Cousins suspended by the team

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
The best part about that Newcastle clip is the double red card at the end. Oh, you're down 3-nil, your teammates attack each other and now you're down 2 men.

This Kings situation just sucks though. I'm pretty confident DMC will mature but hopefully he doesn't run himself out of town first so we can be like GS (and Wash) after they shipped Webb out.
 
The best part about that Newcastle clip is the double red card at the end. Oh, you're down 3-nil, your teammates attack each other and now you're down 2 men.

This Kings situation just sucks though. I'm pretty confident DMC will mature but hopefully he doesn't run himself out of town first so we can be like GS (and Wash) after they shipped Webb out.
There's really no advantage in us giving up on Cousins. We're in a situation where we can be patient, but players don't always mature.
 
He pretty clearly started this. Anybody who doesn't think he did is rather blatantly biased. The guy who starts something is frequently ready to get over it long before the guy he attacked is. Doesn't change the root cause of the problem. Nor does it change the fact that it was Cousins, aghain, unhappy with the team and causing problems. hard to imagine Dongte beign any sort of distraction to the team on the plane without Demarcus around.

I'm actually rather glad Donte stood up for himself. We are always accusing him of being too easy going, too nice, too happy. its actually a good thing to see that if you press him far enough he will fight back. Just don't want to see it anymore, and if I were Petrie I might actually consider suspending Donte for a game too not because he deserved it, but just to prevent the big child from feelign singled out and picked on. Of course since it would actually cost Donte money, that's not really right, but it might be smart.

P.S. I HOPE Donte is joking about it via twitter. Its the quickest way to defuse this and smooth it over. Now can Cousins laugh at himself? That's a question. Often hard to do when you are yougn and full of self righteous anger.
i agree. what would you expect him to do? he made the right decision not forcing a pass downlow and passing to the open man. it didnt work out. then walking away after the loss a rookie runs up and yells at you. and you guys expect him to just take it??? i think you guys are just finding anything possible to put the blame off of cousins
 
No what we are all sick of is this rationale that you and few others spew out here every time we lose and its ALWAYS Tyreke's fault! Maybe you need to take off your blinkers and actually look at this with your hate of Tyreke put aside.

Has he had games where he just flat out sucked late in games?! ABSOLUTELY!

Was this game one of them?! NO chance in hell!

No one with an ounce of intelligence would say what you just dribbled in this post. You might have watched the game but the basketball IQ you displayed in this post is well below zero! Tyreke had the time to pass it in to Cousins with 5 secons left on the clock and Thunder defending the area that Cousins was in very well. If that pass went in towards Cousins and it was picked off (as it had more than 90% chance to be) you would be the first one to come on here and attach Tyreke's basketball IQ and dribble on about yet another late game blunder.

There is not a coach in the league who would have had something negative to say about Tyreke's last 3 minutes in this game, other than maybe that missed FT. He is the reason we were able to get within a whisker of winning this. Like I said, if other players played anywhere near the efficiency that Tyreke played with we would have won this game and it wouldn't have come down to a buzzer beater.
Don't hurl your BS low blows this way cool guy. Why you mad at me? I've never ever attacked Tyreke until this thread. PERIOD. Check my post history and find one. I absolutely LIKE Tyreke and have high hopes for his future. No blinders here, so save the drama.

But it IS Tyreke's fault when he has the absolute last play of a close game, and sends up a low percentage prayer pretty much every time. I am NOT questioning his regular game play. ONCE AGAIN, SO ITS CLEAR, I am NOT questioning his regular game. I think he is a future allstar, and because of him we are in most of these games to begin with. I'm questioning the last 5secs and why a below 30% shooter thinks its a good idea hoisting a game winning shot 2 feet behind the 3pt line with a hand in his face is puzzling to me...yea 5secs is not much time all...when he caught the ball he had to do something... But his decision was to run out up top instead of back inside (and he's got the handles to get in close quick). That kind of bad, low decision making is just getting old to me. Maybe not to you, but to me.

But my point of that post was just connecting Cousin aggravations with the melt down and what I see. So no need to be insulting me. (edit; didn't know you were a her, so I take the cool guy thing back)
 
Last edited:

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I'm not trying to defend Cousins (cause he was completely wrong getting into fight so does Donte) but I dont have anything against him speaking up about the issue that has been there for quite a while now.
Actually we don't actually know who started the fight. By fight, I mean throwing punches. According to what Amick wrote it was Donte that wouldn't let it go. But its all second hand hearsay at this point.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think he was referring to watching it on TV. Which I myself saw. I saw Tyreke laughing right after he missed the shot. To be honest I didn't think much of it at the time. Sometimes people just react differently to things. I then saw Greene smiling as he was going off the floor. I didn't pay much attention to that either. However, I can see where Cousins, who thought the play was going to go to him, and was disappointed, saw his teammates laughing or similing right afterwards, and got angry.

Anyway the link, was to watch the game and what happened afterward.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
Did you see the sequence? The 3 point shot was pretty much the only alternative with a successful option.

Just because he's smiling doesn't mean he likes to lose. Some of us have a different outlook on life. It is, after all, just a game. For those who deal with, or have dealt with, life and death on a regular basis, the game of basketball isn't as severe. Again, just because you don't get pissed about something doesn't mean you're OK with it.
I'm going to disagree with you only slightly. The 3 pt shot was the only option, because the inbounds pass went to Evans. If the inbounds pass had gone to Cousins, then the 3 pt shot wouldn't have been the only option. Obviously, Cousins shares that opinion. However, as I said, I don't blame Greene for taking the option he did. It appeared to be the safest option of the two. Just not the only one.
 
I think he was referring to watching it on TV. Which I myself saw. I saw Tyreke laughing right after he missed the shot. To be honest I didn't think much of it at the time. Sometimes people just react differently to things. I then saw Greene smiling as he was going off the floor. I didn't pay much attention to that either. However, I can see where Cousins, who thought the play was going to go to him, and was disappointed, saw his teammates laughing or similing right afterwards, and got angry.

Anyway the link, was to watch the game and what happened afterward.
i remember smiling but not laughing (then again just saw it once). but is it possible he had that "man sooo close" smile? is it possible donte and tyreke were smiling because they were an inch away from a 15-2 run comeback? i see players smile when they throw up a last second shot that almost goes in at the end of a quarter or half sometimes.
 
Don't hurl your BS low blows this way cool guy. Why you mad at me? I've never ever attacked Tyreke until this thread. PERIOD. Check my post history and find one. I absolutely LIKE Tyreke and have high hopes for his future. No blinders here, so save the drama.

But it IS Tyreke's fault when he has the absolute last play of a close game, and sends up a low percentage prayer pretty much every time. I am NOT questioning his regular game play. ONCE AGAIN, SO ITS CLEAR, I am NOT questioning his regular game. I think he is a future allstar, and because of him we are in most of these games to begin with. I'm questioning the last 5secs and why a below 30% shooter thinks its a good idea hoisting a game winning shot 2 feet behind the 3pt line with a hand in his face is puzzling to me...yea 5secs is not much time all...when he caught the ball he had to do something... But his decision was to run out up top instead of back inside (and he's got the handles to get in close quick). That kind of bad, low decision making is just getting old to me. Maybe not to you, but to me.

But my point of that post was just connecting Cousin aggravations with the melt down and what I see. So no need to be insulting me.
Does Carolija sound like a guys name to you?
 
Not the best situation but not the end of the world. I like how Cousins wants to win, he is tired of losing, as mush as i love Tyreke, him shooting a 3 for a game winner prolly isnt the best shot. There was about 5.5 seconds i believe could have been a better play, drive and kick, pick and roll at the top something. Teammates, co-workers, and family fight it happens. I like Cousins fire and i'd say he is arguably as a rookie our best player who gets the highest % shots.

As far as Greene i have been excited about his potential since he joined the team, the guy could really be a top player in the NBA, his problem is he has no fire! Seems like he doesn't care at all. Hopefully Greene, Cousins, and Evans can come to an understanding, at least a common respect, they really could be a dangerous trio if they can get it together...

ps.. can whiteside get some pt????
 
To be fair, and make it not look like we are using Cousins as the scapegoat again, I dont think Donte should be playing tonight. Sends a bad message like the situation last year where Hawes was suspended for saying the same things Evans was saying.

And I think this was Cousins fault. But if they actually fought, and were swinging at each other .. then I think its fair to keep them both out.
 
Dont like how Cousins handled himself, but im glad hes being vocal about the teams problems, i only wished he kept it a more in house instead of resorting to what he did.

Id rather have Cousins than Cisco or Westphal calling out Tyreke because Cousins is the only guy who has the potential to become a bigger star than Tyreke, so it really raises some awareness to what hes angry about.
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
To be fair, and make it not look like we are using Cousins as the scapegoat again, I dont think Donte should be playing tonight. Sends a bad message like the situation last year where Hawes was suspended for saying the same things Evans was saying.

And I think this was Cousins fault. But if they actually fought, and were swinging at each other .. then I think its fair to keep them both out.
For real. Westphal seems to like to scapegoat Cuz.

Not that I want the org to put up with any **** from the big fella. But the guy is, by all accounts, sensitive...And I think because of that these incidents need to be handled a bit more delicately. We dont want Cousins to be able to get whatever he wants, but we dont want him to harbor bitterness against the franchise and bail at the end of his contract either.

The losing is just taking its toll. But he needs to know that he cant throw tantrums (or punches), just because he doesnt get the ball.

Sigh...Crappy situation. I'd feel way more confident in it getting settled if we had Rick here. Westphal just seems to play favorites.
 
Honestly I always thought Carolija was a guy lol. Maybe it's cause I never thought Carolija to be his/her actual name.
i guess it's bad that i also assume most posters are guys. the only ones i know are female are because their avatars or happen to read some post that somehow mention it (ie against girls theme for losses or want guys in the theme)
 
For real. Westphal seems to like to scapegoat Cuz.

Not that I want the org to put up with any **** from the big fella. But the guy is, by all accounts, sensitive...And I think because of that these incidents need to be handled a bit more delicately. We dont want Cousins to be able to get whatever he wants, but we dont want him to harbor bitterness against the franchise and bail at the end of his contract either.

The losing is just taking its toll. But he needs to know that he cant throw tantrums (or punches), just because he doesnt get the ball.

Sigh...Crappy situation. I'd feel way more confident in it getting settled if we had Rick here. Westphal just seems to play favorites.
This wasn't Westphal's decision. Straight from GP.
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

Still doesnt change my opinion on Westphal, but does change my opinions on the situation.

Hopefully Greene gets disciplined as well. If both guys threw punches, both guys shouldnt play.

Arnt they friends off the court btw? Would help the situation. I know I've gotten into it with buddies in the past, only to have it water under the bridge a couple days later.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think it's safe to assume previous strikes counted against Cousins in this.

Why someone would want to go at their team mate is beyond me... fair enough a bit of verbals but throwing punches? Come on.
I had arguements with my teammates all the time. Especially if I thought they wern't bringing it. Its a very common thing. And to be honest, until the punches were thrown, I don't see a problem. If I had gotten suspended for every time I got in a teammates face I wouldn't have been playing very much. However, I never once threw a punch first. So until I know who threw the first punch, I'm going to reserve judgement on who to blame.

I certainly hope that were not going to start suspending guys for having words with their teammates. Personally I think its a good thing for players to clear the air. If Cousins shoots off his mouth, and the rest of the team doesn't agree with him, he'll learn from that. At the same time, if a lot of the team does agree with him, then Evans will learn from it. Regardless of how it plays out, Evans and Cousins are the foundation of the team, and they need to be on the same page. And that means one can't ignore the other.

If Greene threw the first punch, then he should be suspended and not Cousins. If Cousins threw the first punch, then he should be suspended. And if its the later, and its decided that it wouldn't have happened if Greene had just let it go, then both should be suspended. Personally I wouldn't suspend either one of them. I'd just hit them in their wallet with a big fine and a big a$$ chewing. Suspending them hurts the team. Fining them only hurts them. But thats probably why I'm not in charge of anything. Except doing the dishes..
 
I hope this draft we get us a REAL PG.. Cousins is probably our best passer on the team right now. Maybe he thought "I could have made this pass so why couldn't you, Greene!?" Get me a PG and move Evans to SG, and if Evans at SG doesn't work then move him.. Would have been easier if we got Curry. At least Curry can play off the ball.
 
Holy crap, I just found out about this right now. My first thought is, why wasn't Greene suspended too if he took a swing as well? My second thought is, that's really discouraging news.
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
Eh... Curry is actually having a better year than Reke.

Thing is, Curry is about maxed out as who he is as a player. Without Ellis, he might average 5 more PPG, but he's never going to be that guy who can carry a team on his back. With luck, dedication, and some good coaching, Reke can be that player down the line.

It would be nice to have Curry's brain in Reke's body though :p
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
There's really no advantage in us giving up on Cousins. We're in a situation where we can be patient, but players don't always mature.
I don't know him personally, so I don't pretend to know how hid mind works or if he's being honest or not. Or, perhaps he's being too honest and simply doesn't have the social skills to communicate in an adult way. When I see an interview with him, he comes across as humble and honest, and frankly, a very likable guy. None of us know exactly whats going on with the team. No one knows if the team is already divided along loyality lines. For all we know, Cousins is just the tip of the iceberg. There could be a greater problem beneath the surface, and Cousins, being young and immature, is just reflecting what a lot of the other players are feeling. And thats not an excuse. Being right doesn't excuse bad behavior. And acting badly certainly doesn't make you right.

I truely believe that Cousins wants to be socially accepted. I believe he wants to become a great player. Doesn't mean he will. Wanting and doing are two seperate things. But I wouldn't bet against him. At least not yet. I think he also has to realize thats there's a difference between being a great player, and being a good teammate. And that you can be one without being the other. In his interview on Grants show, Grant asked him what was the most important thing he wanted to accomplish. He said to win! That he didn't care if his stat line was 0 0 0 across the board, as long as the team won. He sounded sincere when he said it. I think its apparent that he doesn't deal well with losing. And thats a good thing. He just needs to find a different way of dealing with his frustration.