rainmaker
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings/index.html
Some good stuff in here:
Before the first question can even be completed, Cousins -- looking lean and mean at 6-foot-11 with a frame that is nearly 20 pounds lighter than it was at last season's end -- provides a reminder as to why he's rattled so many cages in recent years. He is forever candid and uncouth, and, in this case, quick to correct the premise of a reporter's first question.
His experience with the U.S. select team in Las Vegas in July won't be remembered as a positive one, he insists, and his well-publicized dust-up with USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is to blame.
"No, it wasn't [positive]," Cousins interjected unapologetically. "No."
During the week in which the select squad played against the Olympic team as training for the London Olympics, Cousins drew criticism for being too physical during scrimmages. Colangelo told reporters that Cousins "has some growing up to do." Cousins approaching the USA Basketball chairman to discuss their rift.
"I didn't enjoy it," he said of the experience. "I went out there, and ... I'm not going to say I didn't learn anything from it, because I did. But it was just, in my mind, another political battle. I learned more about politics. I saw the work ethic of the so-called elite in the league, and I took some notes from that and took that back with me. But as far as the rest of it? No.
"Honestly, the scrimmages were one-sided the whole time. To even have a chance, you had to play hard as hell. I mean, we were out there getting our heads knocked off, and if they're going to play physical then I'm going to play physical back. I'm not out there trying to start fights, just trying to stand on my own. But I guess the ignorance of people is they take it as being immature."
It has the potential for a really significant growth year for him," Petrie told SI.com. "On the physical side for sure, he really consistently worked on his conditioning, played every day for the past couple weeks here getting ready. He's shooting the ball very well. He's coming into camp in the best shape I've ever seen him, really.
"So if we can combine the physical improvement with some skill improvement and some mental improvement, then there could be some real growth. ... It's all still in the development phase. He's a player where the elevator for him can still go way up, and we'll keep working with him to try to get him there."
The list of elite NBA centers is a short one, with the Lakers' Dwight Howard and Philadelphia's Andrew Bynum alone in that regard. But the idea that Cousins is closing fast in the big-man race is as real as the sneer on his face when he was asked to argue on his own behalf.
"I'm not going to even speak on" who is the best big man in the game, said Cousins, who averaged 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season for the 22-44 Kings. "Whoever you consider the best in the game, just check my game against theirs. Go look at the game stats and you tell me.
"My game speaks for itself. Regardless of our team's record, their team's record, or who made the playoffs or whatever, I'm one of the best big men in this game right now."
* Cousins revealed for the first time that his former girlfriend from his hometown of Mobile, Ala., gave birth to his son, Amir, five months ago. It was, to be clear, one of the few times in the interview that he offered a hearty smile, speaking of how fatherhood had changed his perspective:
"It's fun. I'm enjoying it. You've got to grow up fast. It's an added responsibility. Now you're not just a role model for the fans, you're a role model for someone who is actually looking up to you. It changes your mindset."
"Every chance [people] get, they bring it [the Westphal incident] back up, never accepting the fact that maybe it was Westphal and it wasn't DeMarcus. But hell, we're going to stick with DeMarcus, to say it was DeMarcus. I haven't had an incident since, so you tell me.
"We've moved on, and we've gotten better from it. But I don't feel like I was treated right [by the organization] in that whole situation."
* On his summer workout routine that has drawn so much praise from his Kings bosses:
"I basically doubled up my workouts. Even when [agent and adviser John Greig] wasn't in town, I still made sure I worked out. I was in the gym, running every night, watching the way I eat, watching my calorie count. Every little small thing.
"We haven't really worried about the [exact] weight, but I don't want to overdo it. I'm watching what I eat, trying not to eat too many heavy meals. I wasn't [doing that before]. Well, I was, but I wasn't as disciplined."
Last offseason and during the season under Westphal, Cousins said, "I put in the work but there was nothing positive coming out of it. No matter how much I did, it was never good enough. I wanted to be good. I wanted to be great. I wanted to be in the best shape. But at the same time, if I don't have the support system that's there and that's also trying to help me get there, then what can I do? What I'm saying is that was the Westphal era. Now we all have a goal, we know where we want to be. Me and coach [Keith Smart] are on the same page, so it's easier to get it done."
On the team and, specifically, the dynamic between him and fourth-year guard Tyreke Evans:
"At the end of the day, everybody in that locker room knows this team is myself and Tyreke's. I don't give a [expletive] about no articles [asking whose team it is]. This team goes as far as we carry it."
Some good stuff in here:
Before the first question can even be completed, Cousins -- looking lean and mean at 6-foot-11 with a frame that is nearly 20 pounds lighter than it was at last season's end -- provides a reminder as to why he's rattled so many cages in recent years. He is forever candid and uncouth, and, in this case, quick to correct the premise of a reporter's first question.
His experience with the U.S. select team in Las Vegas in July won't be remembered as a positive one, he insists, and his well-publicized dust-up with USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is to blame.
"No, it wasn't [positive]," Cousins interjected unapologetically. "No."
During the week in which the select squad played against the Olympic team as training for the London Olympics, Cousins drew criticism for being too physical during scrimmages. Colangelo told reporters that Cousins "has some growing up to do." Cousins approaching the USA Basketball chairman to discuss their rift.
"I didn't enjoy it," he said of the experience. "I went out there, and ... I'm not going to say I didn't learn anything from it, because I did. But it was just, in my mind, another political battle. I learned more about politics. I saw the work ethic of the so-called elite in the league, and I took some notes from that and took that back with me. But as far as the rest of it? No.
"Honestly, the scrimmages were one-sided the whole time. To even have a chance, you had to play hard as hell. I mean, we were out there getting our heads knocked off, and if they're going to play physical then I'm going to play physical back. I'm not out there trying to start fights, just trying to stand on my own. But I guess the ignorance of people is they take it as being immature."
It has the potential for a really significant growth year for him," Petrie told SI.com. "On the physical side for sure, he really consistently worked on his conditioning, played every day for the past couple weeks here getting ready. He's shooting the ball very well. He's coming into camp in the best shape I've ever seen him, really.
"So if we can combine the physical improvement with some skill improvement and some mental improvement, then there could be some real growth. ... It's all still in the development phase. He's a player where the elevator for him can still go way up, and we'll keep working with him to try to get him there."
The list of elite NBA centers is a short one, with the Lakers' Dwight Howard and Philadelphia's Andrew Bynum alone in that regard. But the idea that Cousins is closing fast in the big-man race is as real as the sneer on his face when he was asked to argue on his own behalf.
"I'm not going to even speak on" who is the best big man in the game, said Cousins, who averaged 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks last season for the 22-44 Kings. "Whoever you consider the best in the game, just check my game against theirs. Go look at the game stats and you tell me.
"My game speaks for itself. Regardless of our team's record, their team's record, or who made the playoffs or whatever, I'm one of the best big men in this game right now."
* Cousins revealed for the first time that his former girlfriend from his hometown of Mobile, Ala., gave birth to his son, Amir, five months ago. It was, to be clear, one of the few times in the interview that he offered a hearty smile, speaking of how fatherhood had changed his perspective:
"It's fun. I'm enjoying it. You've got to grow up fast. It's an added responsibility. Now you're not just a role model for the fans, you're a role model for someone who is actually looking up to you. It changes your mindset."
"Every chance [people] get, they bring it [the Westphal incident] back up, never accepting the fact that maybe it was Westphal and it wasn't DeMarcus. But hell, we're going to stick with DeMarcus, to say it was DeMarcus. I haven't had an incident since, so you tell me.
"We've moved on, and we've gotten better from it. But I don't feel like I was treated right [by the organization] in that whole situation."
* On his summer workout routine that has drawn so much praise from his Kings bosses:
"I basically doubled up my workouts. Even when [agent and adviser John Greig] wasn't in town, I still made sure I worked out. I was in the gym, running every night, watching the way I eat, watching my calorie count. Every little small thing.
"We haven't really worried about the [exact] weight, but I don't want to overdo it. I'm watching what I eat, trying not to eat too many heavy meals. I wasn't [doing that before]. Well, I was, but I wasn't as disciplined."
Last offseason and during the season under Westphal, Cousins said, "I put in the work but there was nothing positive coming out of it. No matter how much I did, it was never good enough. I wanted to be good. I wanted to be great. I wanted to be in the best shape. But at the same time, if I don't have the support system that's there and that's also trying to help me get there, then what can I do? What I'm saying is that was the Westphal era. Now we all have a goal, we know where we want to be. Me and coach [Keith Smart] are on the same page, so it's easier to get it done."
On the team and, specifically, the dynamic between him and fourth-year guard Tyreke Evans:
"At the end of the day, everybody in that locker room knows this team is myself and Tyreke's. I don't give a [expletive] about no articles [asking whose team it is]. This team goes as far as we carry it."
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