actually no, its basically never useful to bench a putative franchise player. Players at that level have options. Once you humiliate them, in particular a guy like Cousins always hypersensitive to criticism, you've lost them forever. I know you'd lose me, and I'd take great joy at coming back into your building, kicking the crap out of you, telling the press why I was kicking the crap out of you, and taking a dump in your courtside seat on the way out of the building. Players at that level you work with, not against. The onyl lesson you can teach them is that they don't need you anymore.
and btw no Cousins didn't get a T for lowering his shoulder. The first one might have been for slapping at the ball. The second for talking to the ref.
I don't know about that. Vernon Davis was very similar. A hard working super talent, but had some prima dona tendencies and temper tantrums. When the coach threw him out, Davis changed for the better.
^^^^yeah, you can't do that. It's almost an 'I should slap you' move.
I think Davis has/had a much different temperament than Cousins.I don't know about that. Vernon Davis was very similar. A hard working super talent, but had some prima dona tendencies and temper tantrums. When the coach threw him out, Davis changed for the better.
IIRC, Cuz flexed at the ref like he was punking/going to swing on him. That was the second T. The 1st was bogus.
Sorry, I watched that sequence over and over again in slow mo, and I didn't see anything by Cousins that should have warranted a technical. Unless of course your a mind reader. I've seen players more physically antimated than that who didn't get a technical. First of all, I couldn't even find evidence of a foul on the play, much less two technicals. When last I checked, the defender is still allowed to stay between the offensive player and the basket. Cousins did touch him with one hand, but thats allowed in the rules. Kanter was banging into Cousns, and couldn't move him, or get him to leave his feet. So the whole thing started with a bad call.
If the ref doesn't call that first technical, none of the other things happen. And that first technical was pure crap. If you going to call a technical for slapping at the ball, then why not call a technical when a player shoots the ball after the whistle has blown and the other team jumps up and bats it away. No one pays money to see the refs blow the whistle or kick players out of the game. The whole sequence reminded me of the game where Webber got two technicals in the span of around 30 seconds and was kicked out. The only difference is Webb got kicked out in the first quarter.
Does anyone think they would given Duncan a technical for batting the ball away, especially in such a bang/bang play? Unfortunately its not going to change anytime soon, so Cuz has to learn to walk away.
I think Cousins should apologize to every single ref in the league. Before every game he should go each referee, look him or her in the eye, and apologize for his behavior since he began in the league. He should do it sincerely and acknowledge that's he's been an absolute jerk and that he's disrespected them and dishonored the game by his adolescent behavior. He should tell them that he's going to do everything in his power to turn it around. He should also tell them that when he's sporting "the face" after getting called for a foul that he would appreciate it very much if the ref would just call him on it so that he could be aware of it. When he gets a foul call, instead of sporting the face, he should smile at the referee and nod acknowledgment that they were right. Every single time. At Christmas Cousins should send every ref a 10 lb box of See's and again apologize in writing and ask for their forgiveness. Maybe then he can not only turn around his juvenile behavior on the court, but also the resentment that has no doubt been building with the refs ever since he came in the league.
While he is at it he should offer to pay for all of their kids education. Maybe pay for a yearly retreat for all referees and host it for them. Show them all how he is a really nice guy.
DeMarcus Cousins describes how his ejection from Saturday's game transpired:
"My reaction was the referee cursed at me," Cousins said when asked by reporters if he saw a replay of exchange. "He told me to go *expletive* ask the other referee. I was going to say something back, kept my cool and walked away and still ended up with a tech. So I still don't understand how."
Wow. Kings need to talk to the league if this is true.
The replay pretty much shows this, as Cuz appeared calm, then was about to respond to something said and instead bit his tongue, turned around and walked away, only to be t'd up.
then was about to respond to something said and instead bit his tongue, turned around and walked away, only to be t'd up.
Wow. Kings need to talk to the league if this is true.
No doubt that Cousins needs to work on his reactions and letting things get to him. But there is getting to be an equally disturbing pattern of overreaction on the part of refs and the league office.
You can't walk away when the ref tells you to walk away? What kind of crazy world is this? Oh, and that looks like "zero flex" to me.
Talk about a double-standard from a National perspective. When DeMarcus complains about a call or has poor body language, he's immature. When Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan do it, they're "competitors" with a strong will to win.
I get that those 2 have multiple titles and DeMarcus has accomplished absolutely nothing. However, at one time, those guys had no titles too and their behavior was the same as it is today. They whine, complain and demonstrate poor body language as much or more than DeMarcus does.
Wow. Kings need to talk to the league if this is true.
The replay pretty much shows this, as Cuz appeared calm, then was about to respond to something said and instead bit his tongue, turned around and walked away, only to be t'd up.
Tim Duncan holds his hands up after every foul call on him, and never gets called for a tech or warned or anything
Wow. Kings need to talk to the league if this is true.
The replay pretty much shows this, as Cuz appeared calm, then was about to respond to something said and instead bit his tongue, turned around and walked away, only to be t'd up.
The difference is he doesn't keep whining to the ref every single time down the court, nor does he scowl at the ref and shake his head and what not. Duncan raises his hands, gives the "NO FRIKIN WAY" face, but then puts his hands down normally and goes the other way. Cuz scowls, does a sort of pout tantrum thing where he throws his hands down (like give me a break). It's all about body language.
Really?
Not sure what you're getting at ... if anything this just goes to show that Duncan also gets called for ridiculous Ts. And although he may have been "showing up the ref", he just continued sitting there laughing, albeit jeeringly. If Cousins had gotten that 1st T called he would have been scowling, frowning, pouting, going up to the ref and throwing a tantrum.