Cousins SENT HOME????

Anyone want to comment on the content of that article. I love how everyone is making this about how this should be spun. That is really what you took away from the article?

That article paints the picture of a profession who if he doesn't get his way being a self absorbed man baby becomes "a bully".

I'm 100% on the fire Westphal bandwagon, but that doesn't excuse Cousins from acting like an adult. Feel free to put it all on Westphal, but at this point a pattern has emerged and there is one common factor.
 
Anyone want to comment on the content of that article. I love how everyone is making this about how this should be spun. That is really what you took away from the article?

That article paints the picture of a profession who if he doesn't get his way being a self absorbed man baby becomes "a bully".

I'm 100% on the fire Westphal bandwagon, but that doesn't excuse Cousins from acting like an adult. Feel free to put it all on Westphal, but at this point a pattern has emerged and there is one common factor.
I haven't heard anything publicly announced by Cousins but WP...the only baby I see is WP taking it to the Media. What happened behind closed door should be kept there. It doesn't matter if Cousins said he wanted to run for president...it's closed door and should be kept within the team. Going around telling others is an imature little kid game...and so far it's all WP. Feel free to think that a guy voicing his opinions behind closed door is not a mature way of handling things.
 
There has been too many instances noted where DMC has been out of line and abusing other teamates and coaches. It's likely there are many more incidents we haven't heard about. I think he needs to grow up and follow direction like all other players. I'd hate to see him turn out to be another Derrick Coleman.
 
I haven't heard anything publicly announced by Cousins but WP...the only baby I see is WP taking it to the Media. What happened behind closed door should be kept there. It doesn't matter if Cousins said he wanted to run for president...it's closed door and should be kept within the team. Going around telling others is an imature little kid game...and so far it's all WP. Feel free to think that a guy voicing his opinions behind closed door is not a mature way of handling things.
You're all over the place here. You haven't heard anything public about Cousins behavior until Westphal yesterday? If that's what your getting at then check out that article. Some of it was new, you know like the whole coddled miserable bully stuff, but his run in with coaches, including a strength and conditioning coach, and his fight with Greene have been public knowledge. Like I said a pattern. A pattern that doesn't always involve the evil Westphal.

As for the idea that this stuff should be handled behind close doors argument, well I kind of agree. Just let it be noted that that article made it sound like Cousins has been protected, or "spoiled" as Greene put it.

The one thing you will never sell me on is the idea that whatever Cousins does is fine as long as its behind the scenes. Cousins is a professional highly paid athlete, he doesn't get to throw tantrums and be a malcontent. How can that be alright with you? People are accountable for their actions, that includes people not named Westphal.
 
I remember at 21 telling my boss who is a close personal friend that "You need me a lot more then I need this job." I was the top performer at the time and continued to be till I left there 6 years later. Sometimes things build up. To think a 20-21 year old is going to handle it correctly every time is stupid but identifying what is said in the heat of the moment and blasting them in the media and leaving them there hanging is worse. WP doesn't have the he is young and will get it someday excuse.
 
You're all over the place here. You haven't heard anything public about Cousins behavior until Westphal yesterday? If that's what your getting at then check out that article. Some of it was new, you know like the whole coddled miserable bully stuff, but his run in with coaches, including a strength and conditioning coach, and his fight with Greene have been public knowledge. Like I said a pattern. A pattern that doesn't always involve the evil Westphal.

As for the idea that this stuff should be handled behind close doors argument, well I kind of agree. Just let it be noted that that article made it sound like Cousins has been protected, or "spoiled" as Greene put it.

The one thing you will never sell me on is the idea that whatever Cousins does is fine as long as its behind the scenes. Cousins is a professional highly paid athlete, he doesn't get to throw tantrums and be a malcontent. How can that be alright with you? People are accountable for their actions, that includes people not named Westphal.
He voiced his frustration that the team should play together...EVERYONE! what's wrong with that? Players will voice their frustration when media jump all over them after a game and I really have no problem with what Cousins stated. I thought he controlled it pretty well.

However what went on between him and WP should be closed door. I never said it's ok to do this or that..but the method of closed door should be closed! WP is the coach...I expected more of him. So if you upset at losing and disagree with the coach you should just shut up because you get paid big bucks?
 
What free agent is going to want to come here now? This poisons the image of this team to the league.
Melodramatics. Unfortunately I forget who it was, but I saw a post yesterday with a pretty accurate run down of free agents priorities. Money, then team standing, then their standing with the team. You can reverse the last two depending on the player.

The whole idea that player won't want to sign here because they get publicly shamed for having a tantrum is a little too specific to concern most players.
 
Melodramatics. Unfortunately I forget who it was, but I saw a post yesterday with a pretty accurate run down of free agents priorities. Money, then team standing, then their standing with the team. You can reverse the last two depending on the player.

The whole idea that player won't want to sign here because they get publicly shamed for having a tantrum is a little too specific to concern most players.
Money hasn't been enough to convince at least two free agents this year. Probably three if you count AK. There's clearly more to it than money when it comes to the Kings.
 
I am just going to run down how dumb this is as a move. Mainly how dumb the handling of it is.

-It looks petty.
-It creates more negative attention than there was previously. The Kings were bad and were playing bad, but mostly the national media had ignored it. Now the spotlight is here and everyone is seeing how dysfunctional the situation is here. John Hollinger's stat of the night was Jimmer's five assists. Why? It was a team high for the Kings this year. Yikes.
-Whatever distraction Cousins was, he is now still that same distraction and now there will be talk and trade rumors despite Petrie saying he won't trade him. You just gave the press a talking point. Where will Cousins go? When will they trade him? And so on.
-It shows the team couldn't handle Cousins. The FO couldn't handle him.

The Kings took Cousins pouting and Westphal being a bad coach and turned it into front page scandal when the media really didn't care before. Your team had chemistry issues. Now they have chemistry issues and national attention on them.
 
Money hasn't been enough to convince at least two free agents this year. Probably three if you count AK. There's clearly more to it than money when it comes to the Kings.
That list is not a set of absolutes. In general I would say they are accurate, you disagree?

Daly is getting equal pay when you factor in the taxes, Crawford took around a million less to play in a far better situation. AK is kind of a unique situation, going back home and all the issues involved with that.
 
L

LWP777

Guest
It's amazing how many of you make excuses for a guy like DMC! Sure, PW might need to be fired for a number of different reasons but that's a different story. Look at DMC's history starting with his college days. He has a history of doing **** like this. He punched a teammate (and a good teammate) because he didn't get to take the last shot of a game for Christ's sake. He's a BAD GUY. He's a BULLY. Read the Yahoo article today. There are statements from anonymous players and others within the organization who say he's selfish, a bully, immature, etc. Don't put all this on PW.

As for the Kings taking down his pictures on their marketing material, what do you expect them to do? Keep marketing a guy who is a complete jerk? It's not any different than when your kid messes up you take stuff away from them -- video games, freedom, etc. DMC has to be treated like a little kid because that's who he is!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That list is not a set of absolutes. In general I would say they are accurate, you disagree?

Daly is getting equal pay when you factor in the taxes, Crawford took around a million less to play in a far better situation. AK is kind of a unique situation, going back home and all the issues involved with that.
I just don't find that list adequate to the situation. Even listing something like "money" involves delving into what money means in the NBA. It doesn't just mean contract money, but exposure, lifestyle, image and the value of the team as a product. "Team standing" could directly mean what I imply by how FAs view the team. I don't think FAs value players being treated special. I doubt FAs care how the Lakers threw vital pieces of their championship team under the bus to get Paul as a deterrent. I do think they see dicey owners, GMs allowing scandal and general messy organizations as bad. But because the Lakers are the Lakers, what they did is okay, but what the Kings did is not okay, because the owners are broke casino owners who have never won a ring.
 
I just don't find that list adequate to the situation. Even listing something like "money" involves delving into what money means in the NBA. It doesn't just mean contract money, but exposure, lifestyle, image and the value of the team as a product. "Team standing" could directly mean what I imply by how FAs view the team. I don't think FAs value players being treated special. I doubt FAs care how the Lakers threw vital pieces of their championship team under the bus to get Paul as a deterrent. I do think they see dicey owners, GMs allowing scandal and general messy organizations as bad. But because the Lakers are the Lakers, what they did is okay, but what the Kings did is not okay, because the owners are broke casino owners who have never won a ring.
You have some fair points. Money is too specific your run down was far more accurate. I also agree we should expand team standing to include the ownership and working environment.

The reason people don't want to play here beside the lack of exposure, is that we just aren't very good. Like you said we couldn't get FA here before any of this.

The Lakers situation was a different story and while an all purpose term like "throwing them under the bus" can be used in both situations, the specifics are far different. The intended message here is that we have had enough of placating this problem child, a message really aimed specifically at Cousins more then anybody, so we are going call him out. Will it work? I don't think so. Humility isn't something that come easy, Webber is a good example of that, and I don't know if shame is the smartest route to take. I just don't think the idea of saying "with this kid we have had enough" is going to kill our reputation through out the league.
 
It's amazing how many of you make excuses for a guy like DMC! Sure, PW might need to be fired for a number of different reasons but that's a different story. Look at DMC's history starting with his college days. He has a history of doing **** like this. He punched a teammate (and a good teammate) because he didn't get to take the last shot of a game for Christ's sake. He's a BAD GUY. He's a BULLY. Read the Yahoo article today. There are statements from anonymous players and others within the organization who say he's selfish, a bully, immature, etc. Don't put all this on PW.

As for the Kings taking down his pictures on their marketing material, what do you expect them to do? Keep marketing a guy who is a complete jerk? It's not any different than when your kid messes up you take stuff away from them -- video games, freedom, etc. DMC has to be treated like a little kid because that's who he is!!
So what make him a jerk within this past few months? Humiliating a young man in public is not the best method of teaching maturity IMO, and that is exactly what WP did. I don't think many would disagree that Cousins still need maturity but to use his past years to make judgement on who he is today is a little much IMO.

Maybe I just don't label people just because of their past but more on what they've shown currently. I haven't seen him doing anything that warrant him as a bad person..other than childish at time.

"The thing with him is he’s so emotional," forward Francisco Garcia said. "And when things go wrong, he really shows his emotions. The thing is, he’s really not a bad kid. He’s going to travel with us (today), hopefully."

I also notice Tyreke joke with him too so I don't see them hating on the guy...so therefor I think he is at most is childish..not bad.
 
This team needs some fresh air coaching-wise. And that decision should've been made some time ago. The only reason PW is still here is that Petrie is comfortable with him (similar age, background etc.) and our brothers don't want to make any coaching decisions anymore.

However, Cousins is a j-e-r-k. He's been immature and unprofessional and he needs a good lesson. I don't like how this situation is handled publicly for many reasons but DMC really needs some tough love.
 

Throughout the whole interview he doesn't give much away until about about 6:58 he gets asked questions about what Cousins behavior and specific things he said and then about 7:15 Westphal says "about 4 games in and he decided I needed to be fired"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure he's saying that DeMarcus said that, or if he's just talking about fan rumblings that he should be fired. Either way it's pretty obvious he's hugely insecure about keeping the position, and rightly so considering the job he's doing.
 
L

LWP777

Guest

Throughout the whole interview he doesn't give much away until about about 6:58 he gets asked questions about what Cousins behavior and specific things he said and then about 7:15 Westphal says "about 4 games in and he decided I needed to be fired"
My favorite line was the end when the reporter asks him "Did this catch you off guard, it seems like he's shown a little maturity this year..." PW simply responds, "No." That's because this crap has been going on for 2 years now. It's not surprising.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Ryan

I like turtles
My favorite line was the end when the reporter asks him "Did this catch you off guard, it seems like he's shown a little maturity this year..." PW simply responds, "No." That's because this crap has been going on for 2 years now. It's not surprising.
You can tell PW is just exhausted with Cousins. Like he put in his best effort to hide his frustration. So sad.
 
There is a fine line between the front office blowing it out of proportions by going public and making Cousins realize that he can't just keep asking for a trade as a threat or out of frustration every time things don't go his way.

I hate to defend PW because he has been underperforming, but after thinking about it, I think they went public with it to make Boogie realize that he can't scream "trade me" out of frustration every time. He needs to man up and deal with the bad situation like all his other teammates.

If PW gets replaced because we don't show any improvements over the next 6-10 games, then I'm all for it. But not because of this going public thing and his "beef" with Cousins.
 
You can tell PW is just exhausted with Cousins. Like he put in his best effort to hide his frustration. So sad.
Honestly, I hope this team doesn't trade DMC. But 24 hours has kind of given me some time to sit back and rethink the whole situation. Yesterday I was vehemently against PW. Granted, he is a mediocre coach doing a less than mediocre job with a young team. However, no head coach should have to deal with constant and consistent negative behavior/rebellion from a player. Especially, a 21-yr old with a history of it.

Do I want PW to be head coach of this team? No. Do I want him to be pushed out by DMC? No. Do I want DMC to remain a King? Only if he matures. Because if he DOESN'T learn a lesson here, then we will NEVER have a championship-caliber team as long as he is here. No matter how hard we try to build around him.
 
My favorite line was the end when the reporter asks him "Did this catch you off guard, it seems like he's shown a little maturity this year..." PW simply responds, "No." That's because this crap has been going on for 2 years now. It's not surprising.
Exactly. And based on his comments and his statement, there has been ALOT of crap going on behind-the-scenes that we the fans and the media are not aware of. To us, we've seen some "maturity." To PW and everyone that interacts with him behind closed doors, there has been little to no maturity whatsoever - maybe even a regression.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
There is a fine line between the front office blowing it out of proportions by going public and making Cousins realize that he can't just keep asking for a trade as a threat or out of frustration every time things don't go his way.

I hate to defend PW because he has been underperforming, but after thinking about it, I think they went public with it to make Boogie realize that he can't scream "trade me" out of frustration every time. He needs to man up and deal with the bad situation like all his other teammates.

If PW gets replaced because we don't show any improvements over the next 6-10 games, then I'm all for it. But not because of this going public thing and his "beef" with Cousins.
I agree with this. Like someone else said, there are enough reasons to can the coach, DMC's behavior isn't one of them. That's on him.