DeMarcus Cousins
Like Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins has been linked in rumors with the Boston Celtics since he sported the Sacramento Kings uniform.
We know Danny Ainge likes him, but Cousins is a no because he simply does not fit in Boston. He is a big man who can stretch the floor, but just not any star can play under Brad Stevens and his system. If Kyrie Irving wasn’t proof of that, I don’t know what would be.
It’s not just an eruptive demeanor that makes Cousins not a fit, it’s his injury history with the Achilles that should make any team cause for pause in signing him to a long-term deal.
His 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a game playing in the All-Star lineup known as the Golden State Warriors is nothing to sneeze about, but his value comes more as a complimentary piece than it does as perhaps one of a new big three.
I can see Danny Ainge entertaining the idea, and who wouldn’t with a player with the size and skill DeMarcus Cousins has. But, as the Boston Celtics learned in the 2018-19 NBA season, chemistry and buying in to the system is what makes or breaks the success of the team.
Talent alone doesn’t make a winner. It takes the right kind of talent. Although Rudy Gay could fit depending on the roster, both Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins aren’t fits with the kind of collective team the Celtics hope to be.