How does DeMarcus Cousins trail Zaza Pachulia in All-Star votes?
Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins is undoubtedly one of the finest young big men in the NBA. So why aren't basketball fans showing him any love?
In the latest return of this year's All-Star voting, Cousins is ranked No. 9 for frontcourt players in the Western Conference. Cousins trails the league's leader in All-Star votes, Kobe Bryant, as well as stars including Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard. Boogie is also behind big men like Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis and Tim Duncan. One player somehow receiving more votes than Cousins, however, may surprise you.
Mavericks' center Zaza Pachulia returned the second run with 194,421 votes. Sacramento's Cousins has 190,060. Why has Cousins not received the votes some would expect him to get?
It's certainly not because of his output. During his last three games, Cousins averages 33.3 points and 15 rebounds per game. He's shooting 41.7% from the floor and adds 2.7 steals per game. He averages a career-high 25.1 points with 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
DeMarcus Cousins' past 3 GP for @SacramentoKings (1-2): 33.3 PPG, 41.7% 3FG%, 15 RPG, 2.7 SPG +7.1 net rating pic.twitter.com/Xfoupk0Dgu
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 6, 2016
The Kings, too, have made a push for Boogie to the All-Star game. First, they replicated this famous "Mean" Joe Green ad. They also somehow got the "LeBron James kid" to become the "DeMarcus Cousins kid" for this video.
Pachulia, meanwhile, averages a far less impressive 10.7 points per game. His rebounding rate (10.7 per game) is on par with Cousins, but his defense pales in comparison with just 0.4 blocks per game. When did Pachulia become so famous among NBA fans? And will he remain ahead of Cousins on the next return of votes?
Bryan Kalbrosky produces digital content for FOXSports.com. For more, follow him on Twitter @BryanKalbrosky.
