Asking for Kings' Fans Opinion on DeMarcus Cousins

[pancakes3]

I know he's been much maligned in the media and has at least 2 public condemnations from his coach/team. However he is productive. On the other hand, he seems to have a questionable shot selection.

Teetering back and forth, where do you guys end up feeling about Cousins? Is he a keeper? Is it how laker fans felt about Bynum? Or closer to how Piston fans feel about Monroe? Maybe how we (Wizards fans) feel about Arenas?

Please elaborate and share various anecdotes that an outsider wouldn't know about.

Thanks.

[longfellow44]

Probably closer to the way that pistons fans feel. He is certainly a keeper. His shot selection is improving so that is being dealt with.

[pancakes3]

I think he plays hard, but could play harder. What's more is that I never got the @sshole vibe from Cousins like I did from Bynum. You'd hear stories about how Bynum would park lengthwise across parking spaces so nobody could accidentally ding his cars outside whole foods and things like that. But then all the accounts of "conduct detrimental to team" can't come out of nowhere.

[Cruel_Ruin]

Cousins isn't a douche like Bynum, but he's a god-awful teammate because he can't control his emotions. He's a like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum. The basketball skills are franchise player-worthy but the question is will he ever learn to control his temper.

[408Kings]

Tremendous franchise talent that is not in control of his emotions. He wants to win bad, but he needs to learn to take accountability. He needs to channel his "the world is against me" mentality into better effort and dedication to prove them wrong instead of throwing s#!t fits.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

I think he plays hard, but could play harder. What's more is that I never got the @sshole vibe from Cousins like I did from Bynum. You'd hear stories about how Bynum would park lengthwise across parking spaces so nobody could accidentally ding his cars outside whole foods and things like that. But then all the accounts of "conduct detrimental to team" can't come out of nowhere.

Yeah the difference between him and Bynum is Cousins' problems stem mostly from his intense desire to win, not his apathy, which is a better problem to have imo. If channeled right, it can be a great thing, as it stands now, it's a terrible thing. I hope he can figure it out and mature into our franchise player, and now that we have a capable front office, this is his last chance to prove himself here.

[SacKingZZZ]

Yeah, definitely not Bynum. Honestly, his attitude in the locker room is like some of the stuff I've heard about MJ back in the day. Except MJ was a douche off the court too.

[beb0p]

Cousins is much less of a headcase than Charles Barkley, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, etc. He's actually more in line with the aforementioned because of his desire to win and be the best than guys like Derrick Coleman, Bynum, Vin Baker; who just wanted the paychecks.

While I acknowledge that he is no angel, at the same time a lot of things were overblown. Like when he threw an elbow at Tony Allen, ok that was bad but I see that stuff all the time in NBA, sometimes it wasn't even called (remember Kobe's hit on Mike Bibby?). But because it was Demarcus Cousins who threw that elbow, it was on ESPN.

Somehow Charles Barkley jumping on the scorer's table and challenging the referees to fight is taken as colorful, just good ol' Charles being Charles; but when Cousins talked trash to the GS Warriors it was interpreted as immature and he's branded the next Derrick Coleman. The double standard here is too plain to ignore.

One day, barring injuries, Cousins is going to carry a team to the NBA Final. It's that simple. I'm hoping it's the Kings that he carries but he will take them there if a team will just build around him.
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[pancakes3]

Has most of his criticisms come on-court? Does he get into trouble off-court? Andray Blatche was notorious for throwing after-parties, frequenting strip clubs, and was shot once in an attempted carjacking outside a seedy neighborhood.

[teerfour+40LG]

All of his problems are on-court. He's not JR Smith or Stephen Jackson.

[pancakes3]

So sounds like really it's just he's a bit of a hothead like 'Sheed but not as nuclear. The shot selection hints at Josh Smith but really he's not the team cancer public perception makes him out to be?

[pillwenney]

Oh, he can be cancerous right now for sure. It's a question of whether that can be changed or if his emotions can be channeled better.

[ICMTM]

Oh, he can be cancerous right now for sure. It's a question of whether that can be changed or if his emotions can be channeled better.

I agree, and as even I have been more pro moving DMC than I ever have in the past the issue becomes return value. For pennies on the dollar in a trade I'd rather keep him.

[SacTownKings4Life]

I personally know of a guy who's even more emotional than Cousins is, and is around the same age. It comes from the environment they grew up in, typically without a father or father figure to teach them how to keep their emotions in check. So by default, all they ever grow up seeing IS emotional behavior. The fact that we lack any sort of veteran leadership in Sacramento may also play a part in Cousins' lack of maturation. The fact of the matter is, he IS still a kid. A college kid who didn't actually finish his college career or education. Sometimes keeping an entire team young just for the sake of "being young" can prove to be somewhat detrimental. It then becomes the professionals job to baby sit these "kids" until they finally start to "get it". Most real world employers won't put up with this because they don't have to.

Everybody is different. Some people are model citizens, and some people aren't. And further still, some people just need a little bit of guidance. I think a lot of people get carried away trying to judge and label people, as if everybody in the world had reached their peak maturity level at high school/college age.

[City of Trees]

Looking at videos of Cousins really working hard this summer I think he is in line for a monster season. With the coaching staff declaring him the #1 option on offense and the "anchor" on defense, I see great things with him.

[boogie-reke]

I wouldn't be definitive cause we all know it can all go really south really fast with this guy, the second he loses trust or motivation.

It looks promising, but past history still makes me very wary. Everything is peaches in Kingsland before the actual season starts.

[City of Trees]

It looks promising, but past history still makes me very wary. Everything is peaches in Kingsland before the actual season starts.

When your team stinks the off-season is the best part of the season Don't kill my vibe

[boogie-reke]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mr_jasonjones/status/359422554584264704[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/mr_jasonjones/status/359428050032672768[/tweet]

[boogie-reke]

lol

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/359421806488199168[/tweet]

[Inigo_Montoya]

Awesome. I know that this kind of thing tends to grate on some people's nerves but I love it.