ROFL I don't know where to start. Sometimes it's just not worth explaining to u people. U guys have already made up your mind that you will live and die by Cousins. I'm a Kings fan, not a Cousins fan. All I've seen is a classic inefficient first option on a bad team, on top of maturity issues, no leadership quality, and porous lazy defense for long stretches. Give it another few weeks and a few more losses and these problems will rear their heads once again. I have no faith in that guy's ability to lead this team.
I guarantee that when and if the Kings are good enough to contend in this league, Cousins won't be the 1st option on that team. Decent chance he won't even be the 2nd option. He might not even be on the team.
If Cousins is the best player on this team for years to come, this team won't come close to contending for anything. Book it. I can't wait to bump this for the LULs.
if that's all you've seen, then you're really not paying close enough attention. like,
at all. there is, quite honestly, a grand canyon's worth of difference between the demarcus cousins of this season and the demarcus cousins of the past three seasons. he's picking his spots much better on offense, and flat-out dominating down low. he's giving consistent effort on defense, though it will take him time to become consistently effective on that side of the floor. he's generally biting his tongue over bad calls or missed calls, and his rapport with the referees is much more well-mannered. he's showing a greater affinity for avoiding fouls in man-to-man defense, though he's still prone to picking up silly, unnecessary fouls from time to time by reaching in. he's been a positive force in the community, and is doing his best to establish a new relationship with the fans...
the kings are not a talented team. they're going to lose a lot of games, so it's going to be a frustrating, up-and-down season for demarcus, and there's nothing wrong with that whatsoever. it's good for him. we'll see how he manages his way through the adversity. personally, i think he's responded very well to the new organization's challenge that he should be the first man in the building and the last man out. i've been an admirer of some of your positions since you arrived at kf.com, but you seem to have no handle whatsoever on the player cousins is becoming right in front of everyone's eyes...
is DMC going to rise to lebron james status as a "leader" and cultural figure? no, he probably won't, but i'm not even convinced that lebron is a particularly gifted "leader." the perception simply claims that he is. chris paul is widely regarded as the "leader" of a newly-minted contender in los angeles, but even that guy has a nasty habit of flailing about and flopping like an absolute weenie, setting a poor example of sportsmanship for his teammates. kevin durant is widely regarded as the "leader" of a perennial contender in oklahoma city, but his occasional passivity and otherwise stoic demeanor aren't exactly the stuff of inspiration. the same goes for derrick rose...
the fact of the matter is that
talent wins games, and demarcus cousins has the talent to help this kings team become a winner, if surrounded by more than scraps off the MLE heap. but leadership can come from anywhere. chris webber was the kings' greatest talent over a decade ago, but vlade divac was the unquestioned leader of that team. people claim that isaiah thomas is "the heart and soul of this team." if you are in a position to draft a superb and egoless talent like jabari parker, then you may be the rest of the way there, on both the talent and leadership front. that said, if demarcus continues to play like an all-star caliber center, continues to give consistent effort on both sides of the floor, continues to challenge his teammates to do the same, continues to be a fiery, passionate presence on the court, the only reason the kings may not "come close to contending for anything" is because the front office failed to properly build around cousins...
i'm continually amazed by a great many kings fans, who seem to love pointing the finger at what
isn't the problem. mediocre talents, bad contracts, imbalanced roster, poor management, poor ownership, poor coaching... pick any of them and more across the last seven years. demarcus has steps to take if he's going to fully realize his potential, but
he's in the process of taking those steps right now. he's making strides. isaiah thomas continues to grow into his sixth man role. vasquez looked good last night. and mclemore, while coming along slowly, is showing flashes. coach is making an impression. snag a #2 option in the draft, ditch as many of the mediocre spare parts as possible, and surround what's left with sturdy, defensive-minded roleplayers. that's a recipe for future success, regardless of your lack of faith in cousins' ability to lead...
