the NBA.

Cousins, who was known as a problem child whilst playing for the god-father John Calipari at Kentucky, has demanded a trade(allegedly)  from the Kings who invested the 5^th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft on him.

The Kings knew what they were getting themselves into when they drafted Cousins ahead of Greg Monroe, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Paul George to name a few, but they could not have fathomed that one year into his rookie contract he would be (allegedly) demanding out. This isn’t some situation where a player is griping over playing time or production. Cousins has played in over 28 minutes per game and has started the season averaging over a double double. This demand just seems to be about a lack of connection to the team’s culture and Cousins’ character.

“Kings coach Paul Westphal released a statement before Sunday’s game against New Orleans, saying when Cousins “continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.””-ESPN.com

The Kings seemed to be heading in a great direction, with Cousins at the core of the team. Now they have to regroup and may be set back immensely due to Cousins inability to control his ego. Teaming up Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thorton, JJ Hickson, Chuck Hayes, and Jimmer Fredette,  Cousins and company was primed to be a force in the future of the Western Conference.  Now the Kings have to see what best offer they can get for this freakishly talented cancer.

Cousins is a player of immense talent, and immense stupidity. It doesn’t take more than googling “DeMarcus Cousins fight” to find dozens upon dozens of different incidents where Cousins takes a cheap shot at a smaller player (poor Luke Ridinour), cries about a call, or gets ejected for his second technical. It is pretty remarkable to actually see a team be willing to remove its top 5 pick from a year ago and give up working with him; that alone speaks to the self-centered bonehead Cousins truly is.

Now the question remains, who takes a shot on DeMarcus? What teams can handle his idiocy to be able to see a return of investment with his talent for the long haul?  Will someone be willing to deal a first round pick for him or will the Kings be forced to take back next to nothing for a player with all-pro potential? With all the trade chatter lately focusing on Dwight Howard maybe the potential of sending Cousins to Orlando opens up a three team trade chat, or maybe an aging team lacking an inside presence like the Celtics gives the kid a chance.

Regardless of who the Kings end up selling Cousins off to, all I know is this… Cousins will not succeed in the NBA unless he moves to a no non-sense team. Cousins best shots would be in Boston with seasoned veterans and Doc Rivers, San Antonio with Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, or maybe as a rebuilding piece in Cleveland under Byron Scott. Who knows where Cousins ends up, but honestly if this guy can’t survive a year with his talent on a team like Sacramento, I think his lack of maturity is going to cost him an incredible career. (and honestly I hope it does and his childish behavior sets an example for future players to not follow)

Photo: AP

A summer-long lockout nearly killed a highly anticipated season; Key word almost. The NBA is back and not a moment too soon.  Our experts make their picks.  It’s a colorful stocking stuffer before you get your real present: NBA hoops.

SCOTT JACOBS

We’ve got our crystal balls out and ready to go.  Who’s gonna win each division, who’s bound for a Spring parade, and who’s coming home with the individual awards?  Our staff weighs in on how they see the shortened 66 game schedule shaping up.

Everyone’s gunning for the Heat, but it’s the Mavericks who won are defending champs.  Will Miami take home that elusive ring, or will another team deter them in a true put up or shut up season.  Here are our predictions, unfiltered, and unforgiving.  Take them or leave ‘em, and let us know what you think below.

Photo: Getty
Graphics: Scott Jacobs

We just wanted to publish that sentence.  It’s real!  It’s really, really real!

Immediate thoughts:

- Bill Simmons must be jumping up and down right now.  I know he’s a Celtics fan, but for years he’s publicized the fact that he’s held on to his Clipper season tickets.  Well, what do you know, those tickets just became a pretty hot item.  I’m sure he’ll have a massive 9,000 word article on this story by tomorrow.

- Chris Paul comes to Los Angeles not as a Laker, but as a Clipper. He wanted to be a Laker, but as you may have heard, the NBA didn’t like that trade.  So now he goes to the other Staples Center tenant, the red, white, and blue.  Aw yes, America’s team: the Los Angeles Clippers. They’re actually worth watching! For the first time since their scintillating 2006 NBA Playoffs run, which ended in a terrific series versus the Seven Second or Less Suns, the Clippers appear to have a bright future. The key word being, appear. As for that ‘06 team, they were 47-35 (their highest finish since the team left Buffalo) and a 6 seed.  That’s their best finish since moving to LA! So, yeah, they should be better now.

- The NBA aliented their fans, baffled the media, and probably aged David Stern 10 years during this past week or so, but in the end they got the best deal out there.  The NBA wanted a young stud: Insert Eric Gordon.  Check.  The NBA wanted a nice expiring contract: Insert Chris Kaman. Check.  The NBA wanted some other pieces, so they also got the Clips to throw in Al-Farouq Aminu and that critical unprotected #1 pick from Minnesota. Taken as a whole you’re left with a deal chalk full of youth, building blocks, and a pick that could materialize into a star.  Minnesota, you’re on the clock, New Orleans is watching you.

- This deal is not a slam dunk — YET.  Chris Paul has only committed to staying for 2 years and nothing more.  If the Clips screw this up, or if Paul gets hurt (he has been injury prone) or if Blake Griffin can’t stay healthy, or if any of these players remember that they’re playing for the Clippers, not Lakers, then this could blow up in Los Angeles’ face.  It’s a risk, but a good one for Los Angeles.  The Lakers are in disarray, so like the Angels did to the Dodgers, the Clips decided to make a big move.  A statement move.  A razzle dazzle, must see move that will create almost as much buzz with the Clippers (who do have more than just Blake Griffin (or so I’ve heard)) as there is with the Lakers.

- Here’s a crazy thought: as of right now, the Clippers have a brighter future than the Lakers.  I know LA has Kobe, but Kobe’s got a lot of tread on those tires.  The Clippers have a nucleus.  The Lakers have a circus.  I’d still take the Lake Show right now, but wait a year or two and the world might be upside down in Tinseltown.

- It’s over.  Seriously, the madness has ended. Chris Paul has to be thrilled this fiasco is over.  No matter how rich you are or how set for life you may be, we all like stability.  Paul was like a human ragdoll this past week, as the NBA shopped him around to the ‘highest bidder.’

- Yet another reason to watch Christmas games. As if the schedule wasn’t juicy enough, now we get Paul’s debut with the Clips as the nightcap of an epic NBA season opener, when LA travels to Mark Jackson’s Golden State Warriors.  I’m telling ya: I’m all in favor of the NBA doing this 66 game schedule every year and opening the season on Christmas. You trim the fat, and you get to open on a day all to yourself. I think it’s worth considering, even if it is unlikely to actually happen.

Chris Paul to the Lakers is officially dead courtesy of the almighty David Stern.  The deal which was agreed upon on Thursday, then vetoed by the league (which owns the Hornets) just hours later, for “basketball reasons” (cue the new popular phrase bandwagon) officially died a horrible, painful death yesterday after the Lakers pulled out when a reworked deal was also squashed. With the season set to start in a tidy 2 weeks, the Hornets are in complete disarray.  Thank Stern, who made Hornets GM Dell Demps look like a damn fool.  Alas, we are stuck at the alter of the commish, who has apparently well, taken over.  Another brilliant sketch from our buddy over at 7th Inning Sketch.

The NBA is back, but the problems that plagued the league and continue to plague the league are still very much alive. After agreeing to a trade that would have sent disgruntled all world PG Chris Paul to the Lakers, the Hornets thought they finally had their building blocks in place as they look for a new owner. Wrong! At least so said some owners and eventually David Stern, who vetoed the deal, setting the sports world on fire. Then Cavs owner Dan Gilbert chimed in with his thoughts in an email to Stern, which went public and drew further fire. So now, with egos bruised, and problems still aplenty, where does the NBA go from here? Can basketball survive in New Orleans? A lengthy discussion on the ramifications of this blocked blockbuster trade — assuming it remains blocked. Juiced Sports breaks it all down.

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“Drivers, start your engines!”  NBA training camps and free agency starts starts tomorrow, and there is going to be a crazy race to sign players.

Teams have been given the green light to speak with players’ agents but no deals can be finalized until the collective bargaining agreement is officially ratified. There is a real sense of urgency to get deals done faster than usual because there will be a limited training camp period followed by a couple of pre-season games before jumping into the regular season which begins on Christmas Day.

There are a few free agents that have the potential to help a good team become a great team and a great team step up to a championship contender. Last season’s MVP Derrick Rose is probably booking rooms at the best Chicago hotels right now trying to recruit players to help him get past the Miami Heat.

Here’s a few of the biggest names with game available at the right price:

Tyson Chandler

Dallas Mavericks. Chandler’s play last season in helping the Mavs win the NBA championship helped raise his stock. His defensive presence and rebounding ability would help a number of teams around the league (Knicks and Heat). I really didn’t see him leaving the Mavs after receiving a lot of praise from his teammates but the NBA is a business and stranger things have happened. He has even said he expects to leave now after not receiving the extension he expected.

Marc Gasol

Memphis Grizzlies. Last season Memphis made a surprising playoff push after star Rudy Gay was injured. Their run was fueled by the dominating inside force provided by Zach Randolph and Gasol. Gasol will definitely be sought after if he hits the market. He was noncommittal when asked about his future plans last season. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do.

Nene

Denver Nuggets. Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler are three starters for the Nuggets that chose to play in China during the lockout and won’t be eligible to return to the NBA until that season is over in March. Nene lost a lot of scoring, rebounding and defensive help when they left. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave Denver and if he does there will be a number of teams ready to pounce. A 7-footer with his offensive skills and rebounding ability is a rare commodity.

Jamal Crawford

Atlanta Hawks. Crawford provides instant offense off the bench and LeBron James has already tried to recruit him to the Heat via Twitter. He has said he would be open to playing for a number of different teams and he just wants to win. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul won’t be free agents until the season ends but teams are already plotting ways to get them early. A number of different teams have been not so quietly working hard to package players and draft picks together to trade for both of these franchise players. I see Chris Paul landing in New York with the Knicks at the end of the year and Howard leaving Orlando but there are too many teams looking at him to tell where he will end up.

The countdown to December 9^th is on and the title hopes of a few teams will change in the days following. What will your favorite team do?

Photo: AP

When modern sporting games were at their inception, it was believed that games like baseball and basketball would instill a form of virtue lacking from the sporting culture emerging in early America. These games would teach children and men the virtues of life:  how to win and lose gracefully, how to work within a team, and how to demonstrate patriotism and respect. Somewhere between 19^th century townball and Dr. Naismith we got the sports culture we have today: everyone seeking the almighty dollar and loyalty being laughed at for even being considered in the business we call the sports world.

Recently I was speaking with a friend who is not overly familiar with the world of sports. She posed a question that I thought was fair for someone who sees our favorite pastimes as trivial:

“If you as a fan are so loyal to a team, where is the loyalty from the athletes you love, and the teams they fight for?”

Her question was more or less in reference to the ever popular South Beach decision by Mr. James. That said, she makes a great point. These games that were supposed to help our culture and provide life lessons for the masses very rarely consider loyalty a virtue in today’s world. Whether it is LeBron leaving his hometown team stranded to play with some of his buddies, a team giving up on its 10 year veteran 5 years too soon, or even a low end D-1 scholarship that gets taken away from a kid who has worked his whole life for a shot at education over an injury, loyalty is hanging on by a thread to keep its place in the sports world.

But something happened recently in the NBA that brings back hope.

The Portland Trail Blazers have had heart break season after heart break season and a slew of injuries and let downs. For the past 3 years or so, analysts have praised the Blazers prior to the start of the season as a team to beat:  a team who is ready to finally break through.  Yet every season something unpredictable seems to go wrong. The most pressing issue plaguing the Blazers recently has been with star guard Brandon Roy.

Roy is a product of Seattle, Washington. He grew up there, played high school ball there, and eventually starred at the University of Washington. As an NBA rookie Roy played as close to home as he could be in Portland, Oregon (without being selected by the eventually relocated Sonics.)

From 2006 up through today Roy has been a fixture in the Portland community, a star player and a star role model. However beginning in 2010 Roy began experiencing nagging knee injuries. At the beginning of the 2010-11 season reports surfaced that Roy would potentially never be able to ever play at an all star level again due to a dangerous lack of cartilage in his knees. Reporters speculated that Roy could have as little as two seasons left in him. In early 2011 Roy underwent surgery for both of his knees and returned to a reserve role for his team.

Flash forward to the first round of the NBA playoffs: Game 4. The Dallas Mavericks lead the Blazers by as much as 23 points, enter Brandon Roy. Roy sparked one of the most magical scoring runs you will ever see at the professional level. He rattled off 21 points in the final 15 minutes of the game, including a game tying 4 point play with under a minute to go. The Blazers went on to win Game 4, but lose the series; however this brilliant playoff performance gave Roy and his critics a new light of hope for his NBA career.

Despite Roy’s incredible performance in Game 4, nothing changed with the medical status of his knees. Roy still cannot play a full 82 game season with minutes that warrant the $63 Million dollars remaining on his contract.

One of the caveats of the recent NBA lockout allows teams something called an “amnesty clause.” This clause would allow teams to opt out of one contract and have that contract not count against the salary cap.

The Blazers are currently a team just over the cap and could free up a lot of money to sign free-agents if they used their amnesty clause on Roy. However, out of loyalty for Roy and what he provides to the community and team the Blazers have opted to keep him on the roster despite his maximum contract. Roy may never again put up the numbers he once was capable of, and his output will probably never equal that of other max contract recipients, but what Roy will do is be a leader, a role model, and still be a great basketball player. Thanks to a show of virtue by the Portland front office, he will continue to do that for the team, and the community, that he has worked so hard for.

Thank you Portland for doing what so many teams fail to do now, sticking by your player when hes fallen on hard times.

Photo: Getty

SHANE SMITH

With the completion of the NBA lockout it is FINALLY time for professional basketball again. Everyone will be excited to see an intensified version of free agency, ala: the NFL lockout, and the ESPN rumor mill should expect a barrage of trade speculation up until Christmas Day. One piece of hype that may get overlooked as the new season approaches due to the intensified free agency window will be the inaugural season of some big-time rookies.

The country fell in love with a few of the most important draft products during last year’s collegiate season and it will be exciting to see how the stories continue to unfold for the likes of Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette. The potential rise or fall of Kemba and Jimmer as they begin their professional careers should have the attention of every serious basketball fan in the country.

Will Jimmer continue to shoot lights out at the NBA level? Will Kemba continue to demand control of the court when his competition has doubled in size and skill? Will they both grow from the impending speed bumps or will those bumps be a complete shot to their confidence and skill? These two guards excited the nation last year and  both landed in situations where they will be looked upon to contribute right away: Kemba with the Bobcats and Jimmer with the Kings.

Kemba and Jimmer went back to back in last season’s draft and it would be fitting to expect them to pop up in conversation together for the rest of their careers. They both excelled at the collegiate level and both have a certain expectation level of excellence to meet, hearing their names alone. Kemba should be primed for a starting role in Charlotte and will most likely be expected to carry more of a load than Jimmer in Sacramento. With the levels of responsibility likely to lay on Kemba it is going to be expected that the Bobcats will see a lot of difficulties and a lot of losses. Kemba’s growth will directly correlate with the growth of the Bobcats as an organization and it is probable to suspect that ownership will cope well with the growing pains if the inevitable outcome resembles anything like that of Kemba’s UConn collegiate career.

Kemba may have a longer leash for growing pains than Jimmer. It will be interesting to see if fans, and coaches, will stick with the former BYU standout if he has a string of games where his shooting percentage is low, or if they will give up on hopes of him being a prolific scorer early. Jimmer will likely come off the bench for most of the 2011-2012 season and his sampling of play will be a lot more complicated to understand while playing alongside guys who are also high volume shooters like Tyreke Evans.

Regardless of the outcome, good or bad, the story of Jimmer and Kemba will be one that should not be under-looked as fans reacquaint themselves with the NBA as a whole. These two men captivated the nation for an entire season and it is very likely they will do it again for their rookie campaign. Hopefully these guys have been able to work with their teams despite the lockout and can come out guns blazing Christmas Day.

Maybe they’ll even experience the type of success in the pros that they had in college.

Photo: Getty

As of this very moment, there is labor peace at last in the National Basketball Association.  The NBA and NBAPA managed to salvage their season with productive Black Friday talks, and today held a press conference to announce what NBA fans have been waiting for way too long — that a tentative agreement has been reached on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The skinny is this: The usual NBA season of 82 games, will be slimed down to 66, which after everything is said and done, might not be such a bad thing after all. Training camps will open on December 9th, and the season opens up on Christmas with a mega-tripleheader, leaving this fan to wonder if the NBA could ask for a better slate of games to start the new year?

Celtics-Knicks, Heat-Mavericks, and Bulls-Lakers sets the stage for what should be a unique and entertaining NBA season.

Like the NFL, free agency will be wild, with the period set to open December 9th.  That’s just 16 days before the start of the season.  Could you imagine if the 2010 Free Agency period started roughly 2 weeks before the season?  My goodness that would have been madness.

I’m most curious to see how teams spend their money this short offseason.  Basketball is a sport reliant on a few individuals, and developing chemistry in such a short period will be difficult.  That’s why I don’t think you’ll see teams throw lavish dollars around until next year, when guys like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Dwight Howard will all be free agents.

But that’s for next year.  For this year there will be hoops.  Hallelujah.

The NBA lockout has now resulted in the cancellation of professional basketball games until at least December 15^th and with the players now filing antitrust lawsuits against the owners, it seems that the NBA season is in real jeopardy of not taking place at all.

Of course, missing an entire season would not only be financially devastating to the league and the players, but what about the people that try to make ends meet selling “Luck Febron” t-shirts in Cleveland, or the people that make “Luck Febron” bumper stickers in Chicago? Same goes for the guy that sells “Luck Febron” book bags in New York City.

Now, before everyone starts jumping on the same, tired, old argument that these are “billionaires and millionaires arguing over how to split billions of dollars,” I think it’s time we really stop and take a look at who the REAL victims are of the NBA lockout are.

There’s no question that the actual victims of the NBA lockout are the children who look up to, and view the NBA players as heroes. The NBA has taught the children of today so much and it would be a shame to cut that learning curb by an entire season.

How else could kids learn that it’s ok to cheat on your girlfriend as long as you spend massive amounts of money to buy her jewelry, if not for Kobe Bryant.

How else will the youth of today learn the best way to date, and then marry a transvestite reality star if not for Lamar Odom?

How will today’s children figure out how to run away from home to join a traveling AAU team in order to look for an elusive “championship” if not for LeBron James?

The NBA has taught us so much over the years. Hell, where do you think Rick Pitino learned to pay a woman to get an abortion after he knocked her up?

It would be a shame to deprive society from all of the lessons it could be learning if we were to miss an entire NBA season, so for that I ask, I beg you Commissioner Stern, please, for the good of the children of America, let there be basketball this season.

Photo: AP