January 4, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (right) gets around Sacramento Kings forward Thomas Robinson (0) at the Air Canada Centre. Sacramento defeated Toronto 105-96. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Raptors were playing a respectable game, & had carved out a healthy lead against the Kings. Then with about 4 minutes to play in Q2, someone from another dimension flicked a switch. Presto – our players were replaced by Craptors, who missed almost every shot for the next 16 minutes. During that time, Sacramento turned a 7 point deficit into a 19 point lead, in the process winning Q3 28-10. Q4 was just for show. A game which a capacity ACC crowd expected to enjoy was a boo-filled disaster.

The Kings were the happy beneficiaries of a huge game from Captain Knucklehead himself, DeMarcus Cousins. He abused Raptor big men mercilessly, on his way to a preposterous 31 points & 20 rebounds. Aaron Gray couldn’t slow down the beast, & he’s the largest Rap. Amir Johnson did his best, but he’s shorter & lighter than the Kings’ huge, mobile Centre. Amir fouled out without scoring a point, which was Gray’s total also. Ed Davis had 11 points & 13 boards, but he could feel Cousins’ shot-challenging presence all game near the bucket. Ed missed a number of close-in shots, & his free-throwing shooting is still disappointing. He wasn’t the only one floundering at the line; the team was a disturbing 25/37. This was the first game in which the absence of Jonas Valanciunas was severely damaging to the Raps. Whether he would have been able to contain Cousins is impossible to know, but he couldn’t have done worse than our overmatched big men.

The Kings were determined to deny the Raps open looks from the perimeter, as all game Cousins, Jason Thompson, & their other front court men were in our Guards’ faces. It is to the Kings’ credit that they were able to race back into sound defensive position before our Forwards could get open. James Johnson, who still should be a Rap, enjoyed his role as a harasser & blocked 2 shots. Terrence Ross was victimized once, part of a miserable 1/7 night. DeMar DeRozan was 3/11, & many of those shots were long jumpers under pressure.

What is galling about this loss is how well the Raps played for the early portion of Q2. Alan Anderson & Landry Fields were taking the ball to the hoop with success. DeMar DeRozan was attacking & getting to the line. Dwane Casey is loyal to a fault. While the Craptors were firing blanks, he wouldn’t switch out anyone, & the team needed 5 minutes to score its first bucket of the second half. Kyle Lowry, often playing with Jose Calderon in a Smurf lineup, had a “remember me?” game with 24 points, many with the game out of reach.

The Raptors need to shake this game out of their system. The Oklahoma City Thunder comes to town Sunday afternoon.

Brian Boake is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

Dec 23, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings power forward Jason Thompson (34) pulls in the rebound against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Word out of Sacramento that the Kings have suspended gifted headcase Centre DeMarcus Cousins was a tonic for me. I headed to the Trade Machine for some fun. Amazingly enough, I found a relatively simple deal which works for both teams, at least in theory: Andrea Bargnani for Cousins & Jason Thompson. The money works (the Raps save some dough), but what’s really interesting is the change in teams’ fortunes, according to the projection. The Raps gain 4 wins, but the Kings lose 10. That’s not surprising when you look at the 3 players’ PER: Thompson (16.5) & Cousins (19) are both above the theoretical average of 15, whereas our wayward & frequently injured Forward clocks in at 12.6.

If I were BC, I’d do this deal, if and only if I received complete buy-in from Dwane Casey. Should Coach want to take on the challenge of getting through to the talented giant, I’d take the chance that a change of scenery may be what young DeMarcus needs. There’s a Kentucky connection – Coach was born in the Bluegrass State & won an NCAA title in 1978 as a Wildcats Guard, & Cousins spent his one-&-done collegiate “career” at the school. I realize that’s tenuous, & quite possibly irrelevant. What is definitely of import is Coach’s no-nonsense approach. Remember how James Johnson was benched for running his mouth, played sparingly, then donated (ironically to Sacramento) last season? If DeMarcus becomes a Rap, & yaps at our Coach the way he did at Keith Smart, he’ll suffer a similar fate. You may ask why the Kings would dump a rare talent like Cousins. He’s been reinstated by the team, but this is his third suspension in as many seasons. That may be reason enough.

Jason Thompson should not be forgotten in this deal. He’s a steady contributor, averaging 10+ points & 7+ rebounds in his NBA career, which is now in its fifth season. Still, there’s no doubt that Cousins is the man with the sky-high talent & the emotional self-control of your average 6 year old. He’s the key to the deal.  Would you do it, Raps fans?

Brian Boake is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.