It was a familiarly head-shaking sight.
In the last minute of the fourth quarter, DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins made a tough layup while fouled to give his team the lead. Before shooting the free throw, Boogie taunted the Portland bench and "accidentally" spit out his mouth piece. In what was seen as a sign of tremendous disrespect, he was given his second technical of the game, and ejected.
However, Cousins's technical foul and ejection were later rescinded. He would come back to make the free throw and make a crucial block to lead his team to victory. On the night, he finished with 55 points with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in a game where the Kings came back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter. After the game, Cousins in a post-game interview, claimed that the technical that initially got him rejected was "ridiculous", and that his treatment from NBA referees day in and day out was "ridiculous."
Although an obviously star-studding performance, Cousins's behavior during the game contributed to his perception as a "bully" and "thug" in the NBA. Already known for his temperamental and volatile personality, the stereotype about Cousins was even further exacerbated by his complaining about his treatment after the game, leading many to believe that he has a "victim complex", the belief that everyone is out to get him. In addition, earlier that day he was fined $50,000 by the Kings for lashing out at a Sacramento Bee reporter, who mentioned the arrest of his brother, Jaleel, in a negative piece about Cousins and teammate Matt Barnes. Consistent incidents like these have put Cousins in the same conversations as other "problem" NBA players, like Rasheed Wallace, Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest, and teammate Matt Barnes.
Recently, I've read many articles and editorials related to the Kings that have advocated trading DeMarcus Cousins for the benefit of both himself and the Kings, for many legitimate reasons. Boogie needs a change of environment. He doesn't play good enough defense. The game has changed. The Kings have a "toxic" NBA culture. It is without question that management is unstable, as the Kings have had six different head coaches since Cousins was picked in the 2010 NBA draft. Promising first round draft picks, like Jimmer Fredette and Ben McLemore, have not reached their potential in the NBA.
Although an avid Philadelphia 76ers fan, the Sacramento Kings are my third favorite team in the NBA. Behind the '01 Sixers and '04 Pistons, the '02 Kings were my favorite team in history, boasting an electrifying offense that showcased sharpshooters in Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic and talented passing big men in Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, in a manner very similar to the current Golden State Warriors. The Kings today tend to engage in too much "ball-stopping" offense in either Cousins or Rudy Gay that makes them somewhat more boring to watch.
Personally, I don't believe in judging players by their personal lives or their volatile attitudes. Obviously, Ron Artest went too far in the Pacers-Pistons Brawl, but he paid for it in a season-long suspension. We should not seek out athletes as role models, but instead how they play the game. That is one area where I sympathize with Boogie: criticizing family members of athletes in ad hominem attacks is going too far. Former Kings coach George Karl's comments on two former Nuggets players is a prime example: “Kenyon (Martin) and Carmelo carried two big burdens: all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man,” Yeah. Too far.
There is also a double standard in how we out certain players for being "thugs" and "cancers" on their teams, but emulate the temperamental natures of other players that are quite similar. In the 2014-2015 season, the league leader in technical fouls was not Cousins, but Russell Westbrook. To many, Cousins is a team "cancer", but Westbrook's "edge" and passion make him a "bad, bad man" (it's intended as a compliment for his talent). And there is absolutely nothingsports fans hate more than double standards perpetuated by the media.
Maybe that double standard is because Westbrook has often been on winning teams on the Thunder, while Cousins has been on a team that hasn't made the playoffs since he's been on the team. However, Westbrook had a certain guy by the name of Kevin Durant helping him do that.
It is without question that Boogie is one of the best offensive players in the NBA and one of the best big men in the NBA. Already dominant with his strength in transition and in the post, Cousins has added a 38% shooting three point shot to his arsenal, making defending him unfair to opposing teams. Every person who plays fantasy basketball can tell you about how annoying it is when your opponent has DeMarcus Cousins, and he drops 50 points in one night against you. Yes, he often lacks effort on the defensive end. Many similar centers who fit this archetype, like Jahlil Okafor, Greg Monroe, and Enes Kanter, find themselves on the bench. But for a player that's the focal point of his offense, the defensive anchor, and needs to avoid foul trouble (which he is prone to), this is still an area of improvement for DMC.
One thing of note in recent conversation about Boogie is his "victim complex", which wouldn't stem unless there were actually things that made Cousins the victim. The fact that the Kings have had six different coaches since he's been there says something about that. At the start of the 2014-2015 NBA season, the Kings fired head coach Mike Malone after they had started the season 9-6 and seemingly legitimate playoff contenders. An article from Sam Amick at the time points out "stylistic differences" between how management wanted the team to play, and the grit and grind, defense-first style that Malone often clashed with their desire for uptempo offense. Hence why George Karl was hired.
This decision by ownership to fire a coach that finally clicked with the star player and had chemistry with the rest of the team said something to the players: we don't care about you. For much of recent history, ownership has made numerous decisions that were a slap in the face to its players, and ultimately didn't even serve the fan base. The decision to hire George Karl was a further slap in the face, as Karl openly wanted to trade Cousins. In April of this year, Boogie took a shot to Karl, saying if they hadn't fired Malone, they would have been a playoff team.
"It's never gonna happen overnight," Cousins said about winning.
The Kings have won three straight games and currently hold the eighth seed in the West. The team seems to be finally meshing under coach Dave Joerger's system. Put some faith in DMC, and give him a chance.
