DeMarcus Cousins’ Olympic Performance Proves He’s A Good Fit For The Cleveland Cavaliers

DeMarcus Cousins has reached superstar level in the NBA and wants to play for a winner. His Olympics performance has proven he fits with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best centers in the NBA, and he has shown what he can do on a team dedicated to winning with USA Basketball. It has proven that he is a perfect fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the time is now to act on acquiring him.

Cousins, 25, has rapidly ascended into superstardom over his six-year career. As a 20-year-old rookie he averaged 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He hit the 20 points per game threshold in his fourth season and by season six he was averaging 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

In his first Olympics appearance, Cousins was phenomenal. He was an efficient 6-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. He scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes of action, a truly elite performance. His performance was so good that even NBA analyst Doug Collins was wanting Cousins to be traded to a contender.

USA Basketball is constructed like an All-Star team. In fact, the second unit might even be good enough to take the silver medal if they were their own team. Comparing talent from the national team to a NBA team isn’t plausible, but taking the work that Cousins put in on a team built to win shows what he can really do.

Cousins found himself in the perfect position to get offensive rebounds, as did teammate DeAndre Jordan, and it helped him get to the free-throw line and get extra possessions. His 6-foot-11, 270-pound frame is too much to handle in Olympic competition, and is a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. His ability to use that size and physicality in the rebounding department would greatly benefit the Cavs.

That size could also be used on the defensive end of the court. The Cavs don’t have a great threat to block shots, other than the 38-year-old Chris Andersen. With 6-foot-9 center Tristan Thompson starting, the Cavs have a lack of rim protection. Adding Cousins to the mix changes that, as teams will be less likely to drive towards the rim.

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Thompson has shown the ability to defend on the perimeter, as evident by sticking to two-time MVP Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals. His athleticism and defensive awareness allows him to guard players quicker than him, which means he could fit as a power forward even with the new wave of power forwards that stretch the floor. This allows Cousins to stay inside and protect the paint.

It’s evident that Cousins is a great offensive player based on his body of work with the Sacramento Kings as “the guy.” He even expanded his range outside the paint by taking a career-high 210 three-pointers. That floor spacing gives him the versatility to play power forward and center.

His fit on the Cavaliers could be as a center on the defensive end and as a power forward on the offensive end. Cousins is perfect for ball-screens, pick-and-rolls with the ability to hit a jumper and posting up. He is the perfect player to have alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who thrive working off of the pick-and-roll.

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Cousins’ ability as a two-way player and versatility to play multiple positions gives the Cavs a different dynamic than what they currently have with Kevin Love. A deal for Cousins likely means that Love would be packing his bags and leaving Cleveland.

Love doesn’t necessarily have to head to Sacramento in a possible trade. A three-team deal may be best suited for all parties involved. The Boston Celtics appear to be a good option to partner with, thanks to their previous interest in Love.

Boston has the guards that the Kings would be looking for in a deal, and they’d get another star to pair with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford.

With the Kings drafting Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis in the past two drafts, they would be looking to add guards or wing players. The Celtics would be able to offer Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder, while the Cavs could part ways with Iman Shumpert.

Other pieces would likely have to be involved for salary purposes, but this could be the base of a deal to send Cousins to the Cavs.

Related Story: DeMarcus Cousins To The Cleveland Cavaliers Is Attainable

Cousins is an all-around great player that fits perfectly with what the Cavs try to do on both ends of the court. One caution is that he would no longer be “the guy” in Cleveland, but that’s a sacrifice he will have to make to be surrounded by a team that wins. He has shown that he is capable of doing that with USA Basketball in the 2016 Rio Olympics.