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Demarcus Cousins comments on negotiations post Achilles tear.

Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:18 am
Posted by dj30
New Orleans
Member since Feb 2006
29855 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:18 am
LINK

Thought this was pretty interesting hearing his side of the story post injury.
Posted by whatiknowsofar
hm?
Member since Nov 2010
25965 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:27 am to
Demarcus is either lying or multiple credible reporters are lying. You be the judge.
Posted by teke184
Zachary, LA
Member since Jan 2007
103149 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:29 am to
Did Dell talk to his agent and then Cousins not talk to his agent before going “frick it, get me to Golden State!”?


Cause all indications are that there was a two year deal out there and Cousins got pissed it wasn’t for more, which wasn’t really feasible under CBA rules (limits on year over year raises for multi year contracts) given that he was going to miss most of a season.
Posted by Epic Cajun
Lafayette, LA
Member since Feb 2013
36479 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:46 am to
quote:

Cause all indications are that there was a two year deal out there and Cousins got pissed it wasn’t for more, which wasn’t really feasible under CBA rules (limits on year over year raises for multi year contracts) given that he was going to miss most of a season.

We had his Bird Rights, we could've signed him to a full max contract if we wanted to.
Posted by Epic Cajun
Lafayette, LA
Member since Feb 2013
36479 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:49 am to
A. He's probably full of shite.

B. If he's telling the truth, it's funny that he doesn't realize that being an a-hole matters, and if you're an a-hole it's likely that people won't want to work with you.
Posted by teke184
Zachary, LA
Member since Jan 2007
103149 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 10:53 am to
The problem wasn’t a full max, it was going to be “how much does he get paid in a season”.


Can’t do a 2 year contract of $10m and $30m. Has to be an even amount per season or a chance of no more than 25% per season.
Posted by htran90
BC
Member since Dec 2012
31948 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 11:02 am to
Listening to all of that, it sounds like Cousins was focused on rehabbing post-injury --- not even trying to negotiate or talk contracts mid-season.

Then Demps comes in and tries to be a sleezeball about it --- Cousins gets offended (as he always did) and Demps (as he ALWAYS has done this entire tenure, but reality he is also an equal butthurt offended person) thinks he's smarter and better than everyone.

Our mistake was keeping the idiot that is Demps for as long as we did. Our other mistake was letting two guys who get butthurt over the smallest things affect this franchise.
Posted by teke184
Zachary, LA
Member since Jan 2007
103149 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 11:06 am to
Cousins went to Coachella during the playoffs rather than rehab or be with the team.

Not a great look.
Posted by Epic Cajun
Lafayette, LA
Member since Feb 2013
36479 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 11:13 am to
quote:

The problem wasn’t a full max, it was going to be “how much does he get paid in a season”.


Can’t do a 2 year contract of $10m and $30m. Has to be an even amount per season or a chance of no more than 25% per season.

I'm still confused as to the "problem" here. The "problem" wasn't CBA related, it was that we no longer wanted to pay him a max contract because A. he is a "big" coming off of an Achilles injury and we weren't sure that he'd fully recover and be the same player and B. he is apparently an a-hole
Posted by jmcwhrter
Member since Nov 2012
7700 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 11:38 am to
quote:

Then Demps comes in and tries to be a sleezeball about it


Demarcus still tells this story that he was an all-star, helped the team to the playoffs, etc., and that he was a max player and we tried to lowball him because of an injury.

No sane GM would give him a max contract to a center who has torn his ACL, his quad, and his achilles in a two year span.

Dell was absolutely right to try and set expectations that the team would not be offering him a max when free agency started, and Demarcus didn't like hearing that he wasn't considered a max player anymore..

and he never was again
Posted by JohnnyKilroy
Cajun Navy Vice Admiral
Member since Oct 2012
40326 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 11:51 am to
quote:

No sane GM would give him a max contract to a center who has torn his ACL, his quad, and his achilles in a two year span.


The acl and quad injuries came after he left nola.

quote:

Dell was absolutely right to try and set expectations that the team would not be offering him a max when free agency started, and Demarcus didn't like hearing that he wasn't considered a max player anymore..


If you believe DeMarcus’s telling of the story, it seemed much more that he was offended that he was a week into recovery after the best season of his life was cut short right as his team was hitting its stride and the gm comes in for a visit to essentially tell him his value as a player has tanked.


Is that something that dell needed to relay to demarcus personally in early February?


Demarcus is a well documented a-hole, but if his telling of the story is close to truthful, then that move by dell is certified a-hole too.
Posted by jmcwhrter
Member since Nov 2012
7700 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:01 pm to
quote:

The acl and quad injuries came after he left nola.


my bad -- read an article and got mixed up

quote:

and the gm comes in for a visit to essentially tell him his value as a player has tanked.


That's the real question. Did Dell come in and say "you aint worth shite anymore", or did he say "the team is going to have to be cautious with this injury, and that may mean that we can't offer you the max you were likely expecting"
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
40815 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:03 pm to
quote:

Listening to all of that, it sounds like Cousins was focused on rehabbing post-injury --- not even trying to negotiate or talk contracts mid-season.

Then Demps comes in and tries to be a sleezeball about it --- Cousins gets offended (as he always did) and Demps (as he ALWAYS has done this entire tenure, but reality he is also an equal butthurt offended person) thinks he's smarter and better than everyone.



What an awful take. They offered a guy with a torn Achilles 40 million dollars. 40! It would have been more money than he had ever made and in the six years after leaving the Pelicans he made a total of around 13 million for the rest of his career.

If anything, it was an incredibly generous offer, especially considering the circumstances, and incredibly dumb on his part to turn it down. Not even remotely a sleezeball move on Demps part.
Posted by htran90
BC
Member since Dec 2012
31948 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:25 pm to
The contract, I 100% believe was offered, but it was after that interaction that seemingly soured that relationship so he's trying to say it never happened when in reality he said frick you on not hearing it. That's his problem.

What I think the mistake was, demps missing the point and how to approach this team and the players. Which he has done throughout his time here.

Just imagine being in cousins shoes. On pace to be a max player, winning, all star starter, and seemingly found a new home.

Then suffered a devastating injury where you, I, and everyone knows - you're not going to get that max. You just lost 9 figures in an instant.

Then supposedly your gm, who never reached out to you from the injury, until this road trip (a month?) comes in and just tells hey man just FYI we ain't gonna pay you that money, just so you know.

Not the right place.
Not the right time.

It rubbed cousins the wrong way because that "family" atmosphere the pelicans sold him was bullshite and he said frick it to demps and then pelicans because he was "disrespected" in his eyes (right or wrong).
Posted by GynoSandberg
Bay St Louis, MS
Member since Jan 2006
73964 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:31 pm to
quote:

What an awful take. They offered a guy with a torn Achilles 40 million dollars. 40!


Did you listen to the interview?
Posted by NOSHAU
Member since Feb 2012
13490 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:39 pm to
quote:

Did you listen to the interview?
Typical Cousins playing the victim as he did his entire career. I don't buy that version of the story at all. This is the same guy who is trying to make excuses as to why he never showed up during the playoff run. He also points to us signing Randle as taking his money. Randle was an MLE player late in the process.
Posted by Delusional
Member since Dec 2018
6224 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 12:42 pm to
Glad it didn't work out. Unlikeable, hot headed player.
Posted by Galactic Inquisitor
An Incredibly Distant Star
Member since Dec 2013
18452 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 1:08 pm to
quote:

Demarcus Cousins


quote:

Delusional
Posted by jmcwhrter
Member since Nov 2012
7700 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 1:25 pm to
quote:

Then supposedly your gm, who never reached out to you from the injury, until this road trip (a month?) comes in and just tells hey man just FYI we ain't gonna pay you that money, just so you know.

Not the right place.
Not the right time.

It rubbed cousins the wrong way because that "family" atmosphere the pelicans sold him was bullshite and he said frick it to demps and then pelicans because he was "disrespected" in his eyes (right or wrong).


from Cousins' own mouth: "maybe a week after my surgery, Dell Demps reached out"

and for all you know, Dell Demps may have said: "Man we hate it for you, and we're going to get you what we can, but unfortunately it won't be the max you were probably looking for.."

Cousins got offended that he wasn't going to get a max offer, told Demps not to talk to him until the season was over, ghosted the team during a playoff run, and then STILL expected them to come crawling back to make him happy.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
40815 posts
Posted on 8/21/24 at 1:28 pm to
quote:

Did you listen to the interview?


Yes. You believe him?
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