Completely agree. I bet his agent told him otherwise but with all the recruiting he changed his mind. It's a very stupid move that endangers even more his future in the league. He won't get touches. He won't get many minutes. He hasn't even a starting spot and has to fight for it. The coaching staff in LA are one of the worst in the league. The media will be hunting for scapegoats as soon as the Lakers fail to meet their expectations. What better target than Cousins. He is acting like a washed up 35 y.o veteran , having getting paid big $ now chasing after rings instead of trying to rehab his value. Look at Brook Lopez. He was deemed even more of washed up than Boogie. He found a good fit and a good coach and now he got paid and found his position in the league again.
What we know of Boogie is that he has an ego and pride huge enough to turn down a big contract because it was "beneath" him. And now in 12 months he all of a sudden had a come to Jesus moment and decided that he will be a vet min roleplayer? Please...
JayGoogle, look at the recent trend of the NBA. With all this clueless media crowing about smallball, there's actually been a resurgence at the center position. Now, NBA teams are starting to realize that the best way to punish zone defenses is to throw the ball inside and let some inside beast do severe damage. NBA teams are still deeply reluctant to rely on low post bullyball, but it's happening whether teams like it or not. And that'll become more so as the years go by. By about 2025, the NBA will have reached a "golden era" in which the 3 point mania of today's game is balanced equally by low post monsters who own the paint. You'll see a NBA quality of basketball where even the bad teams are basically playing Tim Duncan Spurs basketball with a balanced intelligent offense.
Let's not exaggerate here - he worked on his 3pt shooting and unleashed legit range. His new niche in the league that he is being paid handsomely for is earned entirely on the strength of his improved shooting.
Personally I think this is a smart move by both the Lakers and Boogie. Boogie still puts himself in a place to be a legit contender, he gets tons of exposure from a marketing perspective(try to make up a little money with small local endorsements), AD & Bron are able to help hide some of his defensive flaws when he gets iso-ed, and if he does manage to get his body right, he is in a place where the lakers will be forced to open their pocket books on him because the Lakers can not at all risk taking a step back - it goes against all the Lakers exceptionalism that the franchise feeds on. From the Lakers perspective IF Boogie can go back to the AD/Boogie of the New Orleans days - then they instantly become legit favorites - it's a low risk move for them. My only concern is they risk overpaying on Boogie's next contract if he indeed regains his form in some meaningful way.
