NBA Trade Rumors: Cousins to Phoenix?

Rumors began circulating earlier today that the Suns and Kings had discussed a deal that would send DeMarcus Cousins to Phoenix. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, the teams’ discussions have centered around T.J. Warren, Alex Len, and Phoenix’s first-round pick in this year’s draft for Cousins. While this may seem like a no-brainer for Phoenix if Sacramento is willing to accept this offer, I’m not so sure.

(Image courtesy of CBS Sports)

Cousins is currently averaging career-highs in points (28.4) and assists (4.4) per game along with 10.6 rebounds per game and has rightfully earned himself another All Star bid this year, his superstar-level play has not shown in the Kings’ record: 19-29, just four games better than the Suns’ record. This has been a trend for Cousins since he’s elevated his level of play in 2013. The past three years Cousins has averaged 24.6 points and 12 rebounds per game – excellent individual statistics, yes – but the Kings’ record over the past three full seasons is an abysmal 90-156. A record like this would suggest that he needed a better supporting cast, but in each of those years he has had  a talented supporting cast.

 

(Image courtesy of A Royal Pain)

The Kings traded for Rudy Gay early in the 2013-14 season, and in 55 games with Sacramento that year he averaged 20.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Also 2013-2014 was Isaiah Thomas’s breakout season, which saw him average then career-highs in points (20.3) and assists (6.3) per game, and based on IT’s play since he’s joined Boston you can see it was no fluke. And although Thomas left in free agency to join the Suns, who regrettably traded him for a satchel of beans and a soup ladle, the Kings made sure to keep their star surrounded with talent hopping something would blossom. They added Darren Collison to their roster before the 2014-15 season, who also had a career year with the team. Collison, although only playing in 45 games due to injury and a suspension, averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest. The team still couldn’t reach 30 wins.

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Before the start of the 2015-16 season, the Kings signed point guard Rajon Rondo to a one year deal. After having made headlines for his confrontational attitude, including an on-court argument with his coach at the time, Rick Carlisle, Rondo seemed to tone down his behavior in an attempt to serve as a role model for the young Sacramento team. Rondo led the league in assists, and tied a career-high, after averaging 11.7 while he was with the team. Last season was the first time in Cousins’ career the Kings surpassed the 30-win mark, finishing 33-49, and still a long way from the playoffs. Rondo went on to sign with the Bulls this past off-season, ending his stay with Sacramento. The Kings ended up picking up vet Ty Lawson to play back-up for Darren Collison. While Lawson has digressed a lot from his prime with Denver, when he averaged 16.5 points and 8.4 assists per game in his three best seasons, his talent and experience shouldn’t go underrated. For a little while this season, the Kings held the 8th seed in the Western Conference – which, if they can reach will give them their first playoff berth since 2005-06 – but with Rudy Gay’s season-ending injury and a 3-7 record in their last ten games, it doesn’t seem like this year’s going to be the year for them.

Now why is all of this important to know when considering trade possibilities involving DeMarcus Cousins?

Because he hasn’t been able to take his team to the next level despite having monstrous numbers and various talented teammates around him, so for him to be expected to take another team with very little chance of making the playoffs to the next level would be unrealistic.

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Now I could be wrong. Maybe being reunited with former Kentucky teammate and current Phoenix Suns star Eric Bledsoe could do a lot of good for both Cousins and the Suns. I’m still weary about giving up T.J.Warren, who has shown flashes of great potential early this season, Alex Len, who has the makings of becoming a very good defensive-minded center, and a lottery pick that very well could end up being the number one pick in this year’s upcoming draft. That’s a lot of youth to give up for a superstar who has yet to play a minute of playoff basketball despite incredible individual statistics. It also worries me that earlier in the season Cousins declared his intentions to resign with the Kings to a 2oo million dollar deal, because it’s also possible that he doesn’t end up wanting to stay with the Suns and a lot of young talent could go to waste on a gamble.

Phoenix needs to do something this trade deadline, there’s no way around that, and having a big man capable of putting up 30 points every game he plays is in no way a bad thing. His current average of 4.4 assists per game would also help the Suns fix their atrocious assist numbers this season.

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Ultimately if this trade were to happen, I could see it going either positively or negatively; and until Cousins releases any type of statement indicating he would like to play in Phoenix, I’m on the fence about a possible Cousins to Phoenix trade.

Suns Lose Big at Home, Booker Keeps Scoring Streak Alive

In one of the few nationally televised games of the season for the Suns, it looked less like a game and more like a beat down. With how spectacularly Eric Bledsoe had been as of late (with averages of 29 points, 8.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game and a scolding hot 94% from the charity stripe over the last 15 coming into this game) I was expecting him to keep that hot streak going against the Grizz Monday night in a match-up of underrated point guards.

Mike Conley came to town to steal the show, though. He scored a career-high 38 points (while going 7/10 from downtown) to go with nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals leading Memphis to a 115-96 victory. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each scored 18 and collected six boards as well for the Grizz.

Eric Bledsoe’s hot streak cooled down for a night, as he went 3-11 for 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Devin Booker led the team in scoring with 22, but also shot poorly, going 6-20 from the field. Regardless of his disappointing shooting performance, Booker was still able to continue his streak of 20-point games to 13 straight. More good news for the Suns, rookie Marquese Chriss scored a career-high of his own, 20 points on an efficient 8-12 – including a monster block early in the game and a couple three pointers. He rewarded fans who showed up with a lot of blockbuster dunk, something he’s becoming known for and rightfully so.

Aside from Conley’s big night, the same problems that have plagued the Suns all year were ever present in Monday’s loss. They recorded only 11 assists while allowing 25 by the Grizzlies, shot 5/19 from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 17 times. And although they managed to get to the free throw line 39 times, they still only shot 74.4% from the charity stripe. Until the Suns fix their dismal three-point percentage and assist numbers, they will continue to lose more than they win.

Watching the way Memphis played, I realized how important having a player like Marc Gasol is for a team to succeed. On the season, he’s averaging a career-high 4.2 assists per game – he’s also averaging a career-high 20.8 points per game, but I’m focusing on his play-making ability here. Bledsoe is leading the Suns in assists with 6.1 per contest; but after him, only Devin Booker (3.2) and Brandon Knight (2.4) are averaging more than two assists per game. Bottom line: Phoenix needs more play-makers.

It’s been highly speculated that Brandon Knight is on the trading block – well, really, that mostly everybody but Devin Booker is – and I think that Phoenix should start looking at their options. It was rumored when Atlanta was struggling that Paul Millsap was possibly on the trading block, and if they begin struggling again he may end up being on the trading block. One of the Hawks’ top needs, if not the top need, is a backup point guard. Insert Brandon Knight. He’s certainly an upgrade at the position, but it’s just a matter of whether or not Atlanta would be willing to part ways with Millsap to make the upgrade. Phoenix would likely have to give up their first round pick and maybe more to make this happen, if there’s a chance for it to happen at all. But if I’m the Suns, I know I’m looking for a big man who can pass.

In the coming days I’m going to post some trade possibilities for the Suns, from scenarios where they are trying to win now to those where they are trying to rebuild all but completely. No matter what, Paul Millsap would be a welcome addition.

In the meantime, the Suns’ next game is Wednesday at home against the injury-riddled Clippers. Expect Phoenix to come out looking to avenge their disappointing loss to Memphis in their first game of February.

Suns Surprise Raptors, Beat Them 99-91

On the second night of a tough back-to-back stretch for Phoenix that had them playing the second best team in each conference, they were able to pull out a win against Toronto Thursday night. The Raptors were also on the second night of back-to-backs and following a loss to the Warriors Wednesday night, they seemed blessed by their schedule to be playing the worst team in the West right after playing the conference’s best team. Things didn’t quite pan out how the Raptors surely expected they would.

While Phoenix didn’t really play great, their usually laughable defense came through big time Thursday. They held the Raptors to around 40% from the field and an abysmal 25.9% on 3’s. Eric Bledsoe was an important factor in their win – scoring 22 points on an efficient 9-14 shooting performance, adding 10 assists, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks – really filling up the stat sheet.

Devin Booker also went for 19 points, five boards, and five dimes for the Suns. Bledsoe and Booker were able to overshadow T.J. Warren’s 2-11 shooting performance. In 27 minutes he was only able to chip in four points and three rebounds; but he did come up with two steals to help the team’s defensive effort. Warren had been averaging 18 points and five rebounds in the four games prior to Thursday’s win. P.J. Tucker played a solid game for the Suns, going 4-7 from the field for 14 points and pulling down four rebounds in 30 minutes. 

In Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs, Warren played 34 minutes, led the team in scoring with 23 (including a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line) and corralled six rebounds to go with a steal and a block while Tucker played just 16 minutes. The position of starting small forward was initially up for grabs at the start of the season, which Warren claimed with ease until a head injury sidelined him for over a dozen games. Since his return he’s been coming off the bench with Tucker starting games for Phoenix. Earl Watson has been experimenting with lineup changes, desperate to find the right groups of guys to be on the floor together to help the team win, and so he may continue bringing Warren off the bench for an extra spark when Bledsoe and Booker are resting. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if we see Warren rejoin the starting lineup if his averages remain the same or improve. 

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 24 points each, but their offense was stagnant otherwise. Toronto only ended the game with 10 assists, half as many as Phoenix tallied. 

While there were many things to celebrate in this victory for Suns fans – like the Suns out-rebounding the Raptors 56 to 47 – had the Raptors played even remotely close to the way they’re capable of, this could’ve just as easily been another loss for the Suns. 

They still turned the ball over 20 times (allowing 23 points off of turnovers) and sent Toronto to the charity stripe 29 times. A win is still a win, though, and this year Phoenix will take them however they can get them. 

The Suns return to action New Year’s Eve at home against the 20-13 Utah Jazz. If they can shoot as well from beyond the arc and pass the ball as well as they did against the Raptors, they could head into the New Year on a two-game winning streak. 

Phoenix Beat L.A. On ESPN

What a birthday for Eric Bledsoe! With 30 points, nine assists, four rebounds, three steals and his team getting that W last night, he had plenty to celebrate.

(Photo courtesy of The Olympian)

Phoenix was able to snap their three-game losing streak last night at the Staples Center, winning 119-115 after leading by as much as 18 in the second half. They were powered by Bledsoe’s big game and a season-high 13 3-pointers as well. 

Leandro Barbosa led the bench attack for the Suns, scoring 21 of the team’s 59 bench points on the night. Lou Williams led all scorers with 35 off the bench for the Lakers. Williams has needed to take on a larger role recently with injuries to guards D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young and has been exceptional for L.A. in that time.

The Suns did everything they normally don’t do Friday night. They had 26 assists, shot 43% on 3’s (season average hovers around 30%) and held on to the basketball – only turning the ball over eight times to the Lakers’ 16. And just a few days removed from blocking zero shots against the Jazz, the Suns had nine rejections last night.

Phoenix withstood a late comeback by Los Angeles, something the young team has struggled with early on this year.

More good news came for the Suns following the victory when it was announced T.J. Warren (who has missed the last ten games with an undisclosed head injury) has been cleared to start practicing with the team again. Now that’s two wins and a birthday for Phoenix. Good night for the young squad.

The Suns’ next game is Sunday at home against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Suns’ Struggles Continue Against Jazz

The 2016-17 season has not been good to Phoenix. Despite having Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight healthy again, the team only has a record of 5-16 after their 112-105 loss in Utah on Tuesday night.

Gordon Hayward led the way for Utah, filling up the stat sheet with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Rudy Gobert also played a big role in the Jazz victory by putting up a career-high 22 points to go with 11 boards and four blocks.

The Suns just didn’t seem to have an answer for the Jazz and never held a lead in the game. Utah got off to a hot start, leading Phoenix 33-19 after the first quarter and eventually increasing their lead to 20 at halftime. The Suns scored 60 points in the second half to give the loss the appearance of a close game, but the Jazz had control every step of the way.

While Phoenix did manage to out-rebound Utah, they shot an abysmal 33% on three pointers and only managed 14 assists with 17 turnovers. The Suns went without blocking a shot and allowed the Jazz to shoot 49% from the field.

Devin Booker led the Suns in scoring with 21 points on 9-13 shooting, but also turned the ball over a team-high 4 times. Phoenix had six players in double figures in the game, but that’s about as far as the bright spots go for the Suns.

Tomorrow night the Suns will look to bounce back at home against the Pacers, meanwhile the Jazz will hope to carry momentum into Thursday when the Warriors come to Salt Lake City.

Hawks Fly Too Close to the Sun(s)

Phoenix was clicking on all cylinders as they grinded out 109-107 victory against Atlanta on Wednesday night.

(Photo courtesy of azcentral)

A balanced attack was the key on a night when Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker went a combined 10-30 from the field (1-5 on threes) to earn the W against the Hawks. The Suns forced more turnovers, shot a higher percentage from beyond the arc, and went to the free throw line 15 more times than Atlanta.

So far this season Phoenix has struggled with their three-point field goal percentage, turnovers, and fouls; but Wednesday night they showed what can happen when these areas are leaning in their favor. Brandon Knight came off the bench and scored a team-high 23 points, making eight of his nine free throw attempts and all three of his shots from deep. Knight led the Suns’ bench attack that put up 54 points.

P.J. Tucker and Jared Dudley each scored 17 points for Phoenix.

Phoenix was 1-4 in their last five games before besting Atlanta. T.J. Warren missed his 6th straight game while dealing with an undisclosed head injury while the Hawks were missing Paul Millsap due to a hip injury and Tiago Splitter due to a calf strain.

The Suns will look to keep the momentum from this win with them as they travel to play the powerhouse Warriors on Saturday.

Phoenix Blows Fourth Quarter Lead in Loss

The Suns led heading 75-67 after the 3rd quarter last night against the Timberwolves before being outscored 31-10 in the 4th.

Although the win was within Phoenix’s reach throughout most of the game, turnovers eventually led to their demise – committing seven crucial turnovers in the 4th quarter. Turnovers have been one of the prominent problems plaguing the young Suns team early in this season. Two of the other problems the team has struggled with, fouling and lackluster three-point shooting, were in full display again on Friday night.

While Minnesota committed one more foul than Phoenix, they were sent to the line 25 times compared to Phoenix only going to the line 21 times. These numbers don’t look bad alone, but the Timberwolves made 23 of their 25 free throws and the Suns only managed to sink 15 of their 21. Andrew Wiggins, in particular, did the most damage from the charity stripe making 10 of his 11 free throws in the game on his way to a 25 point game.

On a night when the Suns only shot a hair above 71% from the free throw line, they also shot an abysmal 23% from beyond the arc. They were only able to connect on six of their 26 tries from outside. The Suns rank second to last in the league in three-point shooting with the Mavericks being the only team currently shooting a lower percentage. Part of their struggles can be blamed on Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, and Brandon Knight’s three-point percentages. Bledsoe is shooting below 30% from beyond the arc while Booker and Knight are each hovering near the 30% mark. Bledsoe had a good showing last night going 8 for 15 overall, 2 for 5 on three-pointers, and putting up 23 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. His most troubling stat of the night were his seven turnovers.

The Suns did manage to win the rebounding battle against Minnesota 48-39, though this is becoming something of the norm for the 3rd best rebounding team in the NBA.

T.J. Warren looks to still be out for a couple weeks to deal with a head injury that has cost him the past 4 games after getting off to a hot start as an early leading candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Phoenix will look to make adjustments in their next game at home against the Denver Nuggets.

Homesick

The Suns have been struggling on their first long road trip of the 2016-17 season. They’re currently 1-4 since the trip started, and all but one of those (at Golden State) should have been winnable. The trip started in Golden State and continued to Denver, Indianapolis,  Philadelphia, and yesterday, Washington D.C. Surprisingly enough, that one win came against the Pacers (granted, Paul George didn’t play in that game). Most of this trip has been surrounded by players missing games. For Phoenix, Tyson  Chandler has only played in one game of this road trip and hasn’t played in consecutive games since Nov. 4th and 6th following the death of his mother and T.J. Warren left the Suns’ win against the Pacers after only 9 minutes and missed the next two contests against the Sixers and Wizards while dealing with an illness. The absence of these two has clearly affected the team, with Warren being third on the team in scoring and seventh in the NBA in steals per game and Chandler averaging 12.3 rebounds per game. Chandler’s absence was felt most perhaps when Joel Embiid established a new career-high 26 points on Saturday night.

(Photo courtesy of NBA Feeds)

The hole left in the paint by Chandler’s absence and missing the defensive presence of Warren allowed Philadelphia to shoot over 52% from the field and nearly 50% from beyond the arc. The Sixers were able to take advantage of various defensive lapses by the Suns that allowed Embiid to sink three wide open 3-pointers. Having Warren and Chandler back in the lineup will be helpful not just in the short term.

Establishing continuity is key in helping a team succeed, just look at the Spurs (and up until this past offseason, the Thunder). When players get used to playing with one another and develop chemistry together a team can become dangerous. It seems all but a foregone conclusion that the Suns will look to keep Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight, and Warren together moving forward – and the more games this group gets together, the better. General manager Ryan McDonough has denounced rumors that Knight is on the trading block, despite how deep the team’s bench may be. While many around the league would expect Knight to be available, the security of having a quality point guard coming off the bench to lead the second unit appears to be more valuable than any assets Phoenix could obtain in a deal. Keep in mind, the Suns bench contributed an NBA-best 78 bench points in a 20 point win against the Pacers last Friday.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s game in Orlando, Phoenix looks to end this road trip on a high note. Having Chandler and Warren each return or sit out could tell the tale of how the game ultimately turns out. Chandler’s presence inside will be helpful against a Magic frontcourt that knows how to get to the paint and get rebounds. Fortunately, wing defender Victor Oladipo has been relocated to Oklahoma City, which could make for more easy offensive opportunities for the guard-heavy Suns. Phoenix could still manage a win if Chandler or Warren still require more time off as long as they can hold onto the basketball and stay out of foul trouble. Their loss Monday night to the Wizards was due in part to Bradley Beal’s career-high 42 points, but that stat would look less daunting if he hadn’t been sent to the free throw line 11 times, nine times converting from the charity stripe. Phoenix let Washington get to the line 34 times while only getting there 15 times themselves. The teams had identical field goal percentages, and Bledsoe and Booker made up for Warren’s absence by combining for 51 points. Aside from foul trouble, the Suns’ 21 turnovers left the game out of their reach. Despite these glaring flaws, the Suns only lost by five.

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As long as Phoenix can protect the ball and foul less, they can easily come out on top against Orlando Wednesday night. Potentially having Warren and Chandler back in the lineup will be helpful too, but the Suns have to avoid making easy mistakes with or without them.

What Adding Thomas Could Mean for Phoenix

As you may have heard, over this past weekend the Suns added some more talent to their already prolific backcourt after a sign and trade with the Kings sent Isaiah Thomas To Phoenix. Many might be questioning the move following Goran Dragic winning the 2014 Most Improved Player Award and being selected to the 2014 All-NBA Third Team and with Eric Bledsoe still on the market; but this trade all but guarantees that Phoenix will have a starting caliber guard on the court all game long. In my eyes, this move benefits the Suns a lot more than potentially trading away either Dragic or Bledsoe. There have been rumors of Phoenix potentially trading Dragic to the Pacers for big man Roy Hibbert, but this move sounds, what’s the term for it… ill-advised. Trading away a guard with tremendous upside for a center who went scoreless four times in the postseason the Suns are so desperately trying to get back to does not bode well for the Suns. For Indiana, if this move ever went through, it would be a fantastic move – not so much in Phoenix.

The Suns received Thomas for Alex Oriakhi, the 57th pick in the 2013 draft, in a sign and trade and locked him up with a fairly cheap (a 4 year deal worth around $27 million) following a breakout year. Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game last season with Sacramento, all of those numbers being career highs for him. Despite his great season, the Kings still failed to make any noise in the Western Conference last year, so now Thomas will have the chance to fight for the postseason with the young Suns. Phoenix’s backcourt certainly looks to all be moving in the right direction with Dragic, Bledsoe, and Thomas all coming off of terrific seasons. Although the Suns have lost Channing Frye to Orlando, they were able to retain forward P.J. Tucker and by adding Thomas and keeping Tucker, this offseason should be looked at as an improvement period for the team. Not to mention, after the younger players (Goodwin, Warren, Len, Brown, and Ennis) get more experience playing together this summer, imagine how much more success this team can see come October.

In other words, as much as people want to scratch their heads over Phoenix hoarding as many skilled guards as they can get their hands on, their depth will make them a formidable opponent for any team in the NBA.

Wild, Wild West

The race for the 8th seed never seemed like must-see basketball, but the Suns are aiming to prove otherwise. Today they find themselves on the outside looking in with the same record as the current 8 seed Grizzlies. This just goes to show how close the Suns really are. While going 7-3 in their last 10 games, including a terrific outing against the playoff-bound Trail Blazers, the young Suns are facing the reality of how tough the Western Conference really is. To put things in perspective – if Phoenix took their current 45-31 mark to the Eastern Conference, they’d be the number 3 seed and about ten games up on the 8th and final seed. 

Now of course it is notable to mention that Phoenix would be the 3rd seed in the East, but the solid play of both the Mavericks and the Grizzlies is just as notable. The Memphis Grizzlies have won 11 straight games at home and are 6-4 in their last 10 and the Dallas Mavericks are winners of their last two – which includes a quality win against the Clippers and a Blake Griffin triple-double.The Suns still have six games left to clinch a playoff birth, and in the NBA that’s plenty of time. 

Phoenix has a very difficult schedule to close out the regular season, with a game against the Thunder tomorrow and a trip to San Antonio to take on the Spurs next Friday. Although their upcoming schedule is difficult, they still have a road game against the mathematically eliminated Pelicans and a home game against the Kings. For the Suns to make the playoffs, they will need to capitalize on those two games against noncontenders because among their final six games are crucial matchups against Dallas and Memphis. 

The Suns will hope to see more games like their last win against the Trail Blazers where they outscored Portland 30-13 in the fourth quarter. Miles Plumlee and Markieff Morris each had over ten rebounds in the victory (16 and 11, respectively). Two very huge pieces to the victory were Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green. Bledsoe finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Green finished with 32 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. 

Down the stretch look for production from every player mentioned above and of course Goran Dragic as Jeff Hornacek coaches this young bunch to a potential playoff birth in his first season in Phoenix. Whether or not the Suns end up in the playoffs, Hornacek certainly looks like as good a candidate as any for Coach of the Year.