Would you take a chance on Cousins?

[shrink]

Cousins was admonished — again — by Kings coach Paul Westphal and benched for a portion of Thursday’s loss to Milwaukee. The Kings have no argument in this case; they knew what they were in store for with the immature Cousins, who also has been plagued by foul trouble and emotional outbursts. It could be house-cleaning time soon in Sacramento, which desperately needs a boost to improve the chances at a new arena.

Very unlikely a team would trade a Top 5 pick during his first season, but the Maloof's are under more pressure than nearly any other ownership.

[NewWolvesOrder]

Cousins needs to be on a winning vet team. He will pull the same crap here he does in Sacto. He probably doesn't like us...

[Baphomet]

Absolutely not.

Didn't want him prior to the draft, definitely don't want him now.

[Piecake]

yea, dude needs to go to a vet team. Definitely not here

[shrink]

Like Beas?

(ok, slow night .. I just wanted to provide some debate)

[Piecake]

Like Beas?

(ok, slow night .. I just wanted to provide some debate)

Beas is a goofy, immature headcase

Cousins is a immature, d-bag headcase

I think thats a significant difference

[NewWolvesOrder]

I actually think Beasley has a good ''from sky to earth'' experience in Miami. Who knows how he would have acted if he had been drafted by the Wolves.

[Baphomet]

Well, there were a lot of concerns about his maturity prior to the draft, and it seems with every passing week we're hearing something new that only serves to confirm Cousins' terrible attitude. All he's done so far is validate the people who passed on him, instead of 'make them regret it', to paraphrase Cousins himself. His body language is atrocious when on court, he pouts and sulks when he gets benched or gets a call against him, and the Kings as a whole are utterly dismal. Tyreke Evans' garbage play of late hasn't exactly aided their cause, but you have to think there's something seriously awry over there.

As much of a knucklehead as Beasley was at times in Miami, his antics were never cancerous or a huge detriment to the team as Cousins' are in Sac. And while Westphal isn't exactly the best coach, he's been the Kings fan's scapegoat and I feel bad for the guy. That's not to say I think Cousins' can't turn it around, but I'm highly skeptical. I'd just rather we had nothing to do with him. He has a ton of potential, but I doubt he'd realize it in this kind of environment.

[lewdog]

Last year's # 6 for this year's # 5.

[shangrila]

Cousins is a violent, confrontational kind of immature. Basically a baby throwing tantrums. Beasley is the happy-go-lucky kind of immature, who struggles to take things seriously.

Huge, MASSIVE difference between the two. I wanted Cousins pre-draft, wouldn't touch him with a 60 foot pole now.

[Devilzsidewalk]

I don't think I am anymore. Draft time I thought he was good to go after a relatively quiet freshman year w/ no major problems, but I guess the people that have been in close contact with him knew best all along. Doesn't seem worth it at this point.

[Tirion]

Kings aren't trading him and even if they are, he doesn't fit in Minny. Detroit, GSW or Toronto seems more likely.

[Calinks]

I HATE to go around labeling people as malcontents or nonredeemable becasue I think every one has the capacity to change and anyone can be misunderstood. I saw the talent of Cousins and thought he was one of the best players in the draft, easy. After hearing all of this stuff though, I am really disappointed in the man.

How do you act like this when you already know everybody thinks ill of you? Frankly, he looks like a ball dropper and I don't know if he's making any effort to correct that. I still think he can get his stuff together but it's just messed up that it has already gotten to this point 1/3 of the way into the season. A damn shame.

[younggunsmn]

I think the 41% FG shooting, poor D, and foul every 6 minutes he's on the court are as big of red flags. If he was tearing stuff up you might be tempted to take a risk. Right now he plays like a poor shooting Al Jefferson all hulked out.

I hope the kid gets some help, therapy, anger management, meds, whatever he needs to straighten himself out. Seems like he has a really, really hard time letting even small things that piss him off go, or accepting any blame or criticism.

Sad because that team looked so nice on paper before the season started.
I highly doubt sacto sells him at 50 cents on the dollar before they've exhausted every avenue of behavioral correction. Westphal is not exactly captaining a smooth ship over there though, with his constant lineup changes nobody can be happy on that team.

[funkatron101]

He's making Rashad McCants look good.

[C.lupus]

He's making Rashad McCants look good.

My first thought upon reading this thread was that Cousins is heading down the McCants career path. He still has time to mature and get his head screwed on but if he doesn't, his career in the NBA is going to be short.

[Worm Guts]

Cousins is alot more talented than McCants ever was.

[funkatron101]

Cousins is alot more talented than McCants ever was.

Ok, I don't think anyone is denying that. The McCants jab was a bit of a joke, but Cousins also seems to have caused more headaches in his short career already, than McCants did.

[C.lupus]

Yeah, no doubt he's more talented than Rashad. He's also big, and that alone will give him a longer career. As I said McCants was the name that popped into my head initially. Now that I think about it more, JR Rider might be a more likely career arc. This is assuming Cousins doesn't pull it together, of course.


Needless to say, I don't want him here until he shows that he can manage his demons.

[LordBaldric]

I wanted Cousins big time during the draft. Now he scares the crap out of me. I'd trade Flynn for him, but that's because I think Flynn sucks.