A large majority of the incidents that were made public, wouldn't have been made public in a properly run orginization. Usually what happens in a clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse. Also, a smart (god I hate that word now) coach could have helped avoid many of the incidents. There were several times when tempers flared on the court, rightly or wrongly, and Smart left Cousins in the game, knowing that his habit is not to forget quickly, instead of sitting him on the bench to cool for while. These things matter in the larger scheme of things because it only adds to the national public opinion about Cousins.
Thats why officials saw more than what was there when Cousins inadvertently hit (I can't even rememeber who it was anymore) blank player in the groin. For which he was suspended. Did anyone see the play in the last Heat/Pacer game when the Bird man knocked Hansbourgh to the floor. Then after Hansbourgh yelled at him as he was getting up, Anderson bumped him with his chest, and then shoved him. To make it even worse, he fought as the ref tried to restrain him. If that had been Cousins, he would have been kicked out of the game and probably suspended for 2 or 3 games. But Anderson wasn't even kicked out of the game, and so far, no suspension has come down from the league. Don't tell me that there's no double standard.
If you have a player with the potential of Cousins, you do everything you can to protect him. Not only from public criticism, but from himself. If your the coach, and you think your player is being abused on the court, by either the other team, or the refs, then you go out and make your case to the ref's instead of sitting by, picking your nails while Cousins gets in trouble. You protect your player. You can discuss his behavior later in the clubhouse away from the spotlights. This isn't about having a love affair with a player, but about building a winning team. In NBA terms, Cousins is gold, and if there's gold in the ground, you figure out a way to get it, while making the least mess possible. Just because a player is 6'11", is making a ton of money, and looks like a man, doesn't mean he's going to act like a man. That man part comes with life experience, and believe me, its harder when your under a microscope.
I'm sure every parent on this fourm has had his teenage son or daughter talk back to them, maybe even say they hate you when you come down on them. I doubt any of those parents discarded their kids because of it. It comes with the territory, and its hard work sometimes, but in the end, when your kids are successful, its all worth it.