Demarcus Cousins doesn't like Aaron Brooks
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UK_King
Starter
Even if Brooks was being a total ball hog, it still isn't "leadership" to cuss him out on the court.
I know sports is sports but imagine if you went into work tomorrow and your boss cussed you out in front of everyone, would you be like "oh yeah that man is a leader wow i really am motivated to go to work for this guy!" Uh no, it'd probably have the oposite effect.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
I think DFC's yelling at Brooks was his clumsy way of being a leader. Also, as he was told by a coach and several players that if he passed more, the rest of the team would pass, he might have had his ego tweaked a bit by Brooks' selfishness. His thought would be, "if I have to pass why doesn't Aaron?" He could have handled it far better but he has a point. IT tends to be selfish also but I doubt if he will yell at his buddy. That's not saying they won't chat but he would handle it more maturely. IT has supported DFC from the beginning so they have a different relationship.
If he thought his yelling was in the role of a leader, good for him. Now he has to figure out how to be a leader better. This was definitely not the way. The only two bonafied possible leaders are he and Tyreke and we all know Tyreke won't speak out so by default we have to hope he grows into the role just as we want him to grow in a lot of ways. He has a lot on his plate.
If he thought his yelling was in the role of a leader, good for him. Now he has to figure out how to be a leader better. This was definitely not the way. The only two bonafied possible leaders are he and Tyreke and we all know Tyreke won't speak out so by default we have to hope he grows into the role just as we want him to grow in a lot of ways. He has a lot on his plate.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
To be honest, I can't believe this is even a discussion. A teammate yells at another teammate. Who cares? It happens on every team in every sport. The only reason anyone cares is because its Cousins. If Shaq or Kobe or Duncan or Bird or Jordan etc etc etc had yelled at a teammate, no one would care, and if they did care, they would probably heap praise on him for being a leader and taking charge. But were talking about Cousins, whose every move is analyzed, inspected, dissected and turned inside out in hopes of finding any reason to criticize. Believe me, its a lot harder to resurrect one's image when every move you make, and every thing you say, is under a microscope.
UK_King
Starter
My only interest in it really is because of the amick article that came before the suspension, that his antics were wearing thin on his teammates and to avoid his wrath they were just giving him the ball and getting out of the way.
Cousins has played fantastic since he's come back and I'm delighted but I'm also aware that brooding hostility between teammates rarely fosters a winning environment.
Cousins has played fantastic since he's come back and I'm delighted but I'm also aware that brooding hostility between teammates rarely fosters a winning environment.
K
KingMilz
Guest
Pretty much this you got a 3 on 1 fastbreak and you already had your shot crashed against the backboard earlier by Gerald Wallace and instead of a easy drop of pass to Cousins or whoever else was on the break he goes for the hero play. Trade Brooks imo, he needs to go to a team which needs his scoring.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
No, I think most of the criticism I read was about his game in general. Some of it probably has to do with good sentiment towards Cousins, so somebody has to be the bad guy, and if it isn't Cousins, then it must be Brooks. There are times when Brooks seems to ignore open teammates and has only one thing on his mind. Of course if he consistently scores, its hard to be too critical. But its the games when he doesn't. There are times when I don't see a lot of difference between IT and Brooks. Both have a similiar mentality. I think Fredette has more of PG mentality than both of them, but when he's in the game, and he goes for 5 or 6 minutes without even touching the ball, then he gets out of that PG mentality, and trys to score the ball, often times forcing something when its not there. If someone shouldn't like Brooks, its Fredette. In the last two games, both bad games for Fredette, Brooks has almost refused to pass him the ball. IT and Fredette seem to have a good chemistry together.
However, with IT starting, Fredette is on the floor with Brooks more often than not. From that point of view, its not working. At least for Fredette.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
To sort of follow up on what I just posted. Cousins obviously likes having IT in the starting unit. But in some ways, its screwed up the second unit. Before the second unit was composed of Robinson, Johnson, Fredette, I. Thomas, and either Hayes, or JT. If you think about it, Robinson has been a black hole at times, and forces a lot of shots. Many times when the ball goes to Johnson, he gets a bug up his a$$ and either shoots the ball, or trys to drive to the basket. IT was the guy that started the offense, and he was fairly liberal in who he passed the ball to. As a result, Fredette would get his share of shots, and many times they were open shots. Since IT has been moved to the starting lineup, Brooks is the guy, and too many times he has blinders on.
Of late, he either shoots the ball, and if he passes it, his favorite target is Johnson, who seldom passes the ball. Were not getting the ball movement we were getting before in the second unit, and thats one of the reasons its not getting the same results as before. It just doesn't have the same chemistry. In some ways, thats a compliment to IT.
Of late, he either shoots the ball, and if he passes it, his favorite target is Johnson, who seldom passes the ball. Were not getting the ball movement we were getting before in the second unit, and thats one of the reasons its not getting the same results as before. It just doesn't have the same chemistry. In some ways, thats a compliment to IT.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Indeed.
As starters:
25.3min 11.9pts (.468 .386 .844) 1.7reb 2.7ast 0.6stl 0.1blk = tough, scrappy, saavy leader of men with big upside
25.3min 10.0pts (.490 412 .779) 1.8reb 3.0ast 0.8stl 0.2blk = selfish twit we should cut
I heard Cousins yell at Brooks to pass the ball. I didn't really think twice as yelling at a team mate to do something happens allll the time. If it doesn't happen you have a problem. Pretty funny when I logged in and saw posts regarding Brooks "conflict" with Cousins. Give me a break.
Dude...you haven't watched much NBA basketball, have you? Team leaders call out other players on the court all the time. And for the record, what DFC said wasn't "cussing him out." Those guys drop F bombs all the time. If you ever go to a game and sit close to the court you'll see what I mean. Kobe yells at his teammates, James does it, and a lot of others do it. It's not like they do it constantly but a phrase once during a game isn't a big deal. I'm truly surprised at all the people who are finding fault with this...
UK_King
Starter
I'm not sure why every time i happen to disagree with something that occurs in the game of basketball I'm accused of "not watching NBA basketball" I've watched NBA basketball since i was in HIGH SCHOOL, I'm 28 now. I'm fairly sure it's because I've got "UK" in my name, because international fans are seen as dummys for some reason.
My debate is with how you earn respect as a leader, and i happen to think that isn't the way to do it. If you do thats fair enough, but it doesn't mean i don't watch NBA basketball... please, enough already.
Section 101
All-Star
People are making a mountain out of nothing. He should have said something. The correct play was to pass the ball. You don't wait. What if they had another fast break before a timeout?
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Well said. I'm hoping that Johnson will have more discetion with handling the ball in the second half of the season. If he does it in small doses, he's pretty good. Also, I'm hoping that with Robinson's recent epiphany we don't see him going one on one like he did in the first part of the season. That said, I don't see the second unit being completely functional until some type of trade is made.
UK_King
Starter
I think my point has been lost a long time ago. I'm not talking about the individual play, I'm talking about putting it in the context of the whispers we'd heard before the suspension that his teammates had lost patience with him, they didn't respect him as the leader of this team, they were giving him the ball to avoid his wrath.
His play is the first step to him becoming the leader, the second step is to have his teammates see him as such.
Section 101
All-Star
So Kobe and Howard are feuding.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...-feud-fuel-dwight-nets-deal-article-1.1234685
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...-feud-fuel-dwight-nets-deal-article-1.1234685
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
Pretty much. Happens all the time on courts/fields around the world. I wonder how many have played competitively if they think this is such an issue worth blabbering about.
My only issue would be if Cuz will only react that way to a teammate who isn't as close to him as IT. Can't be afraid to say it to others. That however is yet to be determined.
Entity
Hall of Famer
when i made this post I know teamates sometimes yell and get on each other. If anybody thinks this is a case of that they haven't been watching all year. Its in both players body language towards each other. It isn't everyday type stuff If it was I wouldn't have said anything. I have seen Reke and Cousins yell at each other alot I never posted. I am sayin Cuz don't like Brooks that is all.
Padrino
All-Star
well that's not the least bit surprising. kobe bryant is the single most fierce competitor in professional basketball, and has been since jordan. dwight howard, on the other hand, is mr. happy-go-lucky, all-smiles, never wanting to rock the boat, and constantly trying to get out from under the bad guy criticism he earned for plunging the orlando magic into chaos with all of the will-he-or-won't-he nonsense the last couple of seasons prior. more than his soft reputation, though, it would appear that either howard is more limited than anyone would have guessed after returning from his back injury, or he is simply cowering beneath the expectations of playing for a storied los angeles franchise. he was orlando's favorite son. in LA, he's looking up at the legacies that kareem abdul-jabbar and shaquille o'neal left behind. nobody gives a **** about the name "dwight howard" in LA if he can't help his team win. meanwhile, kobe's running outta years, and everyone knows it. but the guy's playing absolutely out-of-his-mind this season. i don't care what the kingsfans.com consensus is on kobe bryant as a person; the dude is phenomenal, and he's earning every penny the lakers have ever paid him, while their big time free agency acquisitions have barely registered this season...
personally, i'd say the lakers problems are threefold: they're unable to compete on the defensive end because of age and a lack of speed, they have an utterly nonexistent bench, and they have a coach woefully unprepared to take on the challenges of his roster. mike d'antoni sounded pathetic in early season interviews, practically begging steve nash to return from injury as quickly as possible. but a 39-year-old nash is hardly a bail-out in 2012. this isn't nash-in-his-prime, in phoenix, with a hyper-athletic amare stoudemire available for the pick and roll, alongside a cadre of three-point shooters waiting on the wings. this is a shallow lakers team that features pau gasol and dwight howard, two players that thrive on the low block, where d'antoni seemingly refuses to play them. the lakers get destroyed regularly in point differential in the paint. i have leveled a considerable amount of criticism at keith smart for his inability to maximize the talent on his roster since becoming the kings' head coach. but the kings aren't a winning team full of superstars. if i'm a lakers fan, i'd be tearing into mike d'antoni daily for his failures as a head coach, particularly regarding his complete lack of defensive emphasis. d'antoni was always the wrong man for the job, and he's been proving it since he hobbled onto the lakers sideline. of course, i'm loving every minute of LA's implosion. it just amazes me that a franchise built around the "W" could get it so wrong...
You need to take the chip off your shoulder. If you had been able to attend NBA games, which is what I meant BTW, you'd hear a lot more of this stuff than the TV or radio broadcasts ever pick up. The language can make a sailor blush. Practices are even more verbal. it's not so much about Demarcus as a leader as it is about Demarcus calling out another teammate for not doing what he should have done. I've seen Chris Webber get on guys for doing dumb things at key moments and nobody made it Mt. Everest.
Cousins does a lot of things to earn criticism. I happen to think showing passion for the game and wanting the other guys on the court with him to show the same is not one of them. If you do, fair enough. I bear you no ill will and I don't think you're a dummy. I'm sorry if you took that from my post.
UK_King
Starter
I only take it that way because it's the second time you've told me i don't "watch" any basketball because i happened to disagree with you on something.
Obviously, sadly, i can't attend games, i wish i could. If that means my opinion is less valid, i suppose thats fair enough, but not much i can do in that area.
being a fan of American sport and being on various forums i encounter a lot of snide comments about the fact I'm an international fan and how my opinion means jack s***. Apologies for jumping to that conclusion.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
If you don't want snide comments, don't advertise where you are from with your name. There are quite a few UK folks that follow the Kings which I find odd in the sense that of all the teams to watch, why the Kings?
Is the desire to suffer in UK DNA?
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I've told this story before, but its more relevant in this case. Several years ago, I was at a Kings game and sitting right behind the Kings bench, thanks to my daughters boss. A timeout was called and as J. Will and Funderburke were approaching the bench, J. Will yelled at Funderburke about being out of position on the last play. Funderburke promptly told J. Will to go F himself. I saw J. Will's face turn beet red, and he started toward Funderburke. Vlade stepped in and got both players in a headlock and held on to them until they apologized to one another. To the best of my knowledge, there was never another incident between the two of them. But this isn't an uncommon thing. Tempers flare in the heat of the moment, but after the game, its usually forgotten.
As for Cousins, he may not like Brooks. I have no idea. But I do think he had a legitimate gripe. As I said in a game a few days back, I saw Fredette wide open calling for the ball, and Brooks just ignored him. I thought Brooks shared the ball better when he was starting. Since he's coming off the bench, he seems to have just one thing in mind, and thats scoring. Now I have no idea whether Brooks dislikes Fredette or vise versa, however I doubt it. I think Fredette, and sometimes Cousins suffer the results of Brooks style of play. Which in Cousins case, got a response.
Edit: By the way, you don't have to like someone to play with them. I played with players that I had great dislike for. Mostly because of who they were as a person, and occasionaly because of how they played the game. Only once did I come to blows with a fellow player, but thats a story for another time.
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