Deuce's Blog: DeMarcus, Moss & NBA Finals
Cousins still battling his reputation
Call me a homer. Tell me I'm drinking the purple Kool-Aid.
Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins should've been on the All-NBA team that was announced on Wednesday. All throughout the season you heard NBA experts proclaim that Cousins was one of the best—if not the best—big guy in the NBA.
He proved it this year with some great numbers (22.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.9 APG on 49.6 percent shooting) yet he was not voted in one of the three center spots for the All-NBA team.
Bleacher Report's NBA columnist Howard Beck told me on Wednesday that he thinks Cousins' suspensions and leading the NBA in technicals did factor into the voting.
"I'm one who believes All-NBA is more about your personal production. It's not necessarily about whether your team won or lost…as long as he looks like he's also a great teammate, and I'm not sure we can make that case yet because of his volatility," Beck said.
Danny Pinto from the Sac Sports Annex podcast passed along these numbers: Four All-NBA selections were in the Top 6 in technical fouls including MVP Kevin Durant and Clippers forward Blake Griffin-(16 a piece), Dwight Howard-13 and Bulls center Joakim Noah-12.
The fact is that Cousins still has a poor reputation around the league and he's the only person who can change that.
On Wednesday's show I took calls from many fans who disagreed with me on Cousins' improved defense. His rebounding improved, he took the most charges in the NBA, and he was a better rim protector.
But what's his reputation? He takes plays off. He doesn't get back on defense. He's out of shape. Those are the things that will stick out to fans.
How will Cousins respond from this? Let's hope this adds some extra motivation for Cousins to take his game and his team to the next level.
How can you not root for Brandon Moss?
Brandon Moss is having an All-Star year for the A's (.280, 15 HRs and 80 RBIs) and he's an easy guy to root for. The 30-year old journeyman has found a home in Oakland and remains humble despite his emergence has a legitimate power threat for the A's.
Ken Rosenthal wrote a great piece on FoxSports.com about Moss who thought his dreams of playing in the big leagues were done when he signed a minor league deal with the Athletics in 2012.
Moss told Rosenthal about a conversation he had with former River Cats manager Darren Bush:
"I said, 'Well, Bushie, obviously I want to get back to the big leagues. Everybody does. But I think that ship may have sailed."
Hopefully Moss is rewarded with an all-star selection.
NBA Finals Prediction
It's beyond weird that I'm picking against the best player in the game but I would love to see Pop and Duncan score another ring.
Tim Duncan gets the ultimate walk-off by winning a ring and retiring.
Spurs in 6.
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