i've never believed that demarcus cousins was the enemy-of-the-state that media outlets have made him out to be. he's young, headstrong, competitive, and easily-frustrated on the court, but he's always struck me as a good-natured and intelligent citizen. his issues of immaturity appear to be smoothing out under this new regime. time will tell if he's truly beginning to overcome those issues, particularly once the kings go on a lengthy losing streak, but good on demarcus for acting like the face of the franchise out of the gate this season. he's clearly put in the effort on-court. he looks in shape, he looks in control, and he looks like he's prepared to dominate. it's great to see him continuing his efforts off-court, as well. he appears ready to own the many responsibilities that come with being tagged a "franchise player."