Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Despite Sacramento Kings management’s public insistence that DeMarcus Cousins is unavailable in deals, coach George Karl’s intense desire to trade the All-Star center has made it increasingly unlikely this coach-star partnership can peacefully co-exist next season, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Karl has been recruiting Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and multiple players on the Kings’ roster to unite with him in making the case to owner Vivek Ranadive that Cousins needs to be traded, league sources said.
Since the end of the 2014-15 season, Cousins has become aware of Karl’s campaign to move him – including teammates telling Cousins, sources said. All around the Kings and Cousins, there is a growing belief the coach-player relationship is irreparable. Trust is a constant theme with Cousins, and he’s been unable to build any with Karl, sources said.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had significant interest with Cousins, but their No. 2 overall pick isn’t as appealing to the Kings as finding a deal that includes established, veteran players. Ranadive doesn’t want to rebuild with a move into a new arena on the horizon, and Karl is chasing Don Nelson’s all-time NBA career victories record. Karl’s interest isn’t in cultivating long-term assets, but rather compiling as many victories as possible in the near future.
Just a quick warning… put down your coffee before you start skipping around the kitchen singing, “DeMarcus is coming to Boston, DeMarcus is coming to Boston.” I learned the hard way.
There’s no way Cousins will play for George Karl after reading this story. Hell, I would demand a trade after learning this news.
While the Celtics have been hot for Cousins for years, it appears the Kings will value established players over long term assets in any such deal and that poses a problem for Danny Ainge. The Celtics are short on the former and flush with the latter. I’m pretty sure a smorgasbord of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart won’t get a deal done. Maybe Ainge can convince Vlade to accept some combination of players along with multiple first rounders.
We always hear how the Lakers lack assets but I like a package that includes the #2 pick and Julius Randle.
In case you had any doubts about Danny Ainge’s mindset this off-season:
Boston has discussed a trade with at least one top-ten team. Described by a rival exec as “aggressive, one of the few teams thinking big.”
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) June 23, 2015
On Page 2, suddenly Willie Cauley-Stein’s foot is a problem.
Uncertainty surrounding Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein‘s foot could impact his standing in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, league executives tell DraftExpress.
Cauley-Stein suffered a stress fracture in his ankle on March 28th of 2014 in Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament victory over Louisville, and had a pin inserted via surgery to repair what Cauley-Stein described then as a “cracked bone or a stress fracture.”
Five separate NBA teams we spoke with all indicated varying degrees of concern after consulting with their team doctors this week, with some saying it may cost the Kentucky big man a few spots on draft night. “There is some maintenance that needs to be done there, as it’s not completely clear whether the injury healed in a proper way. The pin that was inserted is supposed to be sitting at a 90 degree angle, but instead it’s at 45 degrees. That, plus some question marks about his background that came up could cause him to drop a few slots.
Crap. I don’t want to cause alarm but have you been following the Joel Embiid situation in Philly?
What if the Celtics drafted WCS knowing he’d eventually have to undergo surgery on the foot and miss a significant portion of his rookie season (a la Jared Sullinger)?
The rest of the links
Herald – Austin finds his own way
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