Barkley: Cousins might be best player in NBA if he'd gone to Spurs

What would the careers of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh look like had they been drafted by the Detroit Pistons? Would Kobe Bryant have become the legend he is had he stayed with the Charlotte Hornets?

The situation a player finds himself in upon entering the league clearly has a great impact on his chances of success out of the gate and beyond.

DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, heralded as one of the premiere centers in the NBA, hasn't been a part of a 30-win team since going fifth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft.

What would he look like playing in Gregg Popovich's system for the San Antonio Spurs instead? Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley believes that would have been the perfect home for him coming out of Kentucky.

"I feel bad he went to a Mickey Mouse organization," Barkley said to Justin Termine during a Tuesday appearance on Sirius XM's "NBA Today." He added that if the Spurs had drafted "Boogie," he might be the best player in the entire league.

One thing Popovich has always preached is the importance of character when working with talent. If there are any signs a player will develop an ego or become difficult to work with down the road, he'd prefer to turn his attention elsewhere, even if that means working with someone less talented.

Cousins has a reputation for being hot-headed on the hardwood, which would explain his 53 technical fouls since the 2012-13 campaign. The franchise has also been a revolving door for head coaches during his run with Sacramento, with Paul Westphal, Keith Smart, Mike Malone, Tyrone Corbin, and George Karl all having worked with the All-Star big man at some point or another.

"At some point, he is the problem," Barkley said of Cousins, who he believes deserves his fair share of blame for the Kings' seeming inability to hold on to a coach for more than a cup of coffee.

Cousins is currently averaging a double-double of 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds on 41.8 percent shooting for the 12-19 Kings, who find themselves just two games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Sacramento has a legitimate shot at ending its 10-year playoff drought, and with Cousins acting as the top dog on the roster, it's hard to imagine Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive looking to move him in a trade. Even so, Barkley believes that if the right offer came along, Kings management would be silly to not consider cutting ties.