Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, is planning on taking talented but enigmatic Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins under his wing and helping him tap his potential.
In three seasons Cousins has averaged 16.3 points per game, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists. His stats dipped slightly this past season from 2011-2012, while playing the same amount of minutes. Also, he was involved in a very public spat with then-head coach Keith Smart, who had been a staunch supporter of Cousins in the past.
He has developed a reputation in the NBA as hot-headed and difficult to coach, and Shaq believes he can help him harness his prodigious talent. "I'm going to make DeMarcus Cousins the best big man in the game," O'Neal has proclaimed.
Cousins and O'Neal have some similarities. Both rely on their mammoth size to bully opponents in the paint. Cousins is not a gigantic as O'Neal, but today's big men are not the same as the ones O'Neal needed to plow through.
Cousins also has a more refined outside shot, giving him even more leeway than Shaq had en route to a career average of 23.7 points per game.
Shaq is an odd choice as a mentor though, largely because he was accused of having many of the perceived flaws afflicting Cousins. Shaq was dogged in his career by accusations of not training properly, not being in shape at all times, and seeking too much off-the-court attention.
Perhaps Shaq is trying to atone for those regrets in shaping the future of Cousins, who has the potential to be the league's top center.
In other news, O'Neal is being inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. He was the Player of the Year as the big man on campus for three years at Louisiana State University, and was taken No. 1 overall in the 1992 NBA Draft.
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