New Orleans Just Got BIGGER - The DeMarcus Cousins Trade

Stop everything.  Get the presses fired up.  The Boogie train is on the move, and the destination is the Big Easy.  Yes, the headlines are correct.  The Pelicans have just acquired arguably the most talented big man in the entire league.  Depending on how well he and superstar Anthony Davis mesh together, we could be talking about an all-time great frontcourt when it’s all said and done.

Demarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi were shipped from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and a 2018 first and second-round pick.  At first glance, the looks like Cousins for a steaming pile of trash, at second look it looks like Cousins for garbage, and… yeah I give up.  Myself, along with all of us at reversejam.com, can’t figure out a great reason that Sacramento shipped away their franchise cornerstone for a couple of iffy picks and an underwhelming rookie.  Pelicans’ GM Dell Demps must have quite the silver tongue.

Hield has been quite underwhelming in his first season, averaging just 8.6 points per game on 39.2% from the field, not close to what many were expecting from the 4-year college vet.  Evans hasn’t been able to stay healthy for the better part of the past 2 years, and Galloway is likely going to be waived immediately.  Even worse, the two picks are likely not going to be home runs, as the Pellies currently sit at 11th in the Western Conference, and are just 2 games back from the 8th seed and a playoff spot.  Maybe they’re praying Tyreke Evans can average the 20.3/5.3/5.8 line he did as a rookie in Sacramento back in 2010?

Well that’s enough of trying to figure out why this trade happened, let’s get to salivating at the thought of an AD-DMC frontcourt.  There’s little doubt that the two are the best big men in the league, the only other man that should be mentioned is Karl-Anthony Towns, and while he is playing some amazing basketball he’s still a couple years from being at their level.  Take a look at these lines: Anthony Davis 27.7/12.0/2.2/1.3s/2.5b.  Demarcus Cousins 27.8/10.9/4.9/1.5s/1.4b Cousins has one of the most polished post games and the best finishing ability of any big man, and Davis is an absolute a freak of nature with a deadeye shot from mid-range.  The two should complement each other exceptionally well, as their versatility can allow Alvin Gentry to deploy a plethora of offenses.  They could run a stellar high-low post offense, Davis at the elbow with his knock-down midrange jumper, and Cousins at the block bullying defenders and putting back any misses.  Or they could run a 4-out with either of the two towers outside, since they are both threats from beyond the arc.  Essentially, I could go on for days about the amount of options they have with this incredible duo. It'll be fun to watch.

Here comes the absolutely essential section in today’s NBA: CAN THEY BEAT GOLDEN STATE?

All rebellions are built on hope, and that’s why they indeed do have a shot against the Warriors.  As stated before, New Orleans is sitting at 23-34 and only 2.5 games out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference.  They’d have to have a hell of a finish to this season to climb any higher than that, so we might be in for a 2015 first-round rematch.  In their first matchup, Golden State handily swept the Pelicans, who looked hapless whenever Anthony Davis was not on the court, though he played an incredible 43.0 minutes per game.  They now have another lethal weapon in DeMarcus Cousins, however they are still at least one move away from being able to contend with the superteam.  

Jrue Holiday is a great point guard, putting up 16.3 points and 7.5 assists while having his best year since he was an All-Star in Philly, but he can’t do it all by himself.  If you take a look at the depth chart on their website right now, they have a whopping one player at shooting guard: E’Twaun Moore.  That’s a problem.  If they can dump one of their many backup power forward/centers (Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Alexis Ajinca...) for a solid 3-and-D shooting guard, say a Gary Harris-type player, they could be looking at an upset bid.  The combination of Cousins and Davis could prove to be too much for the Warriors, as Draymond Green’s 1st Team All-Defensive talents can only guard one guy at a time.  The other will be left to play against the likes of Zaza Pachulia and Javale McGee, and they’ll likely be feasted upon by the elite big men.  The Warriors did take a recent ‘L’ to the Boogie-led Kings, a testament to how Golden State could struggle against teams with a top-tier post presence.

Long story short, the Pelicans are going to be a fun team to keep an eye on as they fight for the 8th seed in the Western Conference.  Come playoff time, we could have an interesting matchup on our hands…

Ibaka's role on the Raptors.

Trading for Serge Ibaka was a great move in all aspects for Toronto. Adding a floor-spacing, defensive veteran may be the key to their recent struggles which have seen the Raptor's lose 10 of the last 14 games. Toronto’s lop sided depth-chart boasts a great guard rotation but lacks a true ‘hierarchy’ in a weak frontcourt; leading to The Raptors inevitable failure at creating an elite starting lineup as they lack a true starting Power Forward.  Starting Patterson at the 4 alongside Valanciunas creates great spacing and fluid team play but results in an underpowered bench unit that now has to rely on a frontcourt consisting of Nogueira and Siakam which possesses no spacing and no veteranship.  Ibaka satisfies Toronto’s desire for spacing in addition to completing their frontcourt rotation making The Raptors an exciting team full of lethal potential.

Ibaka is at his best when he is playing off of slashing wings on an up-tempo team, highlighting his high off-ball IQ as well as ability to score well from anywhere on the court.  Ibaka prefers to create opportunities off-ball resulting in 74.5% of his total field goals made being assisted.  Additionally, 97.5% of Ibaka’s 1.5 threes-made/game are assisted alluding to initially-alarming questions regarding with his fit on Toronto, who have the second lowest assist-totals as a team with 18.6. Not too appealing if you’re Serge Ibaka who thrives off-ball. An immediate flood of Derozan-Isolation clips come to mind. Consider this, perhaps it is not selfish for Derozan and Lowry to take dozens of isolations a game, but out of necessity.  Perhaps the lack of perimeter shooting is suspect, not ball-hogging.  

The 27-year old Power Forward will essentially assume Patterson’s basic role and utility, but with an assumedly higher usage.  Like Ibaka, Patterson is proficient in the paint in duality with being deadly from deep.  96.8% of Patterson’s 62 made-threes in addition to 76.8% of his total field goals have been assisted, suggesting that the Raptor’s are indeed willing, and able playmakers; however, given Patterson’s production as the receiver of Lowry/Derozan drive-and-dishes, it is safe to say that there total assist numbers as a team are low, because Patrick Patterson is there only inside-out, dual-threat big man. Excluding Patterson, all Toronto Power-Forwards and Centers have combined for a total of 6 made three pointers and 35 deep-two’s the entire season.  

Weaving Ibaka’s affinity for off-ball shooting with the spacing his presence will create for the Raptor’s could illustrate a playoff picture featuring Toronto near the top.  Ibaka’s 4.38 assisted Field Goals in addition with Toronto’s 2nd-Lowest 18.6apg would shoot Toronto up the leaderboard to 12th-Most Assists/Game.  Ibaka’s skillset and the spacing it commands would not only resuscitate the Raptor’s season, but accentuate what is to love about Raptors’ basketball.  Kyle Lowry is an extremely sharp ball-handler in the Pick-and-Roll, evident in his ridiculous 1.04 Points Per Possession and 92nd Percentile out of the Pick and Roll.  While Derozan and Lowry isolate and create around 80% of their own shots, they both possess relatively efficient field goal percentages of 47% and 46%.  Spacing that Ibaka could facilitate would only improve those numbers.  Ibaka has a commendable Win-Share of 2.2 on offense this season as well as 1.9 on defense. (What are Win-Shares?) Additionally, the 3x All-Defensive veteran is adding 1.6 Blocks per game this season and is a huge defensive stopper.

Concluding, Ibaka was the perfect acquisition for Toronto as his skillset not only will revive the team’s season but improve their offense and redefine the entire playoff picture.  Ibaka is a great combination of shooting and a high basketball IQ and is just what the Raptors need.  Tie in his defensive efforts and The Raptors have made a great move that may have just placed them within reach of the Finals.

Defensive Player of the Year: NBA 1st Half Awards

John Askins

Staff Writer

@Reverse_Jam

Reverse Jam's NBA 1st-Half DPOY

While the NBA has witnessed a historic offensive explosion through the first half of the season -- boasting numerous 50-point performances and Westbrook’s historic triple-double run -- the defensive side of the game has been dominated by one name: Rudy Gobert.  Heading into the 2016-2017 NBA season, league analysts were extremely optimistic of the Utah Jazz, placing them in the middle of the playoff picture for the Western Conference.  Halfway through the season, those predictions could not be more true: The Jazz are currently comfortable in the 5th seed, and when the core of their starting five is healthy, they are a strong and cohesive force on both ends of the ball that consistently show potential to be a contender in the coming years.

The man at the literal center of Utah’s squad of promising young talent is Rudy Gobert, the former 27th overall pick out of France who has become a defensive force in today’s offensively-dominated NBA.  The Stifle Tower is averaging a league-leading 2.6 blocks per game to go along with 12.6 rebounds and 12.8 points.  He is an extremely versatile defender that can also step out to the perimeter and guard stretch bigs effectively, an increasingly important skill with the league’s shoot-first mentality.  His real value, however, is in the paint.  Facing the Jazz with Rudy on the court essentially means the rim is off limits, as it is shadowed by his 7’1” 250lb frame.  Along with being huge, in 2013 he set a draft combine record with 7 feet and 8 ½ inch wingspan.  Take a moment and imagine trying to shoot over that.  The Mr. Fantastic arms allow him to change almost any shot that comes within the paint, and quite often send it back in the opposite direction  Gobert’s truly astounding physical attributes, along with high basketball IQ and a willingness to learn has turned him not only into a great defender, but an incredible NBA player.

The Jazz are the 4th-best defensive team in the league with Gobert on the court, a mighty feat considering there aren’t any premier lockdown defenders on the Jazz squad.  They are an average of +12 per 100 possessions with him anchoring the D, but have a net minus with him on the bench.

Gobert’s defensive prowess has improved exponentially since his entrance in the league.  The shotblocking numbers have always been there -- he averaged almost a block per game as a rookie in just 9.5 minutes -- but he has evolved from a raw, aggressive shotblocker into an all-around elite defender.  The numbers don’t do justice to how many shots he affects and people he rejects from rumbling to the rim, and his incredible interior defensive prowess has even worked to improve the Jazz’s defense as whole.  His teammates have so much confidence in his ability to deter shots inside that they can play more aggressively on-ball, preventing the opposing team from getting off too many 3-pointers.  The Jazz don’t possess a Kawhi Leonard or Andre Iguodala-type player that can lockdown the opposing team’s best perimeter threat, so it’s especially important that their players can take chances and play very aggressively on the ball to deny outside shots, knowing they have Gobert down low to wreak havoc if they get beat off the bounce.

Gobert got paid this past offseason after inking a 4yr/$102million extension with the Jazz, and it hasn’t made him complacent or content in the very slightest.  He remains hungry and prepared to whatever it takes to improve his game, and it really shows.  The improvement he’s made in just 4 short years in the NBA is truly incredible, and surely very few analysts and experts saw this coming.  Look for Gobert to continue to get better and better as he establishes himself in the upper echelon of NBA centers in the coming years.