DeMarcus Cousins Needs To Stay at Kentucky

College, NBA Draft / Feb 3, 2010 / 9:30 am
DeMarcus Cousins Needs To Stay at Kentucky

By Jack Jensen

Your team is 21-1, seemingly headed for the Final Four, and you’re its second best player – deferring only to teammate John Wall, the consensus No. 1 overall selection in this June’s NBA Draft. Not only are you one of the best post players in the country, you’re a freshman who’s riding first season averages of 16.2 points, 9.7 boards and 1.8 blocks in the SEC. So naturally, you’re headed for David Stern’s outstretched palm come summertime right?

If you’re asking me, the answer is no.

The player in question is none other than Kentucky frosh, DeMarcus Cousins. There’s very little deliberation on whether or not the 6-11, 260-pound Cousins has lived up to his hype and McDonald’s All-American billing this season. The kid has become a monster on the glass, in the paint (13 double-doubles) and sadly, in the media. With several instances of dirty play this season – just ask South Carolina’s fans and Louisville – and questionable antics off the hardwood, “DeMarcus Thuggins” has become more and more of a serious problem. Most of the time, Cousins appears to have a bad attitude. It could just be his persona, but the perception of DeMarcus is that his is lazy, immature and not ready mentally to make a jump to the pros.

However, it’s not as if the critics are straying away from his physical raw talent. The common placement among mock drafts currently has Cousins going eighth in the Lottery; DraftExpress, NBADraft.net and Chad Ford of ESPN all rate the forward as such. For guys like Cousins, like Michael Beasley and like the recently released Sean Williams, it’s never been a question of their talent or athleticism. It’s always been about their mind-set, track record and maturity.

It’s very possible that someone like Cousins can make a successful jump after his freshman season and thrive in the pros soon. On a physical standpoint, Cousins is an extremely skilled big man who has the potential to anchor some team’s frontcourt for the next ten years – all while racking up a few All-Defensive Team nods and All-Star love. On a business standpoint, Cousins is a liability – it’s the flat out truth. Until reaching Kentucky and John Calipari, Cousins hasn’t really had to work as hard or play second fiddle to a budding teammate. In Calipari’s system, he can develop as a young professional, all while winning in a collegiate atmosphere. Say what you want about John’s past and school sanctions (all of which are no doubt fishy) but you can’t deny that he prepares great players to be great pros early on (Tyreke Evans, Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Marcus Camby).

Before the barrage of naysayers come flooding into the comments section, let me make my point clear. If a player is ready to go the NBA and really doesn’t want to or won’t add anything to the university system, I am all for going into the League early. Every player’s situation is different – some need to support their family, some need to buy diamond chains – I get it. I also support it. But what I don’t support, is a kid who is clearly not ready for the ups and downs of the NBA business, to go into a situation where their chances of succeeding are drastically slimmer. For Cousins, he is an exceptionally gifted athlete who is going to make green in the League no matter when he goes out. Yes, there is always the chance that he pulls a Scottie Reynolds and plays his way out of the first round (all while en route to a great college career), thus this is solely an opinion.

Cousins: stay one more season, become the Wildcats’ go-to guy along with Eric Bledsoe next year and show everyone that you are indeed mature enough to get paid and play with the pros. Because one day soon Calipari and the Kentucky faithful won’t be there to clean up your messes. Just ask Sean Williams.

Wow what a moron. And he's a sophomoric writer too - "On a physical standpoint..." WTF - it's "from a physical standpoint" you lamebrain.

If Cousins is a projected lottery pick, and possibly #2 overall, he'd be crazy to stay.

Cousins is pretty damn awesome. Right now to me he is looking better than Wall.

you could almost see him getting a double double in the rest of the games this year he is a special specimen. Imho he is gone just like Wall and it will be nice to watch the nba draft with wall going 1st and cousins going 2nd and patterson going top 20.

DeMarcus Cousins is a badass. That kid does not need to stay. He is easily a top 3 pick and he will get his money. That said, I would LOVE to see this kid stay. Imagine if we had Wall, Cousins and Patterson again next year? My god, that would be SICK!

I would love to keep him, but he needs to go.

I believe every kid that plays college basketball needs to stay all 4 years. Yes if they go pro, most of them will make around 2 to 4 million dollars up to 10 to 15 million with endorsements. But lets look at the facts.
Freshman #1 gets 4million
Freshman with endorsements gets close to 10 to 15 mil
15-20% of this will go to an agent and 30 to 40% will go to Uncle Sam
So just cut in half what these kids will be earning when going to the NBA.
Then you have to take in consideration all the living expenses these kids will occur
Then add all the money that will be spent on gifts for family members and friends
When its all said and done, the number one draft pick will be lucky to have 1 to 5 mil dollars left in his bank account.
These kids need to stay in college and get an education, and enjoy themselves as kids. They have all the time in the world to make money as adults.
To drive a kid to the pro's early is like giving a child a loaded hand gun and saying don't play Russian roulette.
Accidents can occur and can end a career in the pro's. But that is a chance that can happen to anybody.
I say encourage these kids to stay in college, earn their education and let them be kids for at least 4 more years before they have to step into this cruel world of evil as adults.

LittleBastard wrote:I believe every kid that plays college basketball needs to stay all 4 years. Yes if they go pro, most of them will make around 2 to 4 million dollars up to 10 to 15 million with endorsements. But lets look at the facts.
Freshman #1 gets 4million
Freshman with endorsements gets close to 10 to 15 mil
15-20% of this will go to an agent and 30 to 40% will go to Uncle Sam
So just cut in half what these kids will be earning when going to the NBA.
Then you have to take in consideration all the living expenses these kids will occur
Then add all the money that will be spent on gifts for family members and friends
When its all said and done, the number one draft pick will be lucky to have 1 to 5 mil dollars left in his bank account.
These kids need to stay in college and get an education, and enjoy themselves as kids. They have all the time in the world to make money as adults.
To drive a kid to the pro's early is like giving a child a loaded hand gun and saying don't play Russian roulette.
Accidents can occur and can end a career in the pro's. But that is a chance that can happen to anybody.
I say encourage these kids to stay in college, earn their education and let them be kids for at least 4 more years before they have to step into this cruel world of evil as adults.

College education is overrated.

Fossten wrote:College education is overrated.

I'm glad you are in the minority with this opinion. Otherwise, the great Kentucky Wildcats wouldn't even exist.

LittleBastard wrote:I believe every kid that plays college basketball needs to stay all 4 years. Yes if they go pro, most of them will make around 2 to 4 million dollars up to 10 to 15 million with endorsements. But lets look at the facts.
Freshman #1 gets 4million
Freshman with endorsements gets close to 10 to 15 mil
15-20% of this will go to an agent and 30 to 40% will go to Uncle Sam
So just cut in half what these kids will be earning when going to the NBA.
Then you have to take in consideration all the living expenses these kids will occur
Then add all the money that will be spent on gifts for family members and friends
When its all said and done, the number one draft pick will be lucky to have 1 to 5 mil dollars left in his bank account.
These kids need to stay in college and get an education, and enjoy themselves as kids. They have all the time in the world to make money as adults.
To drive a kid to the pro's early is like giving a child a loaded hand gun and saying don't play Russian roulette.
Accidents can occur and can end a career in the pro's. But that is a chance that can happen to anybody.
I say encourage these kids to stay in college, earn their education and let them be kids for at least 4 more years before they have to step into this cruel world of evil as adults.

Yeah, because a degree in Sociology or Communications (what most athletes do) will guarantee a better bank account than 1-4 million dollars. If this isn't sarcasm on your part...wow.

If the NCAA is going to make a kid go to school, it should be for two years.

Either two years or none. I don't care either way, but 1 year is just dumb, IMO.

I cannot fault a kid for staying one year and leaving. If someone was waving a ton of money in my face to play professional basketball, I'd bolt, too. Too many things could go wrong if a kid stays longer than necessary. John Wall, for instance, should go while his stock is high. He doesn't have anything to gain by staying.

Look at Patrick Patterson. Last year, he was just about all we talked about. Patterson this and Patterson that...blah blah blah. Now, we're not really talking much about him. Neither is the media. It's all John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins...with good reason, obviously, as they're both freakishly talented players.

Will Patterson play in the NBA? Probably. Has his stock been hurt by staying? I think so. His ppg and rpg are both down, not much, but down nonethess. I think he'll be a lower pick this year than he would've been last year.

OBXWildcat wrote:

Fossten wrote:College education is overrated.

I'm glad you are in the minority with this opinion. Otherwise, the great Kentucky Wildcats wouldn't even exist.

Molehill, meet mountain. Mischaracterizing my statement. I was responding to LB's 'one size fits all' nonsense.

I said 'overrated,' not 'unnecessary.'

But hey, don't let me get in the way of you going all drama queen on us.

But while we're on the subject, do you happen to know what the typical major of a big time college athlete is?

96 G.O.A.T. wrote:
Will Patterson play in the NBA? Probably. Has his stock been hurt by staying? I think so. His ppg and rpg are both down, not much, but down nonethess. I think he'll be a lower pick this year than he would've been last year.

That's just not true. Patterson greatly helped his stock by coming back.

Yeah, his PPG and RPG might be slightly down, but he has shown NBA scouts a new dimension to his game

At 6'9, you aren't going to make a living in the NBA in the post. Patterson made the right choice by coming back to show NBA scouts that he can step out and play away from the rim.