Voisin says Cousins in dire need of help

VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#1
#1
Ailene Voisin: After latest ugly incident, Kings' Cousins in dire need of help

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- DeMarcus Cousins deserved this. Of course he deserved this. Enough already. The Kings' third-year center should be banned from Sleep Train Arena until he apologizes for verbally accosting his coach Friday night - only the latest display of troubling, destructive behavior - and strongly encouraged to start addressing his issues.

You don't have to be a psychiatrist to realize he needs counseling. He needs to be punished, true, but he also needs to be helped.

Cousins' emotional outbursts are occurring in rapid-fire succession, demoralizing his coaches, alienating his teammates and crippling his promising NBA career. His stature is shrinking by the deed...

Read more here
 
S

Singhisking

G-League
#2
#2
Yes, I agree. I have posted before suggesting psychiatric help for this young man. And I have also given the example of Ron Ron. Look how calm and focused he became with some help. He even thanked his psychiatrist after the championship.
 
VF21

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#4
#4
Singhisking said:
Never mind. He is as good as gone........... Guess too late now :(
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/23/report-demarcus-cousins-changes-agents/
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That's being discussed in a couple of other threads, too. Changing agents doesn't mean he's on the way out the door, especially when the agent is assuredly well aware that despite what the Kings have contributed to the problem, his client needs help dealing with issues.
 
S

Singhisking

G-League
#5
#5
Nice! I like Cousins and always thought he is an amazing young man, enormous talent and probably the best center I will ever get to see in the Kings jersey. I would love to keep "in" Sacramento. Kid needs help. He needs some mental counseling in order to realize & enjoy his enormous talents. Hopefully his new agent helps. May God bless this young man.
 
L

LWP777

Guest
#6
#6
Singhisking said:
Nice! I like Cousins and always thought he is an amazing young man, enormous talent and probably the best center I will ever get to see in the Kings jersey. I would love to keep "in" Sacramento. Kid needs help. He needs some mental counseling in order to realize & enjoy his enormous talents. Hopefully his new agent helps. May God bless this young man.
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Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.
 
Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#7
#7
LWP777 said:
Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.
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Again, as would I. That's not going to happen. To him its a sign of weakness, of submission. Not happening.

The way to accomplish similar goals is through some sort of mentor or buddy system. You have to sidle up to a prickly pear like DeMarcus as a friend. He's smart enough if you get the information/advice to him in non-confrontational ways he can absorb it. But you come at him in any way that demands he submit, back down, admit he's wrong, or anything else, and you're going to get the horns.
 
J

Jose

Bench
#9
#9
LWP777 said:
Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.
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http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/2012/...gs-reinstate-demarcus-cousins-after-one-game/

So, it appears we are moving past the latest Cousins situation. Once again, talent trumps all and the Kings set yet another dangerous precedence. A profanity-laced and highly-personal attack on head coach Keith Smart got him a one-game suspension.

Duly noted.
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Very dangerous precedent that we're setting here. For all of Coach Smart's talk about "setting standards", this was just a slap in the wrist.
 
PurpleHaze

PurpleHaze

All-Star
#10
#10
Well, being that Smart said today that Cousins will "play at some point," coach could just ice him at end of the bench for several games - if not bunch of games. That would be punishment that Cousins would simply have to take or face another suspension. I do agree this slap on the wrist one-game suspension is basically meaningless, except for problem-child losing some $.
 
blackice

blackice

G-League
#11
#11
Well I can't fault Cousins for being disgruntled. I can't count how many times I see him just not touch the ball for numerous possessions. When he does get it, he is at the top of the key where he really isn't a threat. It's a damn shame that no one can get it through his skull that he needs to be in the block most of the time and work through him, for example that Clipper game the other night, I saw Brooks just come up and chuck a three, I immediately looked at Cousins to see his reaction and he just kind of stood there and didn't want no part of it anymore.
 
bajaden

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#12
#12
I think I would have sat him out for at least 5 games to make my point crystal clear. Actually I would have told him, you take the help we're offering, and it will be a 5 game suspension. If you refuse the help it will be a minimun of 10 games. He has to understand that his options have run out. I don't want to kill his desire, but to temper it. No one is irreplacable, including him. He has to understand that.

Make no mistake, I love Cousins, and I want him on our team for the forseeable future. But sometimes tough love is the only way to get across.
 
Arco Arena

Arco Arena

Bench
#13
#13
Bricklayer said:
Again, as would I. That's not going to happen. To him its a sign of weakness, of submission. Not happening.

The way to accomplish similar goals is through some sort of mentor or buddy system. You have to sidle up to a prickly pear like DeMarcus as a friend. He's smart enough if you get the information/advice to him in non-confrontational ways he can absorb it. But you come at him in any way that demands he submit, back down, admit he's wrong, or anything else, and you're going to get the horns.
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Takes more than that. Who says they haven't tried to do some sort of mentor or buddy thing? Reports are they've tried everything including that approach.

Players like Cousins will only grow up with a combination of a drastic action wake up call (i.e getting traded/severely suspended/etc) + having a winning team environment (respected/proven coach & players).
 
Glenn

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#14
#14
Dalembert seemed like a mentor to Cuz. I saw them laughing together with Sam having his arm around Cuz as they both sat on the bench. Too bad we didn't sign him but I suspect the last thing Dally want was to continue connection with this dysfunctional franchise.
 
Glenn

Glenn

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#15
#15
PurpleHaze said:
Well, being that Smart said today that Cousins will "play at some point," coach could just ice him at end of the bench for several games - if not bunch of games. That would be punishment that Cousins would simply have to take or face another suspension. I do agree this slap on the wrist one-game suspension is basically meaningless, except for problem-child losing some $.
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What makes you think your approach would work? Do you have examples that show if you bench a guy game after game that he "get's it" and comes back a reformed athlete.
 
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Glenn

Glenn

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#16
#16
bajaden said:
I think I would have sat him out for at least 5 games to make my point crystal clear. Actually I would have told him, you take the help we're offering, and it will be a 5 game suspension. If you refuse the help it will be a minimun of 10 games. He has to understand that his options have run out. I don't want to kill his desire, but to temper it. No one is irreplacable, including him. He has to understand that.

Make no mistake, I love Cousins, and I want him on our team for the forseeable future. But sometimes tough love is the only way to get across.
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You would take this approach without knowing what is wrong, right? I agree that he should have stayed away from the team far longer but for much different reasons.
 
PurpleHaze

PurpleHaze

All-Star
#17
#17
Glenn said:
What makes you think your approach would work? Do you have examples that show if you bench a guy game after game that he "get's it" and comes back a reformed athlete.
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I have no idea if it would work. What I do know is, Kings said they were suspending Cousins indefinitely and that turned out to be one game. So, it's now up to Kings to figure out if he's reformed after sitting out one measly game - I doubt it. What do you suggest?
 
Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#18
#18
bajaden said:
He has to understand that his options have run out..
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That is the thing. He will never understand that, because its nothing we have control over. All we can prove to him is that his options with us have run out. At which point our options with him will runout and he will leave. We're the ugly pot bellied aging guy driving the '86 Volvo. Somehow we scored a young hot wife. Sure, she's a bit nutty and she's got a vicious temper, but to this point at least she's been loyal, and we'll never do better. But now we're fighting, and the young hot guys cruising in their Italian sports cars are circling. She's even just gone out and hired one of the best divorce attorneys in the nation on retainer. So sure, we can put our foot down all we want. We can say I think we need a break. We can make her sleep on the couch or even kick her out of the house. We can demand she go to therapy before she gets to come back in. But all that is going to prove to her is that we're over, and that dude in the $1000 suit sitting in his ferrari just winked at her.
 
Glenn

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#19
#19
PurpleHaze said:
I have no idea if it would work. What I do know is, Kings said they were suspending Cousins indefinitely and that turned out to be one game. So, it's now up to Kings to figure out if he's reformed after sitting out one measly game - I doubt it. What do you suggest?
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Go read the thread about Cousins being suspended. I wrote a =small novel about what I suggest and why.

The fact is, as people looking in from the outside, we DON'T know what's going on. I am a bit touchy on plans that are based on guess work but I suspect that is all we are going to get from this team. I agree that Cuz should stay out longer but for different reasons. I suspect either his new agent rattled the cages of the Maloofs and/or they told the team to bring him back because they saw attendance taking another hit.

Start with this page http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/showthread.php?50076-Cousins-SUSPENDED-Indefinitely/page8 and read the long note and another to follow about half a page later.
 
Glenn

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#20
#20
Bricklayer said:
That is the thing. He will never understand that, because its nothing we have control over. All we can prove to him is that his options with us have run out. At which point our options with him will runout and he will leave. We're the ugly pot bellied aging guy driving the '86 Volvo. Somehow we scored a young hot wife. Sure, she's a bit nutty and she's got a vicious temper, but to this point at least she's been loyal, and we'll never do better. But now we're fighting, and the young hot guys cruising in their Italian sports cars are circling. She's even just gone out and hired one of the best divorce attorneys in the nation on retainer. So sure, we can put our foot down all we want. We can say I think we need a break. We can make her sleep on the couch or even kick her out of the house. We can demand she go to therapy before she gets to come back in. But all that is going to prove to her is that we're over, and that dude in the $1000 suit sitting in his ferrari just winked at her.
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I like this. You should be a lawyer.
 
Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#21
#21
PurpleHaze said:
I have no idea if it would work. What I do know is, Kings said they were suspending Cousins indefinitely and that turned out to be one game. So, it's now up to Kings to figure out if he's reformed after sitting out one measly game - I doubt it. What do you suggest?
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1) when we made it indefinite there may not have been the implication of permanence amny were assuming. Its possible we jsut called it indefinite because we needed to do something, everybody neeed a cooling down period, but we didn't immediatel;y know how long to make it

2) Cousins' new agent might have come in and said stop. Now.

3) its Christmas. And I am not kidding. Maybe Boogie asked and we gave somce forgiveness/redemption do to the season. letting the hooliday carry some water for us. Soudns silly, but its precidsely somethign I might have toyed wiht in a cold hard eyed tactical manner.

4) Cousins may have asked back and it may have mattered. He apparently apologized after the game to peeps. Too little for what went on? Sure. But it showed he acknowledged he was in the wrong. Maybe he did so again the next day and his message was come on, I said I'm sorry and meant it, don't blow this up into something we can't get past it in the future. I'm not going to be any more sorry two weeks from now. Just more pissed, and seen as an outsider int he locker room. We may have reinstated him with this suspecion just serving as a warning shot of the "if it happens again you're going to be out a lot longer" variety.
 
jcassio

jcassio

Starter
#22
#22
My nickle is on the "cooling off" period, which has now expired. I mean, Cousins did say he was wrong. To continue the suspension would have meant it was really about punishing him. I know some of you think that's exactly what is needed, but there's a HUGE risk in taking that approach with someone like Cousins -did who feels the whole world is against him.
 
N

Npliam

Starter
#24
#24
If I were to suspend someone indefinitely I would make the suspension ending conditioned upon their actions. For example," you may come back when you have apologized to the coach, the players and the owners". I would hope that made him coming back a result of his behavior and not just made him hang out until they felt like it was time. I imagine that something like this is why they allowed him back after one game and not pressure from the new agent. If it was pressure from the new agent then things don't look good for the future of him resigning with the Kings.
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#29
#29
bajaden said:
I hate to even think about that. Hopefully Cuz doesn't have those kind of tendecys.
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All the more reason to suspend him until he sees a psychologist for an extended period of time. If they bring Cousins back prematurely because of a rebound deficit and their short-term cash considerations, it's not doing Cousins any favors.
 
Kingster

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#30
#30
jcassio said:
My nickle is on the "cooling off" period, which has now expired. I mean, Cousins did say he was wrong. To continue the suspension would have meant it was really about punishing him. I know some of you think that's exactly what is needed, but there's a HUGE risk in taking that approach with someone like Cousins -did who feels the whole world is against him.
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I wonder how many times after one his outbursts Cousins has said he was wrong. Apologies are cheap. He needs to invest a lot of time in counseling. If that's viewed by Cousins as punishment, then so be it. There has been risk with Cousins from Day 1. Risk in doing something. Risk in not doing something. Always pondering exactly how much to do and when diminishing returns will set in. Well, they need to suck it up and give some firm limits to this young man. If he's out a couple of games after an "apology" that's just a joke and it will be back to same ol' routine for Cousins.
 
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