Khris Middleton And The Value of Real Plus-Minus

Mar 16, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts after scoring a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Sacramento Kings 110-103. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

8. DeMarcus Cousins

Contract Next Season: $14,728,844

DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins was once more of a novelty piece in the NBA landscape. When will he next lose his temper? When’s he next going to argue with a coach? When will he ever put it all together? Now though, he seems like the real deal.

It’s almost been a little forgotten about in the midst of all the craziness that the Sacramento Kings have gone through this season, but earlier in the year, when Mike Malone was still coach and the team looked like a surprise Playoff contender, Cousins was a legitimate MVP contender.

If it hadn’t been for an unfortunate bout of meningitis (and a more unfortunate case of crazy ownership), Cousins could still be on the tip of everyone’s tongue along with Curry, Harden and Westbrook.

Moving forward, with George Karl now his head coach, the sky seems to be the limit for Cousins and his supreme talent, and he’s the sort of unique player that doesn’t come around too often.