Cousins is Mentally Weak

[bajaden]

What frustrates me is that Cousins has yet to realize how damn important he is to our wins and he still does stupid stuff like this. His 28 minutes were flat out dominant, and we needed him on the floor to pull this one out. Our odds for winning would have greatly improved with the way he was playing had he gotten 36+ minutes

Yes, Smart should have taken him out. Yes, Dunleavy is an a**hole for going after his knees. Still, Cousins has got to learn that the Refs are looking at anything he does under a microscope and other players will try and take advantage of his temper and get a rise out of him. Instead of talking about a potential career game for him last night where he leads us to a win, the main headline again is his bad incident. That has got to change and it starts with him

I think most people agree with you! Believe me, I'm not disregarding his behavior, and as pointed out, 25 years ago, most people would be cheering. I was at the arena the night Corliss chased ( I don't even remember who ) an opposing player all the way to the scorers table and took a swing at him. Hell, the whole arena cheered, and we didn't even know what provoked Corliss. If it was good enough for Corliss, it was good enough for us. There was the night Bobby Jackson went after Tracey McGrady. I'm not saying that any of that justifies what Cousins did. Just that the culture has changed, and that we live in more of a touchy feelly world now.

What I care about is the team, and winning. A calm and dedicated Cousins is of extreme value to the team. A Cousins sitting in the lockerroom is of no value at all. Oddly, I think one of his other ejections came when he was having a career night. Once again, its the coaches job to manage the team. When you have a player as violatile as Cousins, you don't send him right back on to the floor after an incident like that. If Smart sits him down, the situation cools down, and the next day, were on Cousins side and talking about what a cheap shot he took from Dunleavy.

 

[SacTownKid]

Cousins has issues but I think he had every right to be pissed after what Dunleavy did. He could have been seriously injured and potentially had his career altered. He needs to stop crying wolf but if this were '94-'95 that would have been beatdown city last night. Not that its saying much but I think he held himself back fairly well in this particular instance. It's the times that he doesn't that make it impossible for him to not look like the bad guy every time something occurs.

 

[rainmaker]

This is the only issue that I enjoy hearing Grant speak on and agree with - he's a punk. Just suprised that there are still Kings fans that support his behavior. The only question is, is this who he permanently is or is he redeemable at all

I think you're really struggling to follow along. Really, really struggling.

Is Cuz immature? Yes. Does he screw over his team when these episodes happen? Yes. Was just about everyone in the game thread disappointed to a degree last night? Yes. Is anyone here blind enough to not notice his problems? Not that I've seen.

But he's also the youngest person on the team. Many 22 yr olds have maturity issues. Most people at 22 aren't who they'll be at 27. Understanding his issues and hoping there's a way to fix them is not the same as supporting his behavior. Far from it. If you have a kid who acts out, does it mean you support his behavior unless you toss him to the curb? No, you try to work with him. Try to figure out how to get through to him.

@Baja, I understand where you're coming from with anger management but the Kings made a big mistake regarding that line of thinking. They made it public. If you seriously want Cuz to consider seeing a therapist you do it behind the scenes and only behind the scenes. But, the tight lipped Kings FO somehow let it leak out that they thought Cuz needs counseling, and it wasn't just in the local media but national as well. So the whole country thinks his employers think he has a screw loose. That's not the way to go about it. The best course of action probably is us not hearing a damn thing and Cuz seeing a therapist on his own during the summer, and we never hear anything about it. Artest didn't talk publicly about seeking help before he sought it, he talked about it after seeing a therapist and seeing it make a difference. But the idea you can tell a 21/22 yr old with Cuz's temperment to see a therapist and have it thrown about social media from coast to coast, then expect something good to come from it is naive. Just the fact we're debating it on a forum because it was leaked to the media is a problem. When you were Cuz's age, how would you have reacted to beat writers, local and national journalists and fans on forums telling you to see a therapist because you're a nut? I wouldn't have reacted well. It's something which should be private. Our FO makes a lot of mistakes and this was yet another one.

As an aside, if we want members of our team to seek help and are debating it publicly, I'd like Petrie to take an IQ test to see if he hit his head real hard about five years ago and never recovered, and would like Smart to take a drug test.

 

[Bibbilicious]

Honestly, I dont think Cousins is weak minded at all. Hes just a child. He always has that scowl or hes rolling his eyes about something. Its his negative attitude that many are considering a cancer to the team just because it makes it difficult to work as a unit. I remember a few months back he tried a more positive outlook. I remember the story and the comments he had saying he is very blessed for what he has and shouldnt be getting down. When that happened he picked up his game considerably. He followed that story with what I consider his best game of the year where he was putting up a huge number of assists and let the game come to him. But somewhere after that he got his negative outlook back. I swear these days its back to his terrible body language and rolling his eyes at every single call and occasionally having a tantrum.

Now its important to remember that he is hardly the only player to do this in the league. But few do it on as consistent a basis as he does. I hope he can get it together because he is a real talent. Its a shame.

 

[mac]

I think most people agree with you! Believe me, I'm not disregarding his behavior, and as pointed out, 25 years ago, most people would be cheering. I was at the arena the night Corliss chased ( I don't even remember who ) an opposing player all the way to the scorers table and took a swing at him. Hell, the whole arena cheered, and we didn't even know what provoked Corliss. If it was good enough for Corliss, it was good enough for us. There was the night Bobby Jackson went after Tracey McGrady. I'm not saying that any of that justifies what Cousins did. Just that the culture has changed, and that we live in more of a touchy feelly world now.

What I care about is the team, and winning. A calm and dedicated Cousins is of extreme value to the team. A Cousins sitting in the lockerroom is of no value at all. Oddly, I think one of his other ejections came when he was having a career night. Once again, its the coaches job to manage the team. When you have a player as violatile as Cousins, you don't send him right back on to the floor after an incident like that. If Smart sits him down, the situation cools down, and the next day, were on Cousins side and talking about what a cheap shot he took from Dunleavy.

But could you have been 100% sure that Cousins for sure would definitely 100% do, for sure, what he did for sure? - Keith Smart

 

[HndsmCelt]

Tell me how you really feel.

Ok next time I will not hold back

 

[jcassio]

I have thought at times that Cousins is mentally weak. But then I realize that I think this about all the Kings players who frustrate me at one time or another with their mistakes and bad decisions. Same goes for BBIQ. But the truth is that all NBA players make mistakes and frustrate their fans.
Is Cousins a special talent? Yes, but that's no guarantee he'll still be in the NBA in 5 years, or ever lead his team to a division championship.
Because of his behavioral issues, I'd trade him as soon as I could get something valuable in return. It'd be the best thing for him and the Kings. But he wouldn't be going anywhere before then.

 

[kingsnation]

I don't believe DMC is mentally weak, I believe he is easily agitated, immature and has a hot temper. Not a good combination. Am I upset with his actions? Absolutely. He has cost us numerous games with his actions and he has been nothing but trouble since arriving in the league. At the same time, he is our most talented player and one of the best Centers in the league. Anyone who thinks we should trade DMC before we get a new regime simply isn't being patient enough.

Smart should've pulled DMC from the game last night. Either he was too stupid or stubborn not to, and it cost us. This is the kind of leadership that DMC is being coached under. Anyone surprised he hasn't matured?

No excuses for Demarcus. He needs to mature and he needs to be accountable for his actions. His teammates are obviously frustrated and with good reason. However, you can't give up on a player or justifiably come to a conclusion about a player until you give him the correct opportunities to succeed. Place DMC with a competent coach and a true system with proper ownership, see how he develops. If we're still having this conversation with all of those things in place - then it's time to talk trade.

 

[NowImLost]

I'm 22 years old?

 

[The_Jamal]

I don't believe DMC is mentally weak, I believe he is easily agitated, immature and has a hot temper. Not a good combination. Am I upset with his actions? Absolutely. He has cost us numerous games with his actions and he has been nothing but trouble since arriving in the league. At the same time, he is our most talented player and one of the best Centers in the league. Anyone who thinks we should trade DMC before we get a new regime simply isn't being patient enough.

Smart should've pulled DMC from the game last night. Either he was too stupid or stubborn not to, and it cost us. This is the kind of leadership that DMC is being coached under. Anyone surprised he hasn't matured?

No excuses for Demarcus. He needs to mature and he needs to be accountable for his actions. His teammates are obviously frustrated and with good reason. However, you can't give up on a player or justifiably come to a conclusion about a player until you give him the correct opportunities to succeed. Place DMC with a competent coach and a true system with proper ownership, see how he develops. If we're still having this conversation with all of those things in place - then it's time to talk trade.

This is crucial imo. His past actions have labeled him a headcase and opposing teams have taken advantage of it. Heck, a big reason last night because the Bucks were able to get under Cousins skin and get him thrown out. They had no chance at stopping him and attacked the only weakness he had last night; his temper.

What Cousins needs is a true veteran, playoff tested father figure to keep him in line and a coach who won't put up with his shenanigans. As Baja pointed out, if he's not willing to listen to a playoff coach (say, Mcmillan, JVG) or be guided by players like a Chauncey Billups,David West, or Elton Brand, then he's not worth our time to develop.

 

[Bricklayer]

Is Cousins a special talent? Yes, but that's no guarantee he'll still be in the NBA in 5 years,

This is where you people are compeltely 100% and horribly confused. You have no idea what you are watching. If you were fans of any other team but the team that I also watch, I would be laughing at you and dreaming up trade scenarios to steal your franchise level talent, because frankly you'd deserve that. Since you guys are theoretically fans of the same franchise I watch however, all I can do is shake my head and tell you again, and again, and again, you simply don't understand waht you are watching. In 25 years the Sacramento Kings never drafted any player as talented as DeMarcus Cousins. In 25 more years they might not have again. This is a HOF level talent. This is nothing you whine about no matter how scowly he is.

 

[Bballkingsrock]

This is where you people are compeltely 100% and horribly confused. You have no idea what you are watching. If you were fans of any other team but the team that I also watch, I would be laughing at you and dreaming up trade scenarios to steal your franchise level talent, because frankly you'd deserve that. since you guys are theoretically fans of the same franchise I watch however, all I can do is shake my head and tell you again, and again, and again, you simply don't understand waht you are watching. In 25 years the Sacramento Kings never drafted any player as talented as DeMarcus Cousins. In 25 more years they might not have again. This is a HOF level talent. This is nothing you whine about no matter how scowly he is.

What are you thoughts on him having a a -7.7 on the court and a -6.0 pt spread when he is not on the court? That says even when we play our bad big bench players, we still are better.

I watch the games, but when I look at the box scores from January and February, he has the worst +/- for any starter almost every game.

I am not saying trade the guy yet because I dont think we will get a fair return, but he needs to start admitting he has a problem.

http://www.82games.com/1213/1213SAC.HTM

 

[Npliam]

This is where you people are compeltely 100% and horribly confused. You have no idea what you are watching. If you were fans of any other team but the team that I also watch, I would be laughing at you and dreaming up trade scenarios to steal your franchise level talent, because frankly you'd deserve that. since you guys are theoretically fans of the same franchise I watch however, all I can do is shake my head and tell you again, and again, and again, you simply don't understand waht you are watching. In 25 years the Sacramento Kings never drafted any player as talented as DeMarcus Cousins. In 25 more years they might not have again. This is a HOF level talent. This is nothing you whine about no matter how scowly he is.

I agree that he is talented. I don't agree that there is nothing to whine about no matter how scowly he is. He will not be the center piece of a team that wins a championship.

 

[Livinthedream]

Demarcus is not a punk or weak minded. He's simply in a bad situation for him. He's the best player on a losing team, in an organization with no leader or clear direction. So by default, he essentially has control of the whole organization. Smart can't tell him anything. Petrie is a lame duck GM who is making retirement plans, and the Maloofs don't care. Cousins is the most talented person in the whole organization. It's too much for someone with his maturity level. I have no doubt that if he was on a team with a strong management structure and a strong coach with respected veterans, he would not be having these problems.

As far as getting rid of him, Sacramento can't. We're not going to attract a free agent with his caliber of talent, so you need to find a way to keep your talented draft picks and make it work.

 

[LWP777]

I'd say about 75% of the posters here support DMC and make excuses for him. That's amazing to me, especially considering the rest of the Kings fan base (outside this forum) is probably about 90% against him and wants him traded. I think the difference is that most of here are hardcore fans and we love spending time analyzing the team and trying to figure out how to build a championship team. The "other" fans don't care a lot about that stuff. They want to be entertained and they want to love the players. There is nothing to love about DeMarcus Cousins. He's a BAD GUY. Plain and simple. Maybe he will grow up someday but right now he is what he is and I'm not going to make excuses for him.

Whether NBA players like it or not, kids look up to these guys. The average fan doesn't want their kids seeing the crap that DMC pulls on and off the court. He doesn't set a good example. Now I know the hardcore guys like Padrino and Bricklayer don't care about any of this. All they see are the numbers and the talent. It's all about winning. That's all fine and dandy but, like I said, the average fan doesn't want to deal with the immaturity of DMC. They want to be inspired by heart, hustle, teamwork, etc. He represents NONE of that. In fact, he's the anthesis of that. Padrino and Bricklayer need to understand the mindset of the fans that pay big money to see these guys play. This is the reason they want him traded. He doesn't fit in this city. This is a middle class family type city.

Ask yourself this question. Do you want your kids looking up to DeMarcus Cousins right now? Do you want him to be a role model for them? My kids are too young right now to care but if they were older the answer would be a resounding NO. Think about it....

 

[mac]

I'd say about 75% of the posters here support DMC and make excuses for him. That's amazing to me, especially considering the rest of the Kings fan base (outside this forum) is probably about 90% against him and wants him traded. I think the difference is that most of here are hardcore fans and we love spending time analyzing the team and trying to figure out how to build a championship team. The "other" fans don't care a lot about that stuff. They want to be entertained and they want to love the players. There is nothing to love about DeMarcus Cousins. He's a BAD GUY. Plain and simple. Maybe he will grow up someday but right now he is what he is and I'm not going to make excuses for him.

Whether NBA players like it or not, kids look up to these guys. The average fan doesn't want their kids seeing the crap that DMC pulls on and off the court. He doesn't set a good example. Now I know the hardcore guys like Padrino and Bricklayer don't care about any of this. All they see are the numbers and the talent. It's all about winning. That's all fine and dandy but, like I said, the average fan doesn't want to deal with the immaturity of DMC. They want to be inspired by heart, hustle, teamwork, etc. He represents NONE of that. In fact, he's the anthesis of that. Padrino and Bricklayer need to understand the mindset of the fans that pay big money to see these guys play. This is the reason they want him traded. He doesn't fit in this city. This is a middle class family type city.

Ask yourself this question. Do you want your kids looking up to DeMarcus Cousins right now? Do you want him to be a role model for them? My kids are too young right now to care but if they were older the answer would be a resounding NO. Think about it....

In this sense you are pretty much right. And I wonder whether that is part of the reason why Sacramento has not exactly been a winning franchise outside of the Webber years. These same fans are divided into those who think IT is a franchise player and those that think Jimmer is one.

 

[Chupacabra]

In this sense you are pretty much right. And I wonder whether that is part of the reason why Sacramento has not exactly been a winning franchise outside of the Webber years. These same fans are divided into those who think IT is a franchise player and those that think Jimmer is one.

Speak for yourself. Personally i have no problem with the elbow DMC threw. It was excessive, but when did basketball turn into a gentlemen's sport? If you want showmanship you can watch golf or tennis while singing "kumbaya". Is he likable? Who cares. Likability doesnt win games. No team that is unable to break the salary cap and has Smart as its head coach is going to win more games than it loses.

Im annoyed that basketball doesnt get a pass on violence like football and hockey do. "Oh my goodness, he threw an elbow?! Lets eject him, fine him and suspend him." You know how gentlemanly high level, pickup basketball is? People knock the crap out of each other lol. At its core the sport is VERY physical and sometimes violent.

 

[rhythmless]

Speak for yourself. Personally i have no problem with the elbow DMC threw. It was excessive, but when did basketball turn into a gentlemen's sport? If you want showmanship you can watch golf or tennis while singing "kumbaya". Is he likable? Who cares. Likability doesnt win games. No team that is unable to break the salary cap and has Smart as its head coach is going to win more games than it loses.

Im annoyed that basketball doesnt get a pass on violence like football and hockey do. "Oh my goodness, he threw an elbow?! Lets eject him, fine him and suspend him." You know how gentlemanly high level, pickup basketball is? People knock the crap out of each other lol. At its core the sport is VERY physical and sometimes violent.

Neither does getting yourself kicked out of a game you were dominating. DMC's antics are about himself, not his team. He's trying to right the wrongs he's seen against himself, whether it hurts his team or not. Technicals, not running back on D, leaving his teammates out to dry. This is a guy who's always "me against the world," and it will end up just like that for him.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

people who wanna trade Cousins...... LOL

 

[KingsCitizen]

This may not say it all but here's a list of relatively still accurate technical foul leaders in the history of the NBA:
http://sportslistoftheday.com/2012/...e-most-technical-fouls-in-a-season-2000-2012/

And I believe this is how it looks this season:
http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/fouls/sort/technicalFouls

If I were to succumb to the TS's ideals here, then maybe the teams should also put Kobe, Durant, Griffin, and Noah on the trading block cuz they're punks too.

So what's the next argument? We are a losing team, so we should be nice guys?
Basketball is a competitive sport and I better have competitive players out there willing to kill for a win than Mr. Nice guys!

I am a believer of talent and DMC has a lot of it.
Remember those Jailblazers with Sheed and ZBo?
Sheed got a ring in Detroit working with more mature teammates like Big Ben and Chauncy.
ZBo? We'll people are loving that punk now in Memphis.

People's attitude change but talents are never learned. Those are gifts to men.
We're not even close to the Jailblazer state so I'm into holding unto DMC.

Right now, let's get new owners first and see how they cultivate talents like Demarcus.

 

[rhythmless]

Right now, let's get new owners first and see how they cultivate talents like Demarcus.

Bingo. Lame duck season, lame duck coach, lame duck owners, lame duck "gm."

 

[Telemachus]

In short Cousins is a punk. He has great hands, and movs well horizontally. He has almost no vertical game and mentally he is weak. He likes to tangle with guys like Mike Dunleavy. You don't see him mess with someone like Dwight Howard. He would disappear against old-school players like Moses Malone, Nate Thurmond, Daryll Dawkins or Wilt. Maybe he is a product of too much success too soon, and being coddled all his life. Where has he been the last 10 games? I am tired of the guy and would love to see him traded. Maybe he gets tossed so he can take the night off.

I always find it interesting how this nonsense that Cousins ONLY goes after small players has persisted. Cousins will go after any player that gets under his skin, and that is part of his problem (other teams know this). As for not messing with Dwight Howard, they always go back and forth with neither player backing down.

 

[Telemachus]

You can be both, but wanting to get rid of him for peanuts because he isn't a nice guy is, IMO, where the issue lies.

I would love to have a team full of Eagle Scouts, because they're easy to manage, but DMC isn't one. At least, not yet. He's still a kid, and he's working on maturing. Many of us remember Webber as a finished product, but we tend to forget the younger, formative years. He wasn't perfect. Granted, he wasn't getting tossed from games all the time, but you get the point.

Also, for perspective, all of his problems have been ON THE COURT. He hasn't done anything off the court to make me worry. That's where I would find issues and concern. Give him a real coach and a real system, and I bet these ON THE COURT issues will disappear rather quickly.

I think most fans would love to have a team full of "Eagle Scouts", but that usually results in a boring game (fans have been making that complaint about SA for years). The truth is that most of the truly great players have NOT been the nicest person on floor. KG was getting into fights back in HS (and not much has changed since). Kobe has never been very well liked on his teams. MJ was harder on his teammates than most of his coaches. I could go on, but the point is that most great players tend to be a bit of an *ss, and also have a mean streak (how many noses did Malone break with his elbows?).

Now I am NOT saying that Cousins is a great player, but he does have the ability to become one. The truth is that winning makes a lot of his problems go away. It is amazing how is actions would be protrayed differently if the Kings were contended for a championship. The history of our own Kings proves that. But on a bad team, you will always be viewed negatively. Now before some of you think I am defending Cousin's behaviour, I am not. He needs to get things under control. I'm am just making a point.

 

[Telemachus]

I'd say about 75% of the posters here support DMC and make excuses for him. That's amazing to me, especially considering the rest of the Kings fan base (outside this forum) is probably about 90% against him and wants him traded. I think the difference is that most of here are hardcore fans and we love spending time analyzing the team and trying to figure out how to build a championship team. The "other" fans don't care a lot about that stuff. They want to be entertained and they want to love the players. There is nothing to love about DeMarcus Cousins. He's a BAD GUY. Plain and simple. Maybe he will grow up someday but right now he is what he is and I'm not going to make excuses for him.

These are the kind of statements I have a problems with. If you want to be critical of his behaviour on the court, I can't fault you. However, I have yet to see any evidence of him being a bad person off the court. Most everyone who knows him says he is shy, funny, and a nice guy. He has gone out of his way to be friendly with fans out in public and help do many activities with kids in the community. There is a BIG difference to having behavour problems during a basketball game and being a "bad person".

 

[mac]

Speak for yourself. Personally i have no problem with the elbow DMC threw. It was excessive, but when did basketball turn into a gentlemen's sport? If you want showmanship you can watch golf or tennis while singing "kumbaya". Is he likable? Who cares. Likability doesnt win games. No team that is unable to break the salary cap and has Smart as its head coach is going to win more games than it loses.

Im annoyed that basketball doesnt get a pass on violence like football and hockey do. "Oh my goodness, he threw an elbow?! Lets eject him, fine him and suspend him." You know how gentlemanly high level, pickup basketball is? People knock the crap out of each other lol. At its core the sport is VERY physical and sometimes violent.

Umm. Well personally I don't have kids and nobody around me even knows who Demarcus Cousins is, so frankly I don't give a hoot and I certainly wouldn't get rid of Cousins if I wanted any hope of this team ever being a championship contender in the next 10 years. But objectively speaking LWP is right in saying that you wouldn't want a guy like Cuz to be your kid's role model. And I don't say that because I believe Cuz is a punk or a bad guy, I say it because he does show immaturity while on the court. But to be fair, most sports people don't make good character role models for kids. I'm sorry you misinterpreted what I said.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Most everyone who knows him says he is shy, funny, and a nice guy. He has gone out of his way to be friendly with fans out in public

he is a nice guy, i met him at a nightclub in sac last year. he was really cool to talk to. LWP hates him and that will never change. he will judge him based on things he has no idea about, like his off court antics. maybe DeMarcus stole LWP's Girlfriend or something? can't think of why else he hates him so much

 

[Kings Faithful]

I like Cousins but he does need to mature. I don't mind him having a bad streak but when he's hurting the team its unacceptable.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

I think those labeling Cousins as a "punk" are so misguided it's not even funny. They unequivocally don't know what they're looking at and are blinded by their set-in-stone opinion of the kid. Is Big Cuz immature? I think most of us would concur that he is. But how does suffering from a degree of immaturity automatically equate one to being a "punk"?

Cuz is a retaliator, not an instigator. And there's a HUGE difference. When Cuz feels he's been slighted or wronged, he retaliates. Every incident we've seen this year, and before, was a reaction to how he perceived he was wronged by another player, coach or referee. His temper gets the best of him and he over-reacts. That's immaturity.

If he was instigating things by bullying other players or starting these incidents without provocation, that'd be a punk move. If he was over-reacting to the point where he was starting brawls like Ron Artest and Ben Wallace did or going into the stands to spit on fans like Vernon Maxwell and Charles Barkley did, I could understand the punk monicker. But he's not doing that.

Last night, he retaliated because Mike Dunleavy put a cheap shot on him that could have seriously altered his career. When DeMarcus asked him if he did it on purpose and asked for an explanation (you could see this exchange on the TV broadcast), Dunleavy gave him the cold shoulder and wouldn't respond. That validated Cuz's belief that he'd been wronged and needed to seek revenge. Same thing happened when he hit O.J. Mayo below the belt. Same thing happened when he had the verbal altercation with Sean Elliott. He was reacting to what he perceived as being disrespected or wronged.

Frankly, in the Dunleavy incident last night, I don't blame him. Dunleavy was the true "punk" and instigator in the exchange. I, too, would have let him know that you're not gonna tolerate someone pulling a move like that on you. HOWEVER, the next possession was the not the time to do it. That's where Cuz's immaturity and quick fuse comes into play. If you believe for one minute that guys like Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, etc. don't do similar things to stand up for themselves against an instigator, you're crazy. They just are far more experienced about how and when to do it so their retaliation goes under the radar.

While we all agree that his retaliations, especially the way he goes about it, are quite immature, they do not make him a punk. As I stated before, the guy that instigates the cheap shot or tries to bully without provocation is the true punk. That's not DeMarcus' M.O. Immature? Yes. Punk? No.

Lastly, let's not forget that 6 years into his career, 2 teams gave up on Chris Webber due to immaturity -- on and off the court -- and problems with coaches. And look what the Kings got out of it. DeMarcus is only 3 years into his career. Perhaps we could have a little more patience with the kid so we're not like the Warriors or Wizards a few years after they gave up on Chris. It's not like Cuz is holding the Kings back from being a 50 win team, let alone a playoff team. They might as well keep him and see if he comes around as Webber did in year 6.

Lastly, I do find it odd that some people seem more critical of Cousins, who hasn't had any reported off-court issues, than they are of players that are linked to things such as PED's, domestic violence, or other off-court, I'll mannered behavior. Makes no sense to me.

 

[KingMilz]

While DMC is prone to a few dumbass moments (e.g. ejection/forcing/giving up at time) once/twice a month, the reality is even if he doesn't "get it" hes still only a consistant jump shot away from being the best C in the NBA. It would be beyond foolish not to keep him for 1 more year on the contract hes on, DMC only becomes a problem is the Kings over pay him and he becomes lazy/losses interest, theres nothing to lose keeping him for at least 1 more year and more than likely into the future.

Do I get mad at him yeah a quiet a bit and I vent it, but again even with all his faults hes still beyond productive @ C. I can live with all the techs/ejections I just at times can't accept when he refuses to play to his strengths.

I watch the games, but when I look at the box scores from January and February, he has the worst +/- for any starter almost every game.

Maybe thats because we are a horrible TEAM and hes going aganst the other teams BEST players and other teams PLAN to stop him they don't give a **** about Hayes or Jimmer lol @ using +/- to point out something, off course our "bad bigs" are going to have a better +/- going against bench players and playing in garbage time when the games over. You can't be serious to use that, as soon as I seen you write "I look at the box scores" clearly shows you know little to nothing about basketball. Kyrie Irving would have a crap +/- and I don't here anyone ever bring that up about him, you got to use common sense sometimes.

Evan Turner/Spencer Hawes/Ryan Anderson/Greg Monroe all help there teams and all have bad +/- since they all play on crap teams.

Kemba Walker is -375 overall and hes easily been the Bobcats best and more useful player
Brandon Jennings is the worst on the Buck team in +/- and you saw what he did to us and hes had a very good season

Vucevic, Aaron Affola : Everyone raves how great Vucevic has been but according to your reaosning hes sucks and they are better off without hin cause his +/- is pathetic.

Can you see now why +/- does not work at all?

 

[Bricklayer]

I'd say about 75% of the posters here support DMC and make excuses for him. That's amazing to me, especially considering the rest of the Kings fan base (outside this forum) is probably about 90% against him and wants him traded. I think the difference is that most of here are hardcore fans and we love spending time analyzing the team and trying to figure out how to build a championship team. The "other" fans don't care a lot about that stuff. They want to be entertained and they want to love the players. There is nothing to love about DeMarcus Cousins. He's a BAD GUY. Plain and simple. Maybe he will grow up someday but right now he is what he is and I'm not going to make excuses for him.

Whether NBA players like it or not, kids look up to these guys. The average fan doesn't want their kids seeing the crap that DMC pulls on and off the court. He doesn't set a good example. Now I know the hardcore guys like Padrino and Bricklayer don't care about any of this. All they see are the numbers and the talent. It's all about winning. That's all fine and dandy but, like I said, the average fan doesn't want to deal with the immaturity of DMC. They want to be inspired by heart, hustle, teamwork, etc. He represents NONE of that. In fact, he's the anthesis of that. Padrino and Bricklayer need to understand the mindset of the fans that pay big money to see these guys play. This is the reason they want him traded. He doesn't fit in this city. This is a middle class family type city.

Ask yourself this question. Do you want your kids looking up to DeMarcus Cousins right now? Do you want him to be a role model for them? My kids are too young right now to care but if they were older the answer would be a resounding NO. Think about it....

You know what? The "average fan" lost his/her say in this long ago. Once upon a time Sacramento was special. Not especially discerning, but special. They would show up to support ANY team, ANYBODY, as long as they liked them, and they would like almost anybody. So at that time the "average fan" could claim to control the moves made by the front office. Now "controlling" the moves made by the front office may very well largely have meant enabling front office incompetence by showing up to support just about anything no matter how lousy, but there it still was. If you wanted to make money as a Kings owner you played to those happy to lose with happy go lucky guys ratehr than those looking to be aggressive.

But the "average fan" lost their say in this franchise about the time they abandoned Webber, quit showing up for milk toasts like Bibby/Peja/Miller, and emptied the building behind such "nice guys" a Kevin and JT. Now the "average fan" is like any other "average fan", which is to say that they won't show up if the team loses no matter how nice somebody is. So you/they are out, and this franchise is now like any other. Which is to say that the "average fans" will come come streaming back into the building at precisely the same time the team starts winning. And the team will start winning at precisely the same timie it accumulates enough elite talents with an organized coach/front office that know what the hell it is doing. Until that tiime the support of the team falls to the hardened core, who watch the team and the sport and have eventual winning as the agenda.

As an aside, Kobe Bryant may have raped soemone, he has certainly slept around on his wife far and wide. KG is a notorious ******* to his team and teammates, constantly yapping, widely despised. Lebron abandoned his city, on national TV, to go bang models down in South Beach. Melo, Dwight, Deron etc. all thought that was cool. Tony Parker cheated on Eva Longoria, with his former teammate's wife (!!). They have of course all been immediately abandoned by the average fans of their city who won't put up with such nonsense.

Meanwhile our bad guy gets in arguments on and around the basketball court.