bajaden
Hall of Famer
If you get the time and have the desire, I suggest you come join us at summer league. Its a very unique venue, in that you get to see and hear up close and personal conversations. Its always interesting to hear from those that watched it on TV, and made judgements based on what they saw. And its not that those judgements are totally incorrect. Its that they're imcomplete.
I have no doubt that Cousins would have liked to be sitting in street clothes along with Casspi and Greene for the last game. He was trired, and his legs were dead. All he had left was a spurt here and a spurt there. And, if he did any sightseeing while there, it wasn't going to help his cause. I was suspossed to have a ride to the arena from a friend on saturday. There was a mix up and we never connected. Cruzedude had already left for some sightseeing of his own and was to meet me at the arena later. So I was left to my own resourses to get to the arena. I asked someone how far it was and they said a couple of miles and pointed me in the right direction. Stupidly, I decided to walk to the arena. After walking about a mile to Flamingo Blvd. I ducked into the shade of a bus stop. I felt lightheaded and exhausted. I later found out that it was 114 degrees outside. At that point, I opted for the bus. By the time I got to the arena I was good for just one thing. A seat and a beer. Anything else could or would have resulted in my demise.
When your on the strip, the fastest way to get anywhere, is by foot. Traffic and parking take up too much time. But to walk just across the street from where I was staying over to Ceasor's Palace required a forced march in terrific overbearing heat. So sightseeing, while fun, is very exhausting. My point is, that any player that decided to partake of such endevors, wasn't doing his game any good. I have no insights as to what Cousins did in his spare time. He doesn't drink or drive. But I assume that he did some sightseeing. I know I would if I had never been to Las Vegas before. And while that might appear innocent on the surface, it certainly didn't help his stamina.
Bottom line is that its summer league. A place to get your feet wet, and for the team to see what you bring to the table. For the most part I think that was accomplished. Cousins and Whiteside both showed what they do best, along with their flaws. You can make of it what you will, but I suggest keeping it in perspective. Which I think you (Bricky) have. Its easy for the OP or anyone else to pass judgement from the comfort of their living room. But I guarantee, you would have a different perspective sitting behind the Kings bench. When one says that Whiteside impressed me more than Cousins. I assume were talking about attitude and not talent. Because talent wise, there is no comparison right now. Cousins is the superior player. He was virtuily the talk of summer league. The Vegas sports page was loaded with quotes from GM's and scouts raving about him.
So what we have is two projects. Whiteside is a project talent wise. He has a lot to learn. And I think he'll be fine. There were times when he was very dejected and looked defeated. Ironicly, Cousins was one of his biggest supporters. Cousins is a project on the maturity level. I had the privilige of speaking to Cousins mom at the arena. She's pleased with how the Kings are handling her son. She's aware of his shortcomings, and says he's aware as well. He's going to require patience and a lot of guidance. And the reward could be great. Cousins, like a lot of 19 year olds, lives in the moment. He has a hard time seeing beyond that moment, and the consquences of not being able to. And, some of his reactions are misunderstood. In one instance the player guarding Cousins was grabbing his arm from behind. Cousins finally got tired of is and knocked the players hand away. The player then shoved Cousins in the back and Cousins sensing the ref's, threw his arms up into the air, into a, hey, I didn't do it posture. No foul was called and as they resumed their battle, Cousins said something to the other player and both cracked up. Of course the smile was replaced with the scowl in short order. But if you didn't see the entire sequence on TV, you might have an entirely view of what happened.
This is what I believe to be true about Cousins. He hates to lose. More than that, he hates his own personal failure. That talk on the bench between him and Ellie, was Ellie trying to pull him out of the dumps. I think he felt defeated, and it was a feeling he wasn't accustomed to. He wanted to go out and dominate, and he was incapable of doing so. Westphal also had a talk with him after the game. Cousins is used to being successful and now he was staring at defeat, and personally felt responsible for it. He was beating himself up. In the long run, I think its a good thing. Success tastes much better after tasting defeat. To be honest, I don't think you can actually appreciate success unless you've been to other end of the scale.
One final note. Off the court, Cousins is a big teddy bear. Think of him as Bart the Bear that was in so many movies before he died. He looked fearsome, but in reality, he was a gentle as a lamb. Cousins is polite and has a sneaky sense of humor. On the court, demeanor wise, he has a lot of work to do. But talent wise, well, as one GM put it in the Vegas paper, in two years, this kid will be a top 2 center in the league. By the way, if you think John Wall looks fast on TV, you ought to see him in person. All I can say is, WOW!
If you just can't take the heat, then get out of Las Vegas! Next thing I'm going to hear from you is that Petrie hired you as the strength and conditioning coach!
