How do you know for certain that players don't care about lins? The mere fact that we have Cuz means that lins are important. I'm not a big fan, but the fact remains that the technique exists. Just because we've experienced this for over 5 years doesn't make it go away. I doubt he would have done it in a playoff game, is all I'm sayin.
[Grades] Grades v. Hornets 04/11/12
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
I'm sorry, but there comes a time when you just have, HAVE to grow up a bit. Quite frankly if my coach took me out for something like that i'd laugh it off and say my bad and wait until the next time I'm in the game.
To sulk throughout of the game, for me, was just babyish.
Yes you could say, Smart should know better on that one, bit of diplomacy, but really... to sulk through a whole game... because of that?? Wow... ok. I mean i'd get it if he took him out then cussed his mother, father and all his relatives then went out back and ran over his dog in a car but.... come on.
Oh and for the record I was against pretty much every Westphal "technique" and backed Cuz 100% on them, but there comes a time when you have to turn the light on yourself. I don't care whether you're the next Jordan or D-leaguer.
To sulk throughout of the game, for me, was just babyish.
Yes you could say, Smart should know better on that one, bit of diplomacy, but really... to sulk through a whole game... because of that?? Wow... ok. I mean i'd get it if he took him out then cussed his mother, father and all his relatives then went out back and ran over his dog in a car but.... come on.
Oh and for the record I was against pretty much every Westphal "technique" and backed Cuz 100% on them, but there comes a time when you have to turn the light on yourself. I don't care whether you're the next Jordan or D-leaguer.
I could research a "pretty boys" theme for you. I'm selfless like that 
Sigh. Girls be so shallow.
But I guess its just in your nature, so go ahead and hit me up if you want to. Too late for this set of grades, but there is a slight chance we might not run the table against our final 7 opponents, so there will be another night/morning.
Cousins checked out of this game from the first second. You could just see he was in a mood. The dribble behind the back was an effect, not a cause. It was pretty obvious he wasn't in to it, so what the hell, why not do a behind the back dribble on a fast break if you're a 6'11 270 pounder? In the last 7 back to backs (since beginning of February), Cousins rebound totals are 89 for the first game and 63 for the second, a 41% differential.
It probably was IT's worst game of the season. Seems like every time the positive pub comes out, he has a bad game.
Now watch, they'll go out and beat OKC. If you made a living betting on the Kings, you'd be a dead man a long time ago.
It probably was IT's worst game of the season. Seems like every time the positive pub comes out, he has a bad game.
Now watch, they'll go out and beat OKC. If you made a living betting on the Kings, you'd be a dead man a long time ago.
I agree with Kingster and Marsh. Cousins should have been pulled. He learned something hopefully in an otherwise unimportant game. Smart seizes on learning opportunities. People that don't like Smart and won't listen to him are being as immature as Cousins was. A coach has to make it clear who is running the team.
This is especially true when you have adolescent males that make a lot of money and are told how wonderful they are all the time.
This is especially true when you have adolescent males that make a lot of money and are told how wonderful they are all the time.
I do wonder what lesson Cousins is supposed ot have learned tonight. Do you think he is contrite? People always like to play the stern tough guy, but the smart ones know who they are dealing with. The point about the behind the back pass could have been made by yelling something out to him, but calling a timeout and saying something, it could have been with humor, it could have been done 100 ways where it is never anything more than just one dumb play that you convince DeMarcus to laugh at himself about and promise not to do again. That was the only lesson that was needed. The only way pulling is necessary is if that was a direct challenge to your authority, if you somehow before the game had said, now DeMarcus, don't be trying any of those behind the back passes on the break, ok? and he did it anyway. But I rather doubt that was the case.
Now instead you potentially knock a brick out of the single most improtant relationship, and most difficult relatinship, you have as the coach. the person who hopefully learend a lesson from this is Smart, as in that's not how you handle DeMarcus. And to Smart's credit I thought when he put him back in in the second at a reasonable time it was a sign that he was telling Boogie its ok, let's get back to business. But this is where Boogie was teaching the lesson -- because he made it clear with his play it was not. Its irrelevant whether that is "right" or "wrong". Either way it just "is", and this is the team and the player Smart has to coach and has to convince to play hard for him. He can't afford to miscalcualte and get himself added to DeMarcus's endless enemies list. Smart is the guy who has to learn from this one -- you have to handle this guy different. He is hypersensitive to criticism of any kind. You can't challenge him or show him up or he will lash out. When you are dealing with a kid like that you have to sidle on up from the side, something that I thought Smart had realized from his earlier dealings with Cuz.
Now instead you potentially knock a brick out of the single most improtant relationship, and most difficult relatinship, you have as the coach. the person who hopefully learend a lesson from this is Smart, as in that's not how you handle DeMarcus. And to Smart's credit I thought when he put him back in in the second at a reasonable time it was a sign that he was telling Boogie its ok, let's get back to business. But this is where Boogie was teaching the lesson -- because he made it clear with his play it was not. Its irrelevant whether that is "right" or "wrong". Either way it just "is", and this is the team and the player Smart has to coach and has to convince to play hard for him. He can't afford to miscalcualte and get himself added to DeMarcus's endless enemies list. Smart is the guy who has to learn from this one -- you have to handle this guy different. He is hypersensitive to criticism of any kind. You can't challenge him or show him up or he will lash out. When you are dealing with a kid like that you have to sidle on up from the side, something that I thought Smart had realized from his earlier dealings with Cuz.
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Talent does give him privilege. He is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to this franchise. Kids look up to him. He is the product. Smart is not his boss. Their relationship is more like coworkers than anything. DMC knows that. Disciplining Cousins in a way where he feels like he is being picked on will never reach him. Getting DMC against him will quickly get Smart shown the door. Smart's relationship with him is literally his only redeeming quality right now. We are playing worse than at any time Westphal was here.
Would anyone really harbour resentment for something so utterly trivial? I wouldn't. You'd have to have a persecution complex the size of Russia.
I was yanked from a game once in High School for throwing the ball down after being fouled, i sat for about 3 minutes then i was back in... it bothered me less than the weather that day.
I was yanked from a game once in High School for throwing the ball down after being fouled, i sat for about 3 minutes then i was back in... it bothered me less than the weather that day.
To me it looked like from the first play on the court Cousins was out of sorts, didn't want to play, total lack of focus. I don't think there is anything brewing at all between the Cousins and Smart. Cousins didn't really want to be there. Smart obliged him. End of story. I expect Cousins to come back strong in the next game after a day's rest.
Yes and I have already read here many times that it is Smart's fault. So our franchise, Cousins and Evans, go to sleep at the switch 22% of the time, at least. That's Smart's fault too. If Cousins doesn't want to play for the KIngs let him go to the Lakers, Miami, whatever. I, that is, I don't want to humor them even though they can own the neighborhood I live in.
The call was actually made for IT to be resummoned somewhere around the 4 minute mark. IT was at the table with plenty of time left in the half, but there were about two minutes of back and forth with no break in the play, and either coach not wanting to call a timeout to stop the momentum. The first stop came at about 2 minutes after a foul, but it was Jimmer getting fouled, so no IT sub there.... And then the next stop of play came with 11 seconds left. No use putting IT on the floor then.
I don't agree... I think that in this situation, what are going do to behind closed doors to a guy like Demarcus when he needs some correction. Maybe Smart wanted to simply bring him in to talk things over for a few minutes, but then Demarcus throws a baby fit.... So just because DeMarcus is a great talent, Keith is supposed to kiss his butt and lecture him alone in the office? Demarcus will have none of that. In my opinion, that's what helped turn LeBron into such a Diva.
I think LeBron never being criticized is what kept LeBron as a diva. He didn't suddenly become one.
But as far as DMC- you do it during a time out. You do it in film study the next day when it's OK to tell a kid, "what the hell were you thinking?" You're not Phil, you're not Pat. You don't have the cachet to try and get in pissing match with your star player. That's not a play you yank him for.
But as far as DMC- you do it during a time out. You do it in film study the next day when it's OK to tell a kid, "what the hell were you thinking?" You're not Phil, you're not Pat. You don't have the cachet to try and get in pissing match with your star player. That's not a play you yank him for.
Hard to really know what the right move was there. I agree that teaching and reprimands are best done behind closed doors or as a matter of setting rules in a team setting. If DMC didn't know that his actions could get him pulled then Smart was out of line and Boogie had every right to be upset. If smart had already had private discussions with him and had addressed that type of behavior with the team and told them that they would get benched if they were foolish they he had no choice but bench him for a few.
None of us can know but Cousins didn't handle it well.
None of us can know but Cousins didn't handle it well.
I kind of doubt Smart talked to Cuz previously about this. This is the same Cuz, a center, who's dribbled between opponents legs on fastbreaks twice this year in a Kings uniform and I didn't see Smart pulling him then.
Now, should Cuz play through it and not let it effect his the rest of the game? Yes. But I'm sure he's frustrated, as there are no shortage of flat out stupid mistakes each and every game from our guys, from horrible, selfish shots to giving little to no effort on defense yet I don't see Smart pulling those guys too often. Can't pull Cuz, our best player for a single showboating pass and not pull our lesser players for the poor shots and non defense I see all the time.
Odd thing is I've now seen Smart pull Cuz and Reke ridiculously early and bench them for extremely long periods, and then let mistakes from Jimmer/Outlaw/Hayes go without repercussion. But Cuz seemed pissed from the start yesterday and I wonder if it had to do with he and Reke being benched the majority of the 2nd half the night before.
Now, should Cuz play through it and not let it effect his the rest of the game? Yes. But I'm sure he's frustrated, as there are no shortage of flat out stupid mistakes each and every game from our guys, from horrible, selfish shots to giving little to no effort on defense yet I don't see Smart pulling those guys too often. Can't pull Cuz, our best player for a single showboating pass and not pull our lesser players for the poor shots and non defense I see all the time.
Odd thing is I've now seen Smart pull Cuz and Reke ridiculously early and bench them for extremely long periods, and then let mistakes from Jimmer/Outlaw/Hayes go without repercussion. But Cuz seemed pissed from the start yesterday and I wonder if it had to do with he and Reke being benched the majority of the 2nd half the night before.