DeMarcus Cousins attitude issues were a major concern with potential teams prior to the 2010 NBA Draft. No one ever questioned his skills or his potential upside, but concerns about his approach and if he was truly coachable, were prevalent.
Since being drafted fifth overall, Boogie hasn’t done much to shun that concern as his on-going attitude issues have been well documented by the press.
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The talented but volatile big man was fined by the team in October for arguing with Sacramento strength coach Daniel Shapiro over a matter of personal fitness, kicked out of practice for arguing with head coach Paul Westphal in November and last week he was removed from the starting lineup after twice grabbing his throat while opposing players shot crucial free throws — a move which Westphal deemed unprofessional.
The most recent indiscretion, as [URL=”http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/24/kings-new-castle-crumbling-amid-rumblings-of-major-change/”]reported by FanHouse’s Sam Amick[/URL], was yet another volatile argument with Westphal after Cousins refused to reciprocate a high-five in the fourth quarter of an 84-79 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Cousins subsequently exchanged words with Westphal yet again and was sent to the bench for a long stretch.
This has led the Kings to having serious discussions about potentially sending Cousins to the Kings NBA Development League affiliate Reno Bighorns.
Since actions taken by the Kings, which include but are not limited too, fining, benching, throwing him out of practice and removing him from the starting line up haven’t changed his attitude, the D-League seems to be a real option for a player many thought to be the most NBA-ready big man available in this year’s Draft.
“If that’s what they feel is best, then I can’t do anything about it,” Cousins told Howard-Cooper. “But I don’t believe that’s happening.”
While Cousins could probably rein his attitude in a bit to prevent a trip to the D-League, he’s right that it probably isn’t in the cards anytime soon. And it shouldn’t be.
Its amazing to me that this supposed problem had no obvious issues at Kentucky. Any issues that might have surfaced, were obviously hid and handled well by Coach Calipari and the staff and the one we all know as “Boogie”, quickly became a Kentucky fan base favorite.
Lets hope for Cousins sake, and the sake of the Kings, issues can get resolved and Boogie can continue to have the 11 points, 7.4 rebounds per game success he’s had for the season.
Go Cats!!!
[URL=”http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/12/24/demarcus-cousins-headed-to-d-league-kings-should-think-twice/”]
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