Thank you (except for that avatar, LOL -- cannot be unseen) -- it was never that their two-bigs experiment didn't work, but it never had much of a chance to run.
It DID work for Cousins and AD. Cousins unfortunately got injured. The first of his serious leg injuries. Coincidentally in a game vs. the Rockets where Boogie was just embarrassing Capela.
So starting lineup as it sits at this very moment I am posting is? PG - Russ SG - James SF - House PF - Woods C - Boogie
This is a good guess. I would think Boogie's days as a starter may be past, but if we could get some change of pace from him, maybe 15 minutes a game, that would be fantastic.
Cousins when healthy is the most skilled 5 in the NBA. Even more skilled than Jokic, the NBA darling at present. His baseline spin is a work of art. And his passing, tight handles and rim protection are still so underrated. Rest of NBA will come to realization that the Rockets have FOUR players that can drop 50, nevermind 30, soon enough. Cousins is a walking bucket.
I was just thinking how happy PJ must be to have a teammate who's a legit big body. Quickness isn't as important in the paint as it is on the perimeter, and sometimes you just need bulk down low.
In case anyone's interested, the Athletic has a deep dive into coming back from an Achilles injury. It's an interview with a surgeon who specializes in them.
Having two skilled bigs will do wonders for Tucker. We saw many times Tucker didn’t have his legs in games and IMO affected his shot. I think that’s particularly because he was exerting so much on defense and rebounding against bigger bodies.
The most underrated aspect of his game is his playmaking and court vision. He was Jokic like in Sacramento .I hope Silas runs some plays with Cousins at the high to post and cutters off the ball for him to find. Adelman years ago used to run some of those plays for Yao to because of his passing ability. Passing and playmaking is one of Cousins strengths
Boogie's passing, ballhandling, playmaking and disruptions (steals, deflections, blocks) are my favorite parts of his game. So underrated. Just needs to be disciplined with his fouls.
No it didn't work. The 2017-18 Pelicans had a 27-21 (56.3%) record with Cousins in the lineup, 21-13 (61.8%) without him. https://www.blazersedge.com/2018/4/...fs-demarcus-cousins-injury-statistics-preview Why didn't it work? Its a small ball world now. We saw what happened when the Lakers benched their bigs and played AD at center. NBA teams can't play 2 bigs anymore because of all the 3 point shooting. They get slaughtered.
Will not dispute the stats but I know what I saw that day Boogie got injured, Cousins was absolutely shredding one of Harden's best most talented Rockets line ups. Boogie and AD took turns destroying Clint. That said, Boogie will struggle in switch everything defense. Defense has to put him position where he will not be a liability like a 2-3 zone, maybe drop coverage. And Boogie will be more effective vs. some teams than against other teams. With Wood AND Cousins, Rockets can play small (Wood at 5), medium (Cousins w/o Wood) or HUGE (both Wood and Cousins). And Rockets now can be multiple on offense - post ups, mid range or 5 out.
people here forget how well he played in the finals not too long ago, almost singlehandedly forcing a game 7 in the final minutes
if he doesn't start its because he is not in shape. when he gets in shape, he will for sure be a starter. he is too good not to be. even if he isn't the player he was, he is still better than most 5s in the league.
