Pretty good interview by your boy Baja! I think he's a pretty intelligent kid but just a little immature and subject to the occasional blowup. I know everybody likes to say he is provoked but even he admits that it started as early as high school when he had a confrontation with a teacher. Maybe he's got a problem with authority. I don't know. I just hope he focuses on doing what he does best -- playing basketball at a high level.
I've never denyed his immaturity, and that he has a quick temper. Its one thing to know it as a person, and quite another to change your behaviors. I do think he's trying. There have probably been times when he's been in the right, but he handled it poorly. Such as when the kid elbowed him in the throat. Easy for me to say he shouldn't have responded, but, in fact, he shouldn't have responded. I think he realizes that now. He never had a father, so your right, he may have a problem with authority. He's also very smart. Calapari said that Cousins was the smartest player in college he ever coached. While thats a plus in most areas, it can also be a minus when it comes to authority figures, who just might not be as smart as Cousins.
Calapari said that Cousins would question him all the time about plays they were going to run. He didn't just want to know how, but why. Now Calapari saw that as intelligent. Another coach might see it as disrespectful. Cousins also has trust issues. Now thats not really the coaches problem, but it becomes the coaches problem if Cousins believes that trust has been violated. The bottom line is that Cousins has issues that demand attention and to some extent, special handling. So the question is, is he worth that? I thought then, and I still think now, that he is. I'm sure others would disagree with me. So far, Smart seems to be doing a good job of handling the situation.
At least we both share the same hope.
