Why It's Time for the Celtics to Boogie (Cousins) And Stop Playing Around

Trading Noah Vonleh speaks to Boston's understanding that they need a clear upgrade at center. Is there a better high-reward, low-risk option than DeMarcus Cousins right now?

Even in his prime,  DeMarcus Cousins was not going to win any sort of popularity contest. He plays with a perpetual snarl on his face, picks up a lot of technical fouls and for many of those years in Sacramento, seemed more consumed by stuffing stats than team success. 

But as time moved on, Cousins appears to have evolved or at the very least, humbled in a direction where evolution became an inevitable truth.

Still, even with his growth as a person while his game suffered due to recurring injuries, interest in the four-time All-Star veered from lukewarm to non-existent. 

While the 32-year-old veteran isn’t the same dominant force he was for so many years in the Western Conference, even with his diminished skillset, Cousins has the tools to contribute to a title contender, a team like the Boston Celtics. 

His detractors can point to a number of factors that give the Celtics plenty of reason to pause or to not do anything at all. 

But the reasons to bring in Boogie at this point, are undeniable. 

Boston’s last two games, both losses, exposed the “Casper the Friendly Ghost” dynamic the Celtics tend to have too often at the center position. 

Between Robert Williams III missing games now due to “injury management” and 37-year-old Al Horford having games from time to time that remind us that he is in fact 37 years old, Boston needs a reliable third big man option. 

With all due respect to Luke Kornet and Noah Vonleh, neither has shown the kind of consistent play you need when Williams and/or Horford are out.

Even with the end of his career closer than its start, Cousins is a clear upgrade talent-wise over what Boston has now behind Williams and Horford.

While many look to the impact that Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole and Draymond Green had on the Celtics’ loss in the Finals last season, overlooked in their journey was the play of former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney and a host of other seldom-used, but impactful when called upon, players.

Let’s face it. 

Winning an NBA title is an arms race that only the best of the best fully understand well enough to do something about it. 

Golden State had elite talent at the front of their roster as well as on the back end. 

Boston?

Not so much. 

But the addition of Cousins, who is a free agent, would address this nicely. 

Boston will also benefit from having someone other than Marcus Smart, play with a persistent edge. 

This not only enhances the chances of winning, but it also better insulates teams from embarrassing losses like the 33-point drubbing the Celtics took at the expense of the Oklahoma City Thunder who have played below-.500 basketball most of this season. 

Losing to teams like the Thunder is one thing. 

Getting absolutely blown off the court as they ran end-line to end-line with little resistance, should not happen to a championship-caliber team at this point in the NBA calendar, to a team that’s not even a serious play-in-game contender. 

So if he still has something left to give and has shown growth as a person, why is he still a free agent? 

Warriors GM Bob Myers was asked about Cousins during an interview with ex-NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the “All The Smoke’ podcast, in November.

“DeMarcus called me a month ago and he said, ‘Why am I not in the NBA?’ " Myers said. "And I said, ‘You want that answer? … Because people are afraid of how you’re going to act.’ And he’s like ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Well, whatever the reason is, it’s here now.’”

But if you’re the Celtics, adding Cousins would be a high-risk, low-reward proposition. 

In the coming days, Boston will have to make a decision on whether to keep Noah Vonleh around for the remainder of the season. 

If they choose to let him go, that will create a clear void for Cousins to come in and potentially fill. 

And for those who are concerned about Cousins’ character and potential influence being a negative one on this roster, here’s something to remember. 

The core of this team has been to the NBA Finals. Prior to that, most know what it takes to navigate from one round to the next. When re-examing what went wrong, more times than not it has been about not having enough top-shelf talent beyond one or two stars. 

If this team isn’t strong enough mentally to add a player with his talent and not let whatever shortcomings one might think still exist to override them and become an issue, this team needs to stop talking about winning a championship now. 

Because champions are mentally enough to absorb what makes them a stronger, more powerful team. 

And the addition of Cousins, warts and all, achieves this goal.