DeMarcus Cousins: Dallas Mavericks Should Pursue Controversial Big Man

The general feeling around the NBA is that DeMarcus Cousins will wear out his welcome with the Sacramento Kings before long.

The fact that he's butted heads with one of his greatest supporters in head coach Keith Smart (resulting in a suspension) is all you need to know.

The fact of the matter is, players like Cousins need veteran leadership and they need to be part of a franchise with a history of winning.

Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wrote on Wednesday that the Dallas Mavericks are one of the teams around the league interested in acquiring the 6'11", 270-pound big man. The Mavericks believe that a veteran core including Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Vince Carter would keep the volatile Cousins under control.

According to MacMahon, it's not likely that the Kings will make Cousins available before the Feb. 21 trade deadline, but down the line there's certainly a chance they grow weary of his antics.

We all know about the talent Cousins possesses. It's the main reason why the Kings have put up with the 22-year-old for so long (and, yes, two-and-a-half seasons is a long time when you're dealing with Cousins).

As Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle noted, via MacMahon's report:

"

He’s got tremendous ball skills for a guy his size – great driver, drives under control, terrific finisher, underrated passer, shoots the ball well from outside and is a force on the inside. There really is no part of the game that he is not adept at. He rebounds well. He just does a lot of things very, very well.

"

Given Cousins' abilities in the paint, he would make a terrific pairing with a stretch-4 like Nowitzki. He also gives the Mavericks a physical presence in the post, which is something they are sorely lacking (allowing 102.8 points per game, 28th in the NBA).

The Mavericks are one of a handful of teams I could see possessing the mentoring abilities to get through to Cousins (beyond the veteran leadership, they boast notable sports psychologist Don Kalkstein). Given the struggles of the franchise lately, Cousins is worth a gamble.

Let me put it this way: If Cousins can't stay under control with the Mavericks, he never will.

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