Remember the hype surrounding the New Orleans Pelicans when they traded for DeMarcus Cousins? It seemed like a match made in heaven with Cousins and Anthony Davis together in the frontcourt, as both are arguably the two best big men in the NBA.
Numbers say otherwise, though. The Pelicans are 3-6 since trading for the former Sacramento Kings star. It's not terrible considering the supporting cast hasn't been great in the first place. Along with that, the Kings have been 1-8 since trading away their franchise player.
Despite all that, Cousins' numbers have dropped (27.8 points per game to 22.1). That is understandable, though, because he's not the main No. 1 option like he was in Sactown. However, his efficiency should be better.
Cousins has dropped to shooting 42.5 percent from the field compared to 45.2 before the trade.That's not all. His 3-point percentage has dropped (35.6 to 30.6), he's turning the ball over more (3.8 to 4 per game) and he's fouling more often as well (3.7 to 4.4 per game).
The Pelicans were 23-34 (2.5 games out of the playoffs) before the trade, and are now 26-40 (4.5 games back). You could say it's the team and not Cousins, but it seems like the Pelicans' wins since the trade have been in spite of Boogie.
In the team's first win, Boogie was suspended. In the second, he got fouled out. In their third win, Boogie was benched in the fourth quarter after having only 11 points, four rebounds and four assists (Anthony Davis dropped 46 points and 21 rebounds in that game).
Cousins does become an unrestricted free agent in 2018, so the Pelicans should give this another go next season and see if their twin towers of The Brow and Boogie is worth it. So far though, people are already considering it a disaster.
