Cousins SENT HOME????
- Thread starter UK_King
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Some thoughts on this situation and the Kings right now.
1. When a big man comes into the league with DeMarcus' talent level and ability and everyone is questioning his maturity and personality, expecting him to turn it around and be a saint any time soon is NOT going to happen.
This doesn't excuse his behavior, but yeah, he needs time.
2. When multiple players are complaining about the offense and they look lost, you've got problems. Most of this gets put on the coach, because it's mostly his system. You build a system that fits the players and get them to buy in, it's your job.
Westphal isn't the guy who was shooting 60% from the free throw line either, though.
3. Releasing an official statement that publicly calls out one of your franchise players and airs some dirty laundry for everyone to see is probably not the best move you could have made as an organization. Does taking shots at Cousins in this way really help things?
It's not that you don't take action, but it's the way in which you handle it.
4. Kings are the youngest team in the league, expecting them to have the Xs and Os down perfectly with a short training camp, little time to prepare between games, etc. is pretty unrealistic.
Still, before New Orleans they looked so dreadful for parts of the last three games, it's fair for people to be questioning the system and how things are being ran.
This doesn't excuse his behavior, but yeah, he needs time.
2. When multiple players are complaining about the offense and they look lost, you've got problems. Most of this gets put on the coach, because it's mostly his system. You build a system that fits the players and get them to buy in, it's your job.
Westphal isn't the guy who was shooting 60% from the free throw line either, though.
3. Releasing an official statement that publicly calls out one of your franchise players and airs some dirty laundry for everyone to see is probably not the best move you could have made as an organization. Does taking shots at Cousins in this way really help things?
It's not that you don't take action, but it's the way in which you handle it.
4. Kings are the youngest team in the league, expecting them to have the Xs and Os down perfectly with a short training camp, little time to prepare between games, etc. is pretty unrealistic.
Still, before New Orleans they looked so dreadful for parts of the last three games, it's fair for people to be questioning the system and how things are being ran.
I don't think Westphal is lying, but I also don't think Cousins was seriously asking to be traded. And I think Westphal knows that. But thats immaterial right now. Whats done is done and some fences have to be mended. Cousins said the he felt Westphal singled him out after the game. If true, it was probably a bad idea. Letting a player know he screwed up is fine, but right after a loss like that, with everyone's emotions high, not a good idea. I think the two of them just don't like one another and I'm not sure how you deal with that without getting rid of one of them.
BTW, anyone else think the exclamation mark in Westphal's statement seems out of place? It just seems unprofessional for an official media release of this nature. And I guess this is parsing semantics but when he says "it cannot be ignored indefinitely" implies he was ignoring Cousins' refusal to go along with the system which is not a very sound coaching practice either.
This is crazy. There’s no way we’re trading Demarcus.
What is our Coach thinking? Instead of finding a way to work with him he pushes out a false report about wanting to be traded? I know Demarcus is immature, but he’s growing and yeah I see a change in him from last year to this year. And for some reason I think Coach wants to fight with Demarcus. I didn’t see a coaching change this year but this whole thing has me wondering how long Paul can lead this team – he’s probably out the door if he can’t get this whole team to work with each other (including Demarcus). If only the Maloofs went after Adelman this summer. I don’t see any decent coaches out there – I don’t like JVG and seriously we shouldn’t be in this position 5 games into the season.
This whole situation really puts a bad light onto this team/organization. We let go of a really good coach (Rick) and went through a slew of other non-qualified coaches and now our coach just released some false report – which could potentially alienate a player and destroy the team.
What is our Coach thinking? Instead of finding a way to work with him he pushes out a false report about wanting to be traded? I know Demarcus is immature, but he’s growing and yeah I see a change in him from last year to this year. And for some reason I think Coach wants to fight with Demarcus. I didn’t see a coaching change this year but this whole thing has me wondering how long Paul can lead this team – he’s probably out the door if he can’t get this whole team to work with each other (including Demarcus). If only the Maloofs went after Adelman this summer. I don’t see any decent coaches out there – I don’t like JVG and seriously we shouldn’t be in this position 5 games into the season.
This whole situation really puts a bad light onto this team/organization. We let go of a really good coach (Rick) and went through a slew of other non-qualified coaches and now our coach just released some false report – which could potentially alienate a player and destroy the team.
Anyway, since I pointed out a lot of problems, here are my solution(s).
It boils down to taking some time for these situations to work themselves out.
I'm undecided on Westphal, but the problem is if you fire him, who do you bring in to replace him?
DeMarcus also needs time. This guy isn't a saint, how the Kings are surprised or even reacting this way amazes me. They see him all the time in practice, in game, etc. they know what his issues are better than anyone. They should have a better system in place for dealing with him besides calling him out in a public forum and having the media go crazy with stories about how bad his behavior is.
If Westphal can't get the youngest team in the league on the same page in the relatively near future, you fire him and try and bring in someone who can.
If you can't get DeMarcus under control, you go about your way quietly trading him away to another franchise and getting a lot back in return. You don't release an official statement through the organization that blasts him and hurts his trade value massively in the process.
Anyway, give it some time. Could be a happier ending here, winning fixes a lot of problems. And if things don't start clicking, you make changes.
It boils down to taking some time for these situations to work themselves out.
I'm undecided on Westphal, but the problem is if you fire him, who do you bring in to replace him?
DeMarcus also needs time. This guy isn't a saint, how the Kings are surprised or even reacting this way amazes me. They see him all the time in practice, in game, etc. they know what his issues are better than anyone. They should have a better system in place for dealing with him besides calling him out in a public forum and having the media go crazy with stories about how bad his behavior is.
If Westphal can't get the youngest team in the league on the same page in the relatively near future, you fire him and try and bring in someone who can.
If you can't get DeMarcus under control, you go about your way quietly trading him away to another franchise and getting a lot back in return. You don't release an official statement through the organization that blasts him and hurts his trade value massively in the process.
Anyway, give it some time. Could be a happier ending here, winning fixes a lot of problems. And if things don't start clicking, you make changes.
Kings say they won’t trade Cousins
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hours before Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal ordered DeMarcus Cousins to stay away from Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, the temperamental center had yet another shouting match with Westphal in the coach’s office, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Westphal and Cousins’ agent John Grieg are at odds over whether Cousins issued a actual trade demand – the coach said yes, the agent no – but a Kings player said he heard the center yelling that he wanted out of Sacramento, sources said.
“Trade me now,” Cousins was heard to yell after Saturday’s loss to the New York Knicks, a source told Y! Sports.
Before the Kings’ 96-80 victory over the Hornets Sunday, Westphal told reporters that Cousins requested trades on Dec. 24 and again after Saturday night’s loss to the Knicks. In a statement released by the Kings earlier Sunday, Westphal said he ordered Cousins to stay away from that evening’s game because Cousins “continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team.”
Kings co-owner Joe Maloof and general manager Geoff Petrie said they will not trade Cousins, regardless of his wishes. Cousins, 21, is in the second year of a rookie contract paying him $3.6 million this season, and it would be tough for the Kings to get equal value for a talented player who already has a long history of throwing temper tantrums.
“We’re happy that he’s a King,” Maloof told Y! Sports. “But when a coach asks you to do something, you got to do it. We’re not trading him. …We have great expectations for him. It’s just one of those things that happens.
“Sooner or later he’ll understand what the NBA is about. Just get along with people. That’s all.”
Teams interested in Cousins have called the Kings, but none believe the team will seriously consider trading him so early in his career. Several rival executives expect the Kings will eventually make a coaching change and try a tougher style with Cousins.
“Once you saw that release only came from Westphal, that was a telltale sign that this was a coach venting and not a call to the league by management and ownership that they were trading Cousins,” one Eastern Conference executive told Y! Sports.
Cousins had nine points and 11 rebounds against the Knicks and asked Westphal afterward if he could meet with him. The two met in the coach’s office, a source said. Cousins had told reporters he wasn’t happy with the team’s offense. Westphal told Cousins in a private meeting Sunday morning that he wouldn’t be playing in the Hornets game, a source said.
Just last week, Cousins had another verbal altercation with Westphal after Westphal called him for a technical in practice, several sources said.
Cousins is an immensely talented young player, which is why the University of Kentucky and the Kings have tolerated his behavior over the past two seasons. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft pushed through a rookie season full of spectacular promise on the floor tempered with volatile, immature behavior on and off the court. The Kings disciplined Cousins several times for behavioral issues, and Cousins had run-ins with Sacramento coaches, including Westphal, former assistants Truck Robinson and Mario Elie, and strength-and-conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro. Cousins was also was suspended after a locker-room altercation with teammate Donte Greene last season after Greene didn’t pass him the ball for a potential game-winning shot in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the time, Greene called Cousins “spoiled,” one source said, a reference to the franchise’s coddling of its young center.
“He’s selfish,” one source close to the team said of Cousins. “He’s always angry or clowning. He needs to change. The Kings have been great about covering things up for him, and his agent has been protecting him.
“He’s always miserable. He acts like he’s entitled.”
Some players are disillusioned with the constant drain of Cousins’ tantrums, sulking and absence of professionalism. “He’s a bully, and they let him get away with it,” one source said. “No one wants to deal with the guy.”
[ Also: Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose won’t allow his fame or riches to change him ]
Cousins is averaging 13 points and 11.2 rebounds in four games. The Kings don’t doubt Cousins’ talent, but they want to see him become more professional.
“He’s passionate and he wants to win, but he just needs to learn how to control his actions,” Kings center Chuck Hayes said. “Some things are better left unsaid. And if you’re not feeling the system, the team, the players, don’t let your body language say it.”
Said Kings guard Tyreke Evans: “I’ve known DeMarcus for a long time and I want nothing but the best for him, but hopefully he can keep his head on straight and be a part of this team because we need him.”
The Kings next play Tuesday in Memphis. When asked if Cousins will play, Petrie said he will meet with him prior to the Kings’ flight on Monday and “go forward from there.”
“He just has to put away the childish things and start to grow up,” Petrie said. “Learn to be more professional. Learn to put in effort and time and grow as a player. We want to help him help himself and the team.”
The Kings are 2-3 this season. Prior to Sunday’s victory, Petrie was asked about Westphal’s performance as coach.
“I don’t think anyone is happy with the way we are playing,” Westphal said. “We have to play better. That’s what we are all working on.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...Sq8vLYF?slug=ys-demarcus_cousins_kings_010112
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hours before Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal ordered DeMarcus Cousins to stay away from Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, the temperamental center had yet another shouting match with Westphal in the coach’s office, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Westphal and Cousins’ agent John Grieg are at odds over whether Cousins issued a actual trade demand – the coach said yes, the agent no – but a Kings player said he heard the center yelling that he wanted out of Sacramento, sources said.
“Trade me now,” Cousins was heard to yell after Saturday’s loss to the New York Knicks, a source told Y! Sports.
Before the Kings’ 96-80 victory over the Hornets Sunday, Westphal told reporters that Cousins requested trades on Dec. 24 and again after Saturday night’s loss to the Knicks. In a statement released by the Kings earlier Sunday, Westphal said he ordered Cousins to stay away from that evening’s game because Cousins “continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team.”
Kings co-owner Joe Maloof and general manager Geoff Petrie said they will not trade Cousins, regardless of his wishes. Cousins, 21, is in the second year of a rookie contract paying him $3.6 million this season, and it would be tough for the Kings to get equal value for a talented player who already has a long history of throwing temper tantrums.
“We’re happy that he’s a King,” Maloof told Y! Sports. “But when a coach asks you to do something, you got to do it. We’re not trading him. …We have great expectations for him. It’s just one of those things that happens.
“Sooner or later he’ll understand what the NBA is about. Just get along with people. That’s all.”
Teams interested in Cousins have called the Kings, but none believe the team will seriously consider trading him so early in his career. Several rival executives expect the Kings will eventually make a coaching change and try a tougher style with Cousins.
“Once you saw that release only came from Westphal, that was a telltale sign that this was a coach venting and not a call to the league by management and ownership that they were trading Cousins,” one Eastern Conference executive told Y! Sports.
Cousins had nine points and 11 rebounds against the Knicks and asked Westphal afterward if he could meet with him. The two met in the coach’s office, a source said. Cousins had told reporters he wasn’t happy with the team’s offense. Westphal told Cousins in a private meeting Sunday morning that he wouldn’t be playing in the Hornets game, a source said.
Just last week, Cousins had another verbal altercation with Westphal after Westphal called him for a technical in practice, several sources said.
Cousins is an immensely talented young player, which is why the University of Kentucky and the Kings have tolerated his behavior over the past two seasons. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft pushed through a rookie season full of spectacular promise on the floor tempered with volatile, immature behavior on and off the court. The Kings disciplined Cousins several times for behavioral issues, and Cousins had run-ins with Sacramento coaches, including Westphal, former assistants Truck Robinson and Mario Elie, and strength-and-conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro. Cousins was also was suspended after a locker-room altercation with teammate Donte Greene last season after Greene didn’t pass him the ball for a potential game-winning shot in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the time, Greene called Cousins “spoiled,” one source said, a reference to the franchise’s coddling of its young center.
“He’s selfish,” one source close to the team said of Cousins. “He’s always angry or clowning. He needs to change. The Kings have been great about covering things up for him, and his agent has been protecting him.
“He’s always miserable. He acts like he’s entitled.”
Some players are disillusioned with the constant drain of Cousins’ tantrums, sulking and absence of professionalism. “He’s a bully, and they let him get away with it,” one source said. “No one wants to deal with the guy.”
[ Also: Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose won’t allow his fame or riches to change him ]
Cousins is averaging 13 points and 11.2 rebounds in four games. The Kings don’t doubt Cousins’ talent, but they want to see him become more professional.
“He’s passionate and he wants to win, but he just needs to learn how to control his actions,” Kings center Chuck Hayes said. “Some things are better left unsaid. And if you’re not feeling the system, the team, the players, don’t let your body language say it.”
Said Kings guard Tyreke Evans: “I’ve known DeMarcus for a long time and I want nothing but the best for him, but hopefully he can keep his head on straight and be a part of this team because we need him.”
The Kings next play Tuesday in Memphis. When asked if Cousins will play, Petrie said he will meet with him prior to the Kings’ flight on Monday and “go forward from there.”
“He just has to put away the childish things and start to grow up,” Petrie said. “Learn to be more professional. Learn to put in effort and time and grow as a player. We want to help him help himself and the team.”
The Kings are 2-3 this season. Prior to Sunday’s victory, Petrie was asked about Westphal’s performance as coach.
“I don’t think anyone is happy with the way we are playing,” Westphal said. “We have to play better. That’s what we are all working on.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...Sq8vLYF?slug=ys-demarcus_cousins_kings_010112
Here’s what I think happened. Purely speculation on my part, but for what it’s worth...
Say you have a fight with your girlfriend. She’s nagging you to death so you say...fine, screw it, if I’m that bad, why don’t you just leave me!
Now she goes and tells everyone, OMG, my boyfriend wants to break up with me! It then turns into a big drama.
Meanwhile, you're shaking your head in disgust because of course, you didn't REALLY want to break up, you just got pissed, said some things, and she took them literally and ran with it.
I’d bet that’s the gist of what happened here. Cousins got pissed because Westphal was riding his butt or not running the plays he wanted, so he got frustrated and said “just trade me then” or something to that effect.
Rather than leave it at that and handle it behind closed doors, Westphal had to be a drama queen and make it into a big spectacle.
Say you have a fight with your girlfriend. She’s nagging you to death so you say...fine, screw it, if I’m that bad, why don’t you just leave me!
Now she goes and tells everyone, OMG, my boyfriend wants to break up with me! It then turns into a big drama.
Meanwhile, you're shaking your head in disgust because of course, you didn't REALLY want to break up, you just got pissed, said some things, and she took them literally and ran with it.
I’d bet that’s the gist of what happened here. Cousins got pissed because Westphal was riding his butt or not running the plays he wanted, so he got frustrated and said “just trade me then” or something to that effect.
Rather than leave it at that and handle it behind closed doors, Westphal had to be a drama queen and make it into a big spectacle.
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So you want him to be more professional?
You just aired dirty laundry about a trade demand, one which you probably realize was said as a remark about unhappiness with him and not an actual trade remark, one that you air it out while also saying you aren't doing it to invite offers for him because you have no intention of trading him? You say you do it to send a message? Basically, you only reveal this to make him look negative int he media?
And you think this teaches maturity and "professionalism" how?
What a joke this organization is.
You just aired dirty laundry about a trade demand, one which you probably realize was said as a remark about unhappiness with him and not an actual trade remark, one that you air it out while also saying you aren't doing it to invite offers for him because you have no intention of trading him? You say you do it to send a message? Basically, you only reveal this to make him look negative int he media?
And you think this teaches maturity and "professionalism" how?
What a joke this organization is.
What is completely unprofessional, is the extent to which Westy threw Cousins under the bus publicly, without giving a single verified incident. The only two things he cites, were two trade requests, which appear to not have been trade requests at all. That's it. Yet Cousins is now getting killed in the media.
This isn't good for anyone. How many times does Westy have to blow something out of proportion with one of our players, publicly, and basically leave the player out to dry? And this isn't some 12th man here. This is a cornerstone of our franchise going forward.
S*** like this should never be out in the public to this extent, and Cousins, his agent and Jason Jones deny it ever happened! What is even worse, is Petrie coming out and backing Westy. As Baja said, why would Cousins want to follow the path of this team down the toilet? Cousins was the one who actually asked for the meeting in Westy's office, which led to the suspension. Nothing should have ever come out of that office.
We even have Reke saying he and Thorton had a long talk, and reading between the lines, he said they said F the offense, we have to go out there a do our thing. Basically publicly stated he and Thorton broke away from an ineffective offense.
This isn't good for anyone. How many times does Westy have to blow something out of proportion with one of our players, publicly, and basically leave the player out to dry? And this isn't some 12th man here. This is a cornerstone of our franchise going forward.
S*** like this should never be out in the public to this extent, and Cousins, his agent and Jason Jones deny it ever happened! What is even worse, is Petrie coming out and backing Westy. As Baja said, why would Cousins want to follow the path of this team down the toilet? Cousins was the one who actually asked for the meeting in Westy's office, which led to the suspension. Nothing should have ever come out of that office.
We even have Reke saying he and Thorton had a long talk, and reading between the lines, he said they said F the offense, we have to go out there a do our thing. Basically publicly stated he and Thorton broke away from an ineffective offense.
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I would want to be traded as well if the front office is siding with WP. I didn't like how WP handled Cousins with the choking motion incident last year and don't like how he is doing it now...trade or no trade.
Speculating but I think Cousins could of threaten the "trade" during a heated confrontation with WP...WP then spread the news. WP is better as a politician than a coach.
Speculating but I think Cousins could of threaten the "trade" during a heated confrontation with WP...WP then spread the news. WP is better as a politician than a coach.
He was venting?!?! By releasing statements to the media?!?! THIS GUY HAS TO GO!!!!
Westphal is DONE and the front office looks just plain stupid by backing this guy up. He is going to have a full team revolt by midseason. A coach cannot handle situations like this by running to the media. THIS IS NOT TOLLERABLE BY A COACH!!!!! And im not giving D a pass on this. We all know hes a pain and is still immature as hell but Westphal has a pattern and you can't have a successful coach who handles situations the way he does. Who's gonna go? The coach or the players?
Westphal is DONE and the front office looks just plain stupid by backing this guy up. He is going to have a full team revolt by midseason. A coach cannot handle situations like this by running to the media. THIS IS NOT TOLLERABLE BY A COACH!!!!! And im not giving D a pass on this. We all know hes a pain and is still immature as hell but Westphal has a pattern and you can't have a successful coach who handles situations the way he does. Who's gonna go? The coach or the players?
