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DeMarcus Cousins has no reason to hide. That's the worst part about his whole covert operation.

Nearly four months into the lockout, the Sacramento big man looks nothing like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man some assumed he would become during this unsupervised work stoppage. He won't be this generation's answer to Shawn Kemp after all, as Cousins and his trainer say his weight is the same now (between 285 and 290 pounds) as it was at season's end. His game is lean and mean, too, with countless hours spent improving his midrange shot and lessons learned from Kevin Durant in their many Goodman League face-offs about how to have a more aggressive mentality as a scorer. And, no, there haven't been any incidents he's trying to keep quiet. After a rookie season in which his solid play was too often overshadowed by nonsense, there have been no setbacks of any substance.

Still, one of the game's most compelling, controversial and surprisingly charismatic young talents has spent the offseason dodging media like boxes of donuts because, well, the public spectrum and saturated fat have been equally unhealthy for him in the past.

"Coming into this lockout there were a lot of stories, a lot of comments being made, and I just felt like no matter how much I try to move things forward, they always throw back some type of negativity," Cousins said by phone after months spent convincing him to chat with SI.com. "Now I just kind of expect it. I know I'm going to get it. I know there's going to be something.

"I'm just to the point where it's getting old, and I really have a point to prove this year. So I'll just have fun, try to wait until the season starts, and every exhibition game I play in, I want to be the one where everybody is like, 'Wow.' I really just want my game to speak for itself."

Nicky Nix Nook wrote:Awesome article. I realllly want this lockout to end so I can see him and the rest of the Kings play. I don't remember the last time I was so excited for a Kings season.