heres a good video of Kobe/Carmelo/colangelo's comments
http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=1724295757001
http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=1724295757001
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Cuz named to Select Team
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Cousins responds. Don't blame him.
Kind of makes me think Colengelo is being an a**, because he can, and there actually wasn't something which happened during practice which we haven't heard about. Though maybe Cuz got into it with someone during a practice but this leads me to believe he's continuing on the right path and Colangelo is basically judging Cuz off past media reports.
Yes Cuz, make him beg for you when you bring your dominance to every city in a year or two.
Edit: and,
Sean Cunningham @News10Sean
Cousins says he was definitely bothered by Colangelo's comments. Said it was kinda messed up & that he's "been busting his ***" since day 1
Sean Cunningham @News10Sean
I asked Cousins if this has soured his experience, he said it's not what he expected, but he's learning, bonding w/ teammates & having fun
Edit #2, lol. Per Amick. Not Jason Jones, mind you, our freakin beat writer, but Amick.
"
Kind of makes me think Colengelo is being an a**, because he can, and there actually wasn't something which happened during practice which we haven't heard about. Though maybe Cuz got into it with someone during a practice but this leads me to believe he's continuing on the right path and Colangelo is basically judging Cuz off past media reports.
Yes Cuz, make him beg for you when you bring your dominance to every city in a year or two.
Edit: and,
Sean Cunningham @News10Sean
Cousins says he was definitely bothered by Colangelo's comments. Said it was kinda messed up & that he's "been busting his ***" since day 1
Sean Cunningham @News10Sean
I asked Cousins if this has soured his experience, he said it's not what he expected, but he's learning, bonding w/ teammates & having fun
Edit #2, lol. Per Amick. Not Jason Jones, mind you, our freakin beat writer, but Amick.
"
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"He came back later on and said how I'd improved so much and how I played....(Colangelo) came back later on saying how I improved so much and I played well and all this and that. I honestly don't know where I stand, but I'm going to try to end the camp on a strong note and I'm going to continue to compete and play hard."
This part here tells me Colangelo realizes he made a mistake with his comments. I wouldn't be shocked if all of the reports of people pushing for Cousins to be a part of the team before camp even started rubbed Colangelo the wrong way and lead to him making the comments that were not even based on anything he had seen this weekend. Probably just made them as a defensive response to say, "I told you guys I didn't want him here, and now that he is here I can say I was right!"
This part here tells me Colangelo realizes he made a mistake with his comments. I wouldn't be shocked if all of the reports of people pushing for Cousins to be a part of the team before camp even started rubbed Colangelo the wrong way and lead to him making the comments that were not even based on anything he had seen this weekend. Probably just made them as a defensive response to say, "I told you guys I didn't want him here, and now that he is here I can say I was right!"
What Colangelo said seems to have been entirely pre-conceived and ill-advised.
But in all honesty....if Cousins continues to show his maturity in how he handles the bad critique, if he continues to work hard, practice hard, and play hard, he might force Colangelo to publically back-track from his earlier statement. And if Cousins can get Colangelo to publically endorse him at the week's end, it's a huge win for Cousins this week, considering Colangelo's comments at the start of the week.
There is no doubt in my mind that playing against the US team is going to make Cousins work harder on his game, so it would be nice if Cousins got some love from the National Media for all the hard work he's putting in to become a dominant player.
But in all honesty....if Cousins continues to show his maturity in how he handles the bad critique, if he continues to work hard, practice hard, and play hard, he might force Colangelo to publically back-track from his earlier statement. And if Cousins can get Colangelo to publically endorse him at the week's end, it's a huge win for Cousins this week, considering Colangelo's comments at the start of the week.
There is no doubt in my mind that playing against the US team is going to make Cousins work harder on his game, so it would be nice if Cousins got some love from the National Media for all the hard work he's putting in to become a dominant player.
Thanks for finding this. Cuz gets prejudged and watching him on the court doesn't help with his facial expressions, etc. But, if you chat with him, you find that he is a nice guy who just wants to be the best. Colangelo was being very shallow and should have talked with Kobe before he saw Cuz. Not saying that is practical. Kobe seems to know Cuz and is not put off by the superficial aspects of Cuz' behavior that seems to get imprinted on people's minds. In an all important way, Kobe and Cuz are alike: they hate to lose and absolutely don't want to be second best. If I remember correctly, Kobe has said good things about Cuz before.
Personally I'm sick and tired of this crap being brought up. You want someone to change, then reward them for their efforts. Don't throw past grievences in their face. Regardless of what Colangelo may have thought, he shouldn't have said what he said publicly. I made this same statement about Westphal. In Westphals case, he was an insecure idiot. I don't know enough about Colangelo to pass judgement on the guy, but if he felt the way he did, then he shouldn't have invited Cuz to be on the select team to begin with.
What Cuz did in the aftermath, was the mature thing to do. He chased down Colangelo and asked for an explaination. And guess what, he didn't have one. Just like a lot of the media, he's still going on Cousins past reputation, and not bothering to see if he's changed or not. And please, stop bringing up Cousins complaining when he's called for foul. Blake Griffin complains. Tim Duncan complains. I could go on and on with some of the top players that complain every time their called for a foul. The only difference is that they don't come with Cousins reputation. Rightly or wrongly, the refs have a shorter rope for players that have a bad rep.
What Colangelo did, just reinforces everyone perception around the league. And for what???? No damm reason at all. Way to go Colangelo! Congrats! You managed to take what should have been a good and learning experience for Cousins, and turn it into something negative. And you managed to do it without using your brain.
What Cuz did in the aftermath, was the mature thing to do. He chased down Colangelo and asked for an explaination. And guess what, he didn't have one. Just like a lot of the media, he's still going on Cousins past reputation, and not bothering to see if he's changed or not. And please, stop bringing up Cousins complaining when he's called for foul. Blake Griffin complains. Tim Duncan complains. I could go on and on with some of the top players that complain every time their called for a foul. The only difference is that they don't come with Cousins reputation. Rightly or wrongly, the refs have a shorter rope for players that have a bad rep.
What Colangelo did, just reinforces everyone perception around the league. And for what???? No damm reason at all. Way to go Colangelo! Congrats! You managed to take what should have been a good and learning experience for Cousins, and turn it into something negative. And you managed to do it without using your brain.
Now that I agree with. I don't blame Colangelo for having his concerns about Cousins' maturity (or lack thereof), nor do I really blame him for "going public" with his statements, since he was specifically being asked about Cousins. However, I think he did not handle the situation well in terms of how he phrased his responses and how he reportedly didn't follow through in actually giving Cousins something constructive. You want to criticize a player, fine. But you better be prepared to give a good basis for your criticism, especially when it comes to young players who are trying to get better.
So then aren't you saying that it's a specific hate for Demarcus Cousins and not based on any desire or dislike for players if they are not all goody-two-shoes, seeing as he had no problem selecting Kobe and James?
Now just to be clear, I never said that Colangelo was right in not picking Cuz, all I'm arguing is that we really cannot just read his statements and go "OH it must be because he's a born again Christian and he thinks Cousins embodies the devil" or some nonsense like that. The most logical reason I can think of for a manager not to choose a very talented player due to preconceived immaturity is because of image. While Kobe was accused of rape and Lebron may be hated in America, those two guys have the biggest international followings out of any NBA player other than maybe Yao Ming back in the day. They've represented the NBA and USA many times, holding basketball camps in China etc, and they are established perennial all stars. Picking them is much safer than picking Cuz.
Cousins on the other hand, hasn't even swayed the opinion of most Americans (see: crazy Utah fan who thinks Favors is better than Cuz), let alone international casual fans. As a manager you're not going to risk selecting a little-known guy with supposed attitude issues, unless you really think you could use his talent.
Still, Colangelo shouldn't have made his statements sound that way without being able to back them up.
Now just to be clear, I never said that Colangelo was right in not picking Cuz, all I'm arguing is that we really cannot just read his statements and go "OH it must be because he's a born again Christian and he thinks Cousins embodies the devil" or some nonsense like that. The most logical reason I can think of for a manager not to choose a very talented player due to preconceived immaturity is because of image. While Kobe was accused of rape and Lebron may be hated in America, those two guys have the biggest international followings out of any NBA player other than maybe Yao Ming back in the day. They've represented the NBA and USA many times, holding basketball camps in China etc, and they are established perennial all stars. Picking them is much safer than picking Cuz.
Cousins on the other hand, hasn't even swayed the opinion of most Americans (see: crazy Utah fan who thinks Favors is better than Cuz), let alone international casual fans. As a manager you're not going to risk selecting a little-known guy with supposed attitude issues, unless you really think you could use his talent.
Still, Colangelo shouldn't have made his statements sound that way without being able to back them up.
****!!!
I just realized something completely obvious.
Jerry Colangelo was the long time owner of the Suns. Prior to that he was their GM thorughout the 70s and early 80s.
Guess who traded for Paul Westphal in 1976, only to see him make 5 All Star teams and lead the Suns to their first Finals appearance?
Guess who hired Paul Westphal as his coach in 1993 only to see him coach that team to the NBA Finals?
You wonder where this crap about Cousins was coming from? Mystery solved. And frankly Jerry can stick it where the sun don't shine. I'm only embarrassed I did not make the connection quicker.
I just realized something completely obvious.
Jerry Colangelo was the long time owner of the Suns. Prior to that he was their GM thorughout the 70s and early 80s.
Guess who traded for Paul Westphal in 1976, only to see him make 5 All Star teams and lead the Suns to their first Finals appearance?
Guess who hired Paul Westphal as his coach in 1993 only to see him coach that team to the NBA Finals?
You wonder where this crap about Cousins was coming from? Mystery solved. And frankly Jerry can stick it where the sun don't shine. I'm only embarrassed I did not make the connection quicker.
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Maybe this didn't have anything to do with it, but my feeling is the Maloof brothers sitting up in the stands like proud parents probably hurt Cousins in this case. I understand they were probably just there cause it's in Vegas, but if I'm in charge of USA basketball and I've got owners in my ear about picking their guy, I'm probably going to be a little biased against picking that player. Maybe that's where Jerry's ire was directed. It's hard to say though, at this point just looking at them makes me mad so maybe I'm projecting. If Cousins comes back meaner and even more determined than ever after this, it's a win for us.
Cousins' interview makes it sound like he took Jerry's comments as a strangely petty response. I am not sure why Jerry went that direction with the comments. I don't know if it's part of some Old Gentlemen's Club sort of deal or if he thought he was being helpful and ****ed up along the way.
There are far more prolific players than Cousins who have been to be left off the team. Team USA itself is a very political venture. It's selling NBA brand basketball to the world. Right now, the NBA brand is very robotic and Cousins is not robotic. In that way, it's not Jerry that is old school, but Cousins who's a little too old school for the current product package.
There are far more prolific players than Cousins who have been to be left off the team. Team USA itself is a very political venture. It's selling NBA brand basketball to the world. Right now, the NBA brand is very robotic and Cousins is not robotic. In that way, it's not Jerry that is old school, but Cousins who's a little too old school for the current product package.
Colangelo is a ****ing joke. Dead set, hes riding along with this dam notion that cousins is damaged goods. Its clear as day he went into the select team attempting to earn a shot at the real thing. Your not going to do that by being polite and going through the motions. He went into the game playing hard in a bid to get called up. Kobe of all the stars saw it for what it was.
If our maloofs had any balls about them they'd come out and fully back cousins. Its something Cuban would do and it would earn the respect and gratitude of our superstar and build goodwill going forward.
I know this is coach Ks last round with the US team but my understanding is that Colangelo is sticking around which doesnt help cousins cause (hopefully im wrong)
I am outranged that this joker has pushed cousins aside with his own agenda. Demarcus has worked hard to get to where he is and the skys the limit but clearly haters are goona hate, its the only way i can put it.
Keep walking boogie we feel ya
If our maloofs had any balls about them they'd come out and fully back cousins. Its something Cuban would do and it would earn the respect and gratitude of our superstar and build goodwill going forward.
I know this is coach Ks last round with the US team but my understanding is that Colangelo is sticking around which doesnt help cousins cause (hopefully im wrong)
I am outranged that this joker has pushed cousins aside with his own agenda. Demarcus has worked hard to get to where he is and the skys the limit but clearly haters are goona hate, its the only way i can put it.
Keep walking boogie we feel ya
I honestly don't mind Cousins not making the team. The odds were against him from the beginning, reputation or not, for a variety of reasons. But there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and Colangelo, in this instance did the wrong thing. Its done, and over with. Hopefully it'll be forgotten in the future, and the only thing that will matter is what the player brings to the team.
Kornheiser and Wilbon were both off yesterday so they had Bob Ryan (Boston) and J.A. Adande (LA) as guest hosts on PTI (Pardon the Interruption)
Cousins was one of the topics and how Colangelo called him out publically, and when Cousins went to get answers, Cousins 'said' Colangelo couldn't really provide any.
Bob basically said that Cousins is a 'marked man' and not getting the benefit of the doubt, and that Team USA shouldn't be complaining if he was playing 'too physical'.
Adande said that he spoke with someone there and said that Colangelo's call-out of Cousins was completely justified. He then said that if coaches, players, members of the staff, and basically everyone is saying the same thing (That you're a problem), then the problem is with you, and you need to fix it.
Bob finished the segment saying that Colangelo loves Westphal and he could have been protecting his boy.
So we're concerned as to how the national media is seeing this, and this segment basically showed the two polar sides. Bob's side was pro-Cousins and Adande's side was definitely anti-Cousins.
Cousins was one of the topics and how Colangelo called him out publically, and when Cousins went to get answers, Cousins 'said' Colangelo couldn't really provide any.
Bob basically said that Cousins is a 'marked man' and not getting the benefit of the doubt, and that Team USA shouldn't be complaining if he was playing 'too physical'.
Adande said that he spoke with someone there and said that Colangelo's call-out of Cousins was completely justified. He then said that if coaches, players, members of the staff, and basically everyone is saying the same thing (That you're a problem), then the problem is with you, and you need to fix it.
Bob finished the segment saying that Colangelo loves Westphal and he could have been protecting his boy.
So we're concerned as to how the national media is seeing this, and this segment basically showed the two polar sides. Bob's side was pro-Cousins and Adande's side was definitely anti-Cousins.
At least there is some defense of Cousins. I actually think there is a third view. Cousins gets over anxious in his desire to succeed and makes bad plays. If that's what people are calling immaturity, I'll settle for it. I'd rather have that level of competitive drive than not. Cousins compounds his overexhuberance with his expressions and the like but a facial expression means nothing. If it did, a LOT of other players would be called immature. I think people are adding up 1 and 1 and getting 3.
Why not ask him why he behaves the way he does? He'll tell you. That seems to be too much of an effort for guys like Colangelo. When we go against Spain, he might wish Cousins was on the team.
Why not ask him why he behaves the way he does? He'll tell you. That seems to be too much of an effort for guys like Colangelo. When we go against Spain, he might wish Cousins was on the team.
The odds were against DMC since he was "added" to the select team. Not sure if anyone else noticed, but they never officially added Cousins to the select team and many media reports did not mention his name as a select team member when they were writing about who has a chance to make it and who doesn't.
JC is an old guy that wants to run things his way and keep the image/style/culture of the team his way. By doing that, he retains complete control and secures his long term paycheck and ongoing fame/feeling of importance.
Though we all wanted him to make it, DMC never really had a chance with Blake Griffin there. Though DMC would fit the team much better due to the lack of size, BG is the big name. No way would a guy like JC go the unconventional way of picking the best suited player instead of picking the one that the public wants.
JC is an old guy that wants to run things his way and keep the image/style/culture of the team his way. By doing that, he retains complete control and secures his long term paycheck and ongoing fame/feeling of importance.
Though we all wanted him to make it, DMC never really had a chance with Blake Griffin there. Though DMC would fit the team much better due to the lack of size, BG is the big name. No way would a guy like JC go the unconventional way of picking the best suited player instead of picking the one that the public wants.