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| There is no denying that Cousins has loads of talent, but his non-basketball-related problems keep catching up to him |
Not many NBA players can say that, after three years in the league, they hold per-36-minute averages of 19.7 points and 11.8 rebounds. Very few can say that their head coach sent them home right before a regular season game, at home nonetheless. Even fewer can say that they played a major role in the firing of said head coach.
According to a report by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, Sacramento and its new general manager Pete D'Alessandro are interested in locking up DeMarcus on a long-term basis with compensation in the range of $80 million, a pretty hefty sum for an emotional wild card like Cousins.
But if the Kings — which were nearly moved to Seattle over the summer — want to establish a new and successful team identity, especially after losing Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason, they need to start somewhere and Cousins would be a great choice should he control his past outbursts.
If he can calm himself down and fully utilize the talent and size he has, then Sacramento will be a scary team in the near future, and the former Kentucky Wildcat will be playing in many All-Star Games down the road.
Clearly, DeMarcus Cousins is a one-of-a-kind player. A 6-foot11, 270-pound monster of a center, Cousins dominated the SEC during his one year with the Kentucky Wildcats. After his No. 5 overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Kings, the Alabama native had about as good and uneventful rookie season as possible, being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after the 2010-11 campaign while averaging a solid double-double per 36-minutes.
However, as Cousins settled more into the NBA and he became more of a dominant force in the paint, his troubling personality began to come to light, as the big-man repeatedly demanded to be traded out of Sacramento, eventually leading to the dismissal of coach Paul Westphal after some ugly public confrontations between the two. That was two seasons ago.
This past year, the Kings suspended Cousins from December 22nd to the 24th for "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team". Somewhat surprisingly, though, is that his stellar on-court behavior and All-Star-like statistics didn't suffer from his exracurricular activities which has kept him as a vital member of the Kings' roster.
The Kings seem to want to put Cousins' past problems and focus on his many incredible on-court and basketball-related qualities and want to reward their franchise center with a large and lucrative contract extension, much like Paul George, another pick in the 2010 Draft who received a huge payday on Sunday.
