Cousins and the Pelicans: A question of balance

As a music aficionado, I enjoyed watching the Moody Blues finally get their due with their recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

It was long overdue. They coined a style, pioneered a orchestral sound through use of Mike Pinder and his Melotron and the historic “Days of Future Passed” album, released in 1967, which many bands have since utilized in many manners. It is a classical sound, pioneered by Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Graeme Edge and Ray Thomas, along with Pinder.

In 1969, the Moody Blues released a brilliant album in “To Our Children’s Children’s Children.”

The final song on the album was “Watching and Waiting.”

In 1970, the Moody Blues released another superb album titled “A Question of Balance.”

The first song on the album was “Question.”

As a basketball aficionado, I always enjoy watching the sport at its highest level.

It was great to see the New Orleans Pelicans finally field a winner and make a nice playoff run this past season. It was long overdue.

They crafted a style midway through the season, adjusting on the fly to the kind of frenetic, fast-breaking, up-tempo game that Coach Alvin Gentry prefers.

Make no mistake about it. Gentry did an excellent job this past season.

Now, the watching and waiting and the question have begun to discover whether the Pelicans will have Demarcus Cousins in the future or if his days in New Orleans have passed.

So the posturing and negotiating process is underway.

Cousins says has not spoken with anyone since the Pelicans season ended. He unfollowed the Pelicans on Instagram but still follows the team on Twitter. He says there is mutual interest between he and the Pelicans but that he will do what is best for him.

What else would you expect him to say?

A max salary for Cousins would likely exceed $30 million. To bring him back on a max deal would put the Pelicans in Luxury Tax territory, an unenviable position for a franchise that is not one of the richest or biggest draws in the league.

Cousins will be 28 in August. He is entering the prime of his career.

Of course, the Achilles injury is very serious stuff but you knew that.

Can he rebound to become the player he was prior to the injury?

While Cousins remains a combustible player on the floor, subject to explode and incur the wrath of many technical from officials, he has largely been on good behavior in New Orleans. The title of a 1971 Moody Blues album was “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.”

There is no issue in bringing him back in that area.

His play on the floor was excellent. The numbers speak volumes.

His ability to translate to a style that has proven to be both entertaining and successful remains a question mark.

Can he assimilate?

Cousins can pass the ball well. He is a good athlete for his size.

Still, his style of play is more of a half court game and his own skill set brings him to a place where the ball often stops with him.

It is a question of style and substance. The style of playing fast works and is widely accepted. The substance of Cousins and his talents are undeniable. He averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds in 48 games for New Orleans before the injury.

New Orleans 27-21 with Cousins and 21-13 without Cousins in the regular season. The Pelicans won a round in the playoffs before falling to Golden State. They would have likely beaten the Blazers with Cousins and would have lost to the Warriors with Cousins.

Can he mature and become the player he is fully capable of being?

While part of it is clearly bad luck and circumstances, Cousins has never been on a playoff team in his eight seasons in the league. The Kings were always poor and the Pelicans were the same a year ago.

There is still a question as to whether he would have been part of a playoff team this season.

The decision on whether to offer Cousins a max contract is very complex.

There is the matter of the salary cap. There is the matter of being a good team without him. There is the matter of his immense talent.

Then, there is the matter of the severity of the injury and how he comes back from it.

Patrick Ewing, Kobe Bryant, Dominique Wilkins, Rudy Gay, Chauncey Billups, Wes Matthews, Elton Brand, Christian Laettner, Darrell Arthur, Brandon Jennings, Jonas Jerebko, Jeff Taylor, Voshon Leonard, Maurice Taylor, LaPhonso Ellis, Anderson Varejao, Mehmet Okur, and former New Orleans Hornet Dan Dickau are among those to have incurred the serious injury in recent NBA history.

Of that large sample size, Wilkins and Gay came back and played at a level close to where they were prior to the injury. Ewing and Bryant were never quite the same. The same is true of the rest of those mentioned.

According to a 2013 medical study which identified 18 players who suffered significant Achilles injuries from 1988-2011, seven players never returned to the league. Players returning missed an average of 56 games and saw performances decline.

A 2015 CBS Sports feature revealed that among 14 players who came back from Achilles injuries since 1992, those players averaged fewer minutes while both their field goal and three-point percentage averages dropped off.

The fact that Cousins is just 27 right now gives him a better chance than some of the players who suffered the injury at the age of 30 or older.

In the final analysis, this will be all about money.

Can the Pelicans afford to pay Cousins at the max level? Will they opt to do so?

All is takes is one suitor to fall in love with a player. Based on where Cousins is in his career, he will go for the money, particularly if it is offered by an average to above average team. A lower level team likely will not be attractive to him. He has stated as much, saying he wants to play for a contender.

The other questions persist as well.

Can the Pelicans afford to bring back Rajon Rondo? Will Frank Jackson become healthy enough to find out if he can play? Will Cheick Diallo grow as a player?

Borrowing from another Moody Blues 1969 album, New Orleans could be “On the Threshold of a Dream.” The Pelicans are “In Search of the Lost Chord,” the title of another Moody Blues album of 1968.

After mostly enduring losing, the New Orleans NBA franchise is close to experiencing “The Other Side of Life,” the title of a 1986 Moody Blues album.

Cousins is likely to be inducted into several Hall of Fames down the road as well. The journey to that destination will soon resume. Where it resumes remains to be seen.

Ultimately, it is a question of balance for Gentry, Dell Demps and the Pelicans. There remains the hope that Cousins returns and does not leave New Orleans singing the blues as a team named Jazz did nearly four decades ago.