Demarcus Cousins suspended 1 game by Kings (Conduct Detrimental)

[Donoghus]

This Kings organization is a lot worse than what the Wolves were during the KG days. 

We're currently talking the most dysfunctional franchise this side of Sterling's Clippers back in the day. 

I don't know how much of this is on Cousins versus the organization but things in Sacramento are an absolute mess right now with little or no hope on the horizon.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse for Cousins if he left the Kings because I don't think its possible to find something worse in the NBA.

[2short]

Cousins puts up numbers on a poorly performing team.  His numbers are crazy.  Anyone remember DJ's "attitude" problems before he came to Boston?
I'll take the chance on cousins.  This is one of a few dominate big men in nba.  You think a team first attitude, great coach and great defensive working team that will win won't turn that frown upside down 

[Reggie's Ghost]

Just to add a little info here:

The reason for DeMarcus Cousins’ tirade on coach George Karl was the Sacramento Kings star’s belief that his coach hadn’t done enough to defend him to referees in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, league sources told The Vertical.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--cousins-upset-karl-didn-t-defend-him-222312711.html

[chambers]

well at least his trade value is going down.

I don't want to go anywhere near him but something tells me Danny might not be able to resist.

[Tr1boy]

Just to add a little info here:

The reason for DeMarcus Cousins’ tirade on coach George Karl was the Sacramento Kings star’s belief that his coach hadn’t done enough to defend him to referees in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, league sources told The Vertical.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--cousins-upset-karl-didn-t-defend-him-222312711.html

and??  why does his coach have to defend a loose canon

Karl should of went up to the ref and apologized

He is dying to be fired

[trickybilly]

Cousins puts up numbers on a poorly performing team.  His numbers are crazy.  Anyone remember DJ's "attitude" problems before he came to Boston?
I'll take the chance on cousins.  This is one of a few dominate big men in nba.  You think a team first attitude, great coach and great defensive working team that will win won't turn that frown upside down 

The point is that he is a risk. He will get the max and he is a riskier investment than anyone. It's like buying a kilo of coke and trying to move it.

[MJohnnyboy]

Sorry Sacramento but the writing is on the wall and has been for quite some time.

I just wish you had seen it before you decided to trade your future away for a rental of Rajon Rondo and long-term deals with role players.

DMC will be traded this summer. I don't know if that's going to be the Celtics but he is one foot out the door.

[Tr1boy]

WCS also taking a shot at Karl

He should stop hanging around Cousins

[wayupnorth]

This Kings organization is a lot worse than what the Wolves were during the KG days. 

We're currently talking the most dysfunctional franchise this side of Sterling's Clippers back in the day. 

I don't know how much of this is on Cousins versus the organization but things in Sacramento are an absolute mess right now with little or no hope on the horizon.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse for Cousins if he left the Kings because I don't think its possible to find something worse in the NBA.

Do you not remember the whole, "Joe Smith" saga, for starters?

You are giving that Wolves organization far too much credit. The ONLY reason they were playoff bound so many years, was because Kevin Garnett was simply that dominant.

The T-Wolves were spectacularly bad. They are the reason that Garnett never won a ring there. Any half-competent management could have crafted a winning team around Garnett, considering he gave them a decade to do it.

But, did you ever hear of KG getting in trouble with the organization? Or not trying on the court because of a bad call?

Cousins is a terrible leader, which doesn't work so well, because he will be the most talented player on just about any team he plays on.

Cousins could handle this whole situation like Kevin, but he is acting like a baby, and people here are giving him a pass. A dysfunctional front office (one that HE chose to sign a contract with) is not an excuse to be a bad leader.

I just don't get it.

[crimson_stallion]

You will have a ton of people here blame everyone but him, it will all be the King's fault, watch! To some people on here he can't do anything wrong, it's like going to your buddy's house and their kid is a little **** but they just look the other way!

Are you denying that the kings ownership and management over the course of the Cousins era has been garbage?

8: Stauskas 
7: Mclemore
5: T Robinson
7: traded 7 overall for John Salmons and 10 overall (Fredette)
Thats what theyve done with their 4 top 10 picks following Demarcus's selection

In his time they tried to move the team to Anaheim, then to Seattle, then changed ownership, hes played under like 8 head coaches, they let the only other good draft pick they made (IT) walk for a bargin contract, fired the only head coach he really fit with, the entire front office has been turned over at least once and replaced by seemingly more incompetent people.

hes immature. No one doubts that, but Id love to see what he could do in Boston with Danny Ainge, Brad Stevens and a real franchise.

I still dont see him hitting the trade block, but you best believe I still want the kid.

The Kings are undoubtedly in the running for worst run organization in the league right now.

Let's not forget how bad the T-Wolves were in the years that KG was with the team. They were just as bad as the Kings are now.

That said, KG NEVER used that as an excuse for a bad attitude or not caring about the team, or to not always give 100% .

DeMarcus has NO excuse to act this way. Absolutely none. He signed the contract, he knew what he was getting into.

He should look at how Kevin handled a similar situation (as a better player) to learn a thing or two.

I used to be a huge Cousins fan, but not anymore. Guy has proven he has a bad attitude, and that attitude affects his team negatively.

This isn't to say that I wouldn't take him if the right deal came along, just that I think he has the potential to really distract and frustrate a franchise.

2 points.
First, KGs Twolves made the playoffs for 8 seasons in a row including one where they were the #1 overall seed and made the conference finals.

The Kings have yet to make the playoffs.

Now a good amount of that can be attributed to the fact that KG was a terrific leader and team player where Demarcus isnt, but I think that most of KGs teams were better than just about all of Cousins teams.

Second, comparing KG and Cousins seems unfair (I know it has been done and thats probably why you bring it up) but if you use KG as your measuring stick for leadership etc then you are not going to be happy with a lot of players.

The argument (for me at least) is not that Cousins could come be KG for us and be a great leader and teammate and more that if he got out of the situation he could come not be a problem and give us 25 10 and 2 while Ainge built a high character team around him.

Exactly...

Anybody comparing KG's situation in Minnesota to DMC's situation on Minny is out of their bloomin' minds.  Not even remotely comparable.

There have been few teams in the past 20 years that have been as badly run and managed as this Kings team.  Maybe the Knicks were up there for a while (while Zach Randolph and Steph Marbury were there) but I don't know if even they got this bad.

I don't think anybody denies that Cousins has a difficult personality.  He's very emotional and he obviously needs to get better at staying away from drama. 

Same has been true of many great players.

* MJ kicked chairs, broke blackboards, got in fights with teammates, etc
* Amare Stoudemire punched a wall (or something similar) out of frustration in the middle of the playoffs and missed critical games because of it the resulting injury
* Blake Griffin punched out staff member
* Dwight Howard had his coach fired, then lied straight to his face about it on public TV
* Lebron has had more coaches fired then I can count on one hand
* KG almost had a fight off the court over inappropriate comments he allegedly made to Melo
* Rondo argued with Doc many times and threw things in the locker room

There have been many great players over the years who have had difficult personalities and who have clashed with other people on their teams.  The key difference IMHO is that when Cousins has a problem with somebody it never seems to go beyond words, and it never seems to involve teammates.  If anything, his teammates generally seem to be on his side.

When Cousins was playing under a coach he liked, then he was happy.  There were never complains, he wasn't causing arguments - the drama just wasn't there.  If he was playing for a respectable coach (like Brad Stevens, Greg Popovich or even Doc Rivers) then I can't see why he would have any problems.

Of course for Cousins, this is a job and his career.  In theory when have a job you should always respect your boss (no matter how bad they treat you), and you should always work as hard as you possible can (no matter no matter how disorganized and frustrated your organisation is). 

In reality things tend to just no go that way. 

I've had bosses before who I really disliked.  Perfectly nice people outside of work, but when at work they were absolute *bleeps* who constantly tried to throw you under the bus to save their own skin.  Yeah, I've gotten into arguments with bosses before - even though theoretically I shouldn't lose my temper. 

I've worked for organisation who were dodgy as hell, horribly disorganized, and just didn't care.  places where I was so overworked that I would be doing 12 hours shifts almost on a daily basis, and yet the organisation just didn't care and completely refused to bother trying to support me or to give me help.  It's frustrating, and after spending enough time in a place like that sometimes you do lose motivation, and you do stop caring so much, and your work starts to slacken off. 

In theory you should't be that way, but in the real world we are humans, not robots, and we have emotions.

This doesn't mean that the way Cousins responds is right, just like the way I responded in some of those past places wasn't right. But when you try all of the peaceful approaches (like asking politely for help, making suggestions on how to improve things, being respectfully honest about your frustrations) and nobody cares or does anything about it...and you are locked in to a contract you can't get out of...then it's only a matter of time before your patience runs out and you lose your cool.

Once again i will reiterate that these actions are NOT (theoretically) right.  Theoretically he should just sit through all the frustrations, keep playing wit 110% effort, and keep smiling at the coach.  But he's human, and I don't blame him for that.

Crazy as it sounds I don't really have a problem with a player arguing like this with managers or coaches IF there is a valid issue.  Words are just words, and venting is something everybody does.  What concerns me is when a player starts causing actual problems - getting physically aggressive, trying to get teammates traded, trying to get coaches fired, trying to request a trade, creating discontent among the other players on the team, etc. 

That's when I start to think 'this guy is a cancer'.   

Cousins doesn't seem to do anything like that though.  From all reports he actually had a chance to get Karl fired a month or so ago, and didn't.

He doesn't strike me as a trouble maker, just a very emotional person in a very frustrating situation.  Put him in a non-frustrating situation and honestly think he'd be perfectly fine...and I think his effort levels would also improve across the board if he was playing for a coach he respected in an organisation that actually wants to go places.

[Roy H.]

Kevin suffered longer, as a better player, in a worse situation (as far as management and personnel go) than Cousins.

I don't think this is remotely true.  Minnesota was never close to organization of the year, but compared to the Kings?  The Maloofs were jokes.  Ranadive is a joke.  The Kings have gone through how many coaches, just in the last year?  One of those coaches -- Karl -- is visibly checked out, and he led an open mutiny in his own locker room, trying to recruit teammates to bash other teammates to management.  They hired a GM who didn't even know how trade calls worked, and who gave away pick swaps rights for cap space to sign overrated role players, when they could have created enough cap space by using the stretch provision. 

The Kings have easily been the worst run NBA franchise of the 2000s, and that includes the Clippers.  It's unreal how bad they've been.

KG was a consummate profession off the court, and was a real leader of men. A great influence on his teammates.

Consummate professional? 

Garnett punched Rick Rickert, a second-round draft pick of the Timberwolves last season, according to several sources with knowledge of the event. Seven stitches were required to close the cut on Rickert's chin, said Susan Rickert, the player's mother, during a phone interview yesterday.

According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Garnett's attack was unprovoked.

Rickert, 21, scored several times with the 6-foot-11 Garnett guarding him. Several other players began to "tease" Garnett about being outplayed, according to a source. When Rickert scored again, Garnett struck him without warning.

"Rick was surprised that Garnett reacted the way he did," said Rickert's agent, Mark Termini.

In November 2000, Garnett punched teammate Wally Szczerbiak in the head following an argument.

So, that's two teammates he punched.  He made Big Baby cry.  He notoriously gave teammates one chance to impress him; if they disappointed him, he would never work with them again.  He refused to come out of the locker room to support his teammates when he was injured.   He was ejected and suspended many times, including during playoff games.  He developed a reputation as a dirty player, and was one of the most hated guys in the NBA.  There are many, many accounts of him being aloof, or even rude, to fans off the court.

I loved KG.  I loved his passion, I loved his defense.  However, let's not sugar coat that he had a temper, and sometimes he let his intensity get the better of him.

[Donoghus]

This Kings organization is a lot worse than what the Wolves were during the KG days. 

We're currently talking the most dysfunctional franchise this side of Sterling's Clippers back in the day. 

I don't know how much of this is on Cousins versus the organization but things in Sacramento are an absolute mess right now with little or no hope on the horizon.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse for Cousins if he left the Kings because I don't think its possible to find something worse in the NBA.

Do you not remember the whole, "Joe Smith" saga, for starters?

You are giving that Wolves organization far too much credit. The ONLY reason they were playoff bound so many years, was because Kevin Garnett was simply that dominant.

The T-Wolves were spectacularly bad. They are the reason that Garnett never won a ring there. Any half-competent management could have crafted a winning team around Garnett, considering he gave them a decade to do it.

But, did you ever hear of KG getting in trouble with the organization? Or not trying on the court because of a bad call?

Cousins is a terrible leader, which doesn't work so well, because he will be the most talented player on just about any team he plays on.

Cousins could handle this whole situation like Kevin, but he is acting like a baby, and people here are giving him a pass. A dysfunctional front office (one that HE chose to sign a contract with) is not an excuse to be a bad leader.

I just don't get it.

The Joe Smith saga wasn't dysfunction.  It was stupidity from the front office by attempting to negotiate an under the table deal.  Then the penalty from the NBA (which was overly harsh) didn't help matters. 

What's going on in SAC is much worse & messed up that the Timberwolves of the late 90s/2000s.

[KeepRondo]

Kevin suffered longer, as a better player, in a worse situation (as far as management and personnel go) than Cousins.

I don't think this is remotely true.  Minnesota was never close to organization of the year, but compared to the Kings?  The Maloofs were jokes.  Ranadive is a joke.  The Kings have gone through how many coaches, just in the last year?  One of those coaches -- Karl -- is visibly checked out, and he led an open mutiny in his own locker room, trying to recruit teammates to bash other teammates to management.  They hired a GM who didn't even know how trade calls worked, and who gave away pick swaps rights for cap space to sign overrated role players, when they could have created enough cap space by using the stretch provision. 

The Kings have easily been the worst run NBA franchise of the 2000s, and that includes the Clippers.  It's unreal how bad they've been.

KG was a consummate profession off the court, and was a real leader of men. A great influence on his teammates.

Consummate professional? 

Garnett punched Rick Rickert, a second-round draft pick of the Timberwolves last season, according to several sources with knowledge of the event. Seven stitches were required to close the cut on Rickert's chin, said Susan Rickert, the player's mother, during a phone interview yesterday.

According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Garnett's attack was unprovoked.

Rickert, 21, scored several times with the 6-foot-11 Garnett guarding him. Several other players began to "tease" Garnett about being outplayed, according to a source. When Rickert scored again, Garnett struck him without warning.

"Rick was surprised that Garnett reacted the way he did," said Rickert's agent, Mark Termini.

In November 2000, Garnett punched teammate Wally Szczerbiak in the head following an argument.

So, that's two teammates he punched.  He made Big Baby cry.  He notoriously gave teammates one chance to impress him; if they disappointed him, he would never work with them again.  He refused to come out of the locker room to support his teammates when he was injured.   He was ejected and suspended many times, including during playoff games.  He developed a reputation as a dirty player, and was one of the most hated guys in the NBA.  There are many, many accounts of him being aloof, or even rude, to fans off the court.

I loved KG.  I loved his passion, I loved his defense.  However, let's not sugar coat that he had a temper, and sometimes he let his intensity get the better of him.

What a joke. Comparing Cousins to KG? Please.

[crimson_stallion]

Cousins puts up numbers on a poorly performing team.  His numbers are crazy.  Anyone remember DJ's "attitude" problems before he came to Boston?
I'll take the chance on cousins.  This is one of a few dominate big men in nba.  You think a team first attitude, great coach and great defensive working team that will win won't turn that frown upside down 

The point is that he is a risk. He will get the max and he is a riskier investment than anyone. It's like buying a kilo of coke and trying to move it.

Of course he is a risk. 

No player of Cousins' caliber would ever be available for a trade if they weren't a risk in some way or other.

Hell, every player that was linked to Boston this past trade deadline is a risk in some capacity.

- Al Horford is a risk with that injury history, age and declining stats, and UFA (rental)
- Kevin Love is a risk with his health, declining stats and questionable attitude
- Dwight is a risk with his health, declining stats and attitude and UFA (rental)
- Butler is a risk with his current injury
- Durant is a risk because he's a free agent next year and so he'd be a rental

Demarcus Cousins is actually far LESS risk than most guys because:
1) He is young, his stats have been consistently elite for years (he wont decline anytime soon)
2) He's been very healthy (has played in 85% of possible career games)
3) He's locked into an incredibly good value deal for three years

So the ONLY risk you have to worry about is that he has a difficult personality.  That's it???  That's nothing.  That's something you can at least TRY to control.  You can't control health, or ageing, or unrestricted free agency.  Those are REAL risks because they are completely 100% out of your hands. 

A player with attitude issues - that is at least addressable.  There are things you can do to try to cheer up an unhappy player.  You can offer them support, you can listen to their problems, you can ask them why they are upset, you can promise to try to make things better and show that you are really making an effort to follow through on it.  Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't, but at least you can try...and if it doesn't work you can move on.  You have some control of that situation.

I'd much rather take the risk of signing a disgruntled Demarcus Cousins for $15M a year over the next 3 years...rather than take the risk of signing an oldish, injury riddled and declining Al Horford for $30M over the next 5 years.

Just's just me though

[Roy H.]

Kevin suffered longer, as a better player, in a worse situation (as far as management and personnel go) than Cousins.

I don't think this is remotely true.  Minnesota was never close to organization of the year, but compared to the Kings?  The Maloofs were jokes.  Ranadive is a joke.  The Kings have gone through how many coaches, just in the last year?  One of those coaches -- Karl -- is visibly checked out, and he led an open mutiny in his own locker room, trying to recruit teammates to bash other teammates to management.  They hired a GM who didn't even know how trade calls worked, and who gave away pick swaps rights for cap space to sign overrated role players, when they could have created enough cap space by using the stretch provision. 

The Kings have easily been the worst run NBA franchise of the 2000s, and that includes the Clippers.  It's unreal how bad they've been.

KG was a consummate profession off the court, and was a real leader of men. A great influence on his teammates.

Consummate professional? 

Garnett punched Rick Rickert, a second-round draft pick of the Timberwolves last season, according to several sources with knowledge of the event. Seven stitches were required to close the cut on Rickert's chin, said Susan Rickert, the player's mother, during a phone interview yesterday.

According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Garnett's attack was unprovoked.

Rickert, 21, scored several times with the 6-foot-11 Garnett guarding him. Several other players began to "tease" Garnett about being outplayed, according to a source. When Rickert scored again, Garnett struck him without warning.

"Rick was surprised that Garnett reacted the way he did," said Rickert's agent, Mark Termini.

In November 2000, Garnett punched teammate Wally Szczerbiak in the head following an argument.

So, that's two teammates he punched.  He made Big Baby cry.  He notoriously gave teammates one chance to impress him; if they disappointed him, he would never work with them again.  He refused to come out of the locker room to support his teammates when he was injured.   He was ejected and suspended many times, including during playoff games.  He developed a reputation as a dirty player, and was one of the most hated guys in the NBA.  There are many, many accounts of him being aloof, or even rude, to fans off the court.

I loved KG.  I loved his passion, I loved his defense.  However, let's not sugar coat that he had a temper, and sometimes he let his intensity get the better of him.

What a joke. Comparing Cousins to KG? Please.

I didn't compare.  I responded to somebody else's post comparing them.