DeMarcus Cousins could face suspension, says Kings GM

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2015/12/29/demarcus-cousins-could-face-suspension/78013072/



DeMarcus Cousins could face suspension, says Kings GM


USA TODAY 10:45 a.m. EST December 29, 2015






(Photo: Getty Images)




DeMarcus Cousins could face suspension by the NBA, Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac said, after Cousins failed to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected in a game against the Golden State Warriors Monday night.

Divac told the Sacramento Bee that he expects the league to suspend Cousins, but if not, the team will not discipline him because they feel he did nothing wrong.

Cousins was angry that he picked up three fouls in the first quarter, which forced him to sit out the second. He then picked up two more, and his fifth came with almost nine minutes left in the third quarter. That foul sent Cousins into a frenzy which led to two technicals and the ejection. He had to be restrained by coaches and teammates as he was trying to get at referee Michell Ervin.

The Kings were beating the Warriors when Cousins was ejected, but Golden State took control of the game after that and won 122-103.

"I'm not sure I liked how we responded," coach George Karl told reporters after the game. "We had a tough, bad refereed game. But we can't emotionally lose it."



bob
MY NOTE: More dysfunction in Sacto. If the league doesn't suspend Cousins the team won't because they (meaning Vlade Divac) doesn't think he did anything wrong, but George Karl says they "emotionally lose it". If the Kings were having a good year it wouldn't matter but they are 12-19 and 2 games out of the playoffs.


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Please, Please, keep him away from Boston. There is no way they need that child, yes I said child, on this team. No matter how enticing it looks, he is NOT worth ruining the team and making Stevens want to leave before he kills him,

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Please, Please, keep him away from Boston.  There is no way they need that child, yes I said child, on this team.  No matter how enticing it looks, he is NOT worth ruining the team and making Stevens want to leave before he kills him,

Amen!

Anyone remember Rasheed Wallace? he had his bad moments and tantrums and when he went to the right team, still had his issues with the refs, but blended in so well, that team won a championship. KG was a hyper maniac, and we won with him. I didn't see the game, but the refs are so bad and out of control in general, they should be called out, if they can't do their job competently.

cowens/oldschool wrote:I didn't see the game, but the refs are so bad and out of control in general, they should be called out, if they can't do their job competently.

Cousins picked up his first foul nine seconds into the game on a dumb play. His second was at the 5:24 mark of the first quarter, but George Karl kept him in the game. It was obviously a roll of the dice by Karl, but Cousins doesn't seem like the kind of guy you can trust to play smart and avoid fouling, and he proved it toward the end of the first quarter when he attempted to draw a charge. It was a close play, but his heel was in the restricted area, and it was stupid to put himself in jeopardy by attempting to draw a charge when he already had two fouls. The charge/block call favors the offensive player the vast majority of the time. Cousins of course had his pained expression after each foul call as if he had been wronged, but two of the three were dumb plays by him. He sat out the rest of the half.

Karl was apparently in a roll-the-dice mood. Rondo also picked up two really quick fouls (in the first 22 seconds of the game), but Karl kept him in, and he also picked up a third foul in the first quarter. Both Cousins and Rondo sat out the rest of the first half.

Cousins picked up his fourth foul at 9:25 of the third quarter (I don't remember the play), and Karl again kept him in. Cousins rewarded him by getting his fifth foul 29 seconds later. He of course thought it was horribly unjustified, but the fact is that he reached in as Curry went by him on the way to the basket, which is a stupid play when you have four fouls. It wasn't much of a foul, but it was a foul, and it was dumb. Cousins and his teammate were arguing that the teammate should get the foul instead of Cousins, but Cousins reached first, and when it became obvious to Cousins that the refs were giving the foul to him, he made the decision to bluff-charge the ref and get kicked out.

Here's the fifth foul and ejection.



At regular speed, it doesn't even look like a foul occurred, but if you watch the replay at 1:13, you can plainly see that he reaches in and hits Curry on the arms as Curry drives by. It's the sort of foul that won't always get called, but it's beyond stupid to reach when he already has four fouls. I don't remember the second or fourth fouls, but fouls 1, 3, and 5 were dumb plays by him. He's the one at fault, not the refs, and his complaining and sense of being victimized when he's the one putting himself in position to be called for fouls is a serious problem.

I'd hoped he turned the corner on this issue in the summer of 2014 when he played on the US team at the FIBA world cup. Coaches praised his attitude, and I don't remember him having any issues. But that unfortunately hasn't carried over in a lasting way. There's a reason he gets so many techs and ejections, and it's not all the refs' fault.

Rasheed Wallace is a perfect example of why I (and others) do not want Cousins in Kelly Green.  I was against signing Sheed from the very beginning.  When it was inevitable that he was going to be signed, I gave in, with this in mind:

While he is a Celtic player, I will cheer him on.  After he leaves, I will thank him for his time, yet be very glad that he is gone.

Sheed's constant bitching to the refs about obvious fouls proved to be infections.  The player who caught the disease was none other than Perkins.  The two of them led the league in technical fouls in the season they were together.  They both were in jeopardy of sitting out games due to the amount of techs they both accumulated, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.  I believe one or both did have to sit out a game or two in the regular season.

Sheed could have been more for us.  He could have showed up in better shape.  He could have been a key player that brought out the best in our team.  He could have helped our team win with style.  He could have been a better mentor to the younger players.

He was none of this and it may have cost us.

gyso

I agree Sheed was underwhelming with us, but the Sheed that played for Pistons was a stud, and Cousins is younger and has more scoring and rebounding ability than the Sheed that played very well on the Pistons....Cousins has less crazed staring at the refs moments than Sheed.

Cowens,

I fully agree that Cousins could very well be the guy who just needs a 'change of scenery" to maximize his talents.  

Yes, he is emotional, but he is also crazy talented.  He has been on terrible losing teams in Sacremento for his entire career, and not only has Sacremento not had good talent around him, but they have been a total mess from the front office down to the many head coaches that they have had since he was drafted.

This guy could become one of the greats of the game if he were to land in a place where the coaching is good, there are other leaders on the team already and all he has to do is play to his physical abilities at both ends of the floor.  Wonder if there is a team in the northeast who might be a fit for him? Ask I. Thomas if Cousins would fit in.

Hey, he is only 25 years old, is the best center in the league, is beyond frustrated in Sacremento and needs a new home.  He is signed for another two and a half seasons at a very reasonable rate considering he is the best center in the league. He can not have #15 in Boston, but I am sure that they will have a nice kelly green uniform to fit him with some other number on it.

And, another thing to consider is that although he blew up at the refs the other night, he is much more mature now than he was when he first entered the league when he had the expectations on him as a 20 year old kid to lead an NBA team.  He is learning and is a star candidate to play well on a good and different team, in my opinion.

If he comes to Boston and plays well for the rest of this contract, he will get a max contract at about 28 years old and will very likely be worth every penny both now and later on.

The term "change of scenery" is not a new thing in professional sports.  This phenomenon has happened many, many times.  So, send them Lee, Sullinger, James Young, the Nets pick this year, a couple/few of the dozen second round picks Ainge has for him (and someone off their bench to make the roster sizes work) and then call Cleveland and tell them that first place in the Eastern Conference is no longer a guarantee.

Love the talent

hate the baggage

but like the fire

BUT if we could land someone like that............at a reasonable trade cost I'd do it.
We are not far from being in contention. Cousin's talent could get us there. We know some people are going to be gone. KDP says he is the best center in the league, not sure about that but the list of really good ones is small.........really small and he's on it.

I don't see Sac letting him go........they are not that stupid (or are they)

If he does go somewhere and he brings that team up to contention I'd be pissed to think he could have come here.

beat

beat wrote:Love the talent

hate the baggage

but like the fire

BUT if we could land someone like that............at a reasonable trade cost I'd do it.
We are not far from being in contention. Cousin's talent could get us there. We know some people are going to be gone. KDP says he is the best center in the league, not sure about that but the list of really good ones is small.........really small and he's on it.

I don't see Sac letting him go........they are not that stupid (or are they)

If he does go somewhere and he brings that team up to contention I'd be pissed to think he could have come here.

beat

beat,

I see it pretty much the same way you do.  You need talent to win.  The list of legit starting NBA centers is pretty short and the list of legit NBA centers who can play offense (including fritos) and defense is really, really short.

Cousins is currently:

#7 in the league in ppg @ 24.3 (#1 among centers).
Shooting 30% from 3
Shooting 74% from the line
#10 in the league in rpg @ 10.3 (#9 among centers)
#6 among centers in steals/game
#2 in the league ftas/game (#1 among centers)

Dennis Johnson had a bad rep when he came here.  Kermit Washington, Jeez, what a rep he had!  Robert Parish was considered "El Busto" in GSW.  Cousins is a fierce competitor who hates losing and has never been on a team that does anything but lose.  I wouldn't give 2 shits for a player who loses year after year after year, never even making the playoffs, and acted like a perfect gentleman on the court.  There was a football player named Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, who played middle linebacker, mostly for the LA Rams but won 2 Super Bowls with Joe Montana and the 49ers.  He got that nickname because when he was in college at Tennessee his undefeated team lost 38-0 on the road and when he got back home he took a hacksaw to a Chevy Bel Air and sawed it in half to work off his frustration.  Took him all night and 13 blades.  And that was after just one loss, Cousins has never even made the playoffs in his entire career. If I was Cousins I'd buy a Winnebago and treat it like a pinata.

It all boils down to what we'd have to give up for him, but I'd be willing to take a chance.  Winning cures a multitude of problems while chronic losing magnifies every problem.


Failing this, I'd be more than happy to take Willie Cauley-Stein off their hands for them.  They'd still have Koufos to back up Cousins.


bob


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geesh...did I really say i thought he was best center in the NBA?

man, I need to shut up more if I did.

I would be comfortible saying he is the best center that MIGHT be availible for trade.


maybe I had been drinking when(if) I said that other thing....LOL

Bob

and without looking I don't think he's ever had any significant injury either....always a plus for any player. Missed about 1 month of games last season I don't recall why but has played most every other game in seasons prior and this one.

beat

kdp, as long as you classify Anthony Davis as a power forward, I think Cousins is the best center in the league, with Drummond a clear step behind him because of the horrific 38% free throw shooting and limited offensive game. Like Beat said, love the talent, hate the baggage.

Maybe a change of scenery would turn that fire into more of a positive and limit the ref-tech-eject issues, and I think the Celtics team, organization, and particularly coach would offer an excellent chance to maximize that possibility, but there's no doubt it would be a risk.

beat wrote:and without looking I don't think he's ever had any significant injury either....always a plus for any player. Missed about 1 month of games last season I don't recall why but has played most every other game in seasons prior and this one.

He is a physical beast. He missed 3-4 weeks last season because of viral meningitis, not injury.

kdp59 wrote:geesh...did I really say i thought he was best center in the NBA?

man, I need to shut up more if I did.

I would be comfortible saying he is the best center that MIGHT be availible for trade.


maybe I had been drinking when(if) I said that other thing....LOL

My bad reading 101 fail

it was wide clyde not you !!

beat

LOL...no problems....I run off at the lips ( or fingers) and can't remember what I say have the time anyway.

I am still far from convinced that Cousins is the missing piece to becoming a contender.

First off, he is not a go-to guy despite his ability to score the basketball.  

secondly when I watch him he does not exactly bust his butt to get back on defense.

Third he has a vulgar attitude and continues to be a disruptive presence on the court.

Fourth The Kings will certainly want a King's ransom

Fifth he is a me first player and despite his ability to play basketball, his ability to play team basketball is not in evidence.

In sum I really cannot come up with one reason why I would want to see him on the Celtics.  Consider this.  If Lebron James went to a team, that team would most likely become an instant contender.  If Cousins went to a team that team would become...The Sacramento Kings.

dboss

dboss wrote:I am still far from convinced that Cousins is the missing piece to becoming a contender.

First off, he is not a go-to guy despite his ability to score the basketball.  

secondly when I watch him he does not exactly bust his butt to get back on defense.

Third he has a vulgar attitude and continues to be a disruptive presence on the court.

Fourth The Kings will certainly want a King's ransom

Fifth he is a me first player and despite his ability to play basketball, his ability to play team basketball is not in evidence.

In sum I really cannot come up with one reason why I would want to see him on the Celtics.  Consider this.  If Lebron James went to a team, that team would most likely become an instant contender.  If Cousins went to a team that team would become...The Sacramento Kings.

dboss

dboss,

Unless you're talking about LeBron I don't think there is a "silver bullet" in the league. I cannot think of any player, except perhaps Curry, who can take you from nothing to great single-handedly. Even LeBron couldn't do it alone when Irving and Love went down.

Houston thought they had one when they added Dwightmare.

GSW claimed they had a "game changer" when they traded Monta Ellis and Udoh for Bogut. Turns out the "game changer", as far as incoming talent goes, was Iguodala (Curry and Thompsons were drafted by GSW and needed years to develop).


bob

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Wasn't Marcus Smart on our loser list in the beginning? Didn't he go off on some fan in the crowd in college? Danny has to be taking a long, long look at Cousins.

Cousins would love it because he would come on to a winning, young, above average team that isn't too far from the top of the East, well at least 2nd.

We'll know something soon!

db

dboss,

Not sure that I agree with your thought of Cousins being a "me first" player as none of his shooting stats relating to the number of shots taken indicate that he is overly worried about how many shots he gets.

His shooting percentages on threes and twos look good enough that it does not seem like he is forcing shots.
I am not a big fan of centers shooting too many threes, but at 30% I think that he is ahead of the Cs current team percentage.

He also does not have an overabundance of turnovers so he is not forcing many bad passes either.

Yes, he does not like to lose, but as Bob mentions, I also would not want him either if he did enjoy losing every year (like he has since arriving in Sacremento).

And, relating to him not being a "go to scorer", a guy who is scoring 23 per game this season will at least draw defenders off our other players which will in turn make them better "go to scorers" especially late in games.

Getting a guy like Cousins is a gamble, but how about if things go well after he arrives do you think that another star player (Durant?) might consider also coming to Boston?  If things go badly he will again be tradable even if a couple of draft picks are lost in the shuffle.

I say, a call needs to be made to Divac and see if this guy is available and ask what it will take to get him.  The Cs have tons of draft picks that are never going to wear a Boston game shirt over the next few years so I would probably give away almost all of them for a 23 point scorer who can also rebound and play at least decent defense.

wideclyde

I truly respect your opinions as well as all of my board members

When I refer to him a me first player it reflects upon his character or lack thereof.  He is a me first player because he cares more about himself than the team.  That is one reason why he lacks the disposition to refrain from picking up technical fouls and getting tossed out of games.  That is the reason why he pouts all the time like a little kid.

He turns the ball over too much and now that he is taking more 3 point shots his overall shooting percentage is on the decline.  

He is not a go-to-scorer.  Somebody needs to feed him the ball and when he stops getting his 19 looks per game he will pout.  He is shooting 41%

I do not want to see him in green.  I just believe that the culture on the Celtics is the reason why they play so well together and a guy like Cousins will not fit.  

Danny Ainge already stated that he does not want a disruptive player on and off the court on this team.

For once I think we can believe what Ainge is saying.

The Celtics need to avoid him like the plague.

dboss

dbrown4 wrote:Wasn't Marcus Smart on our loser list in the beginning?  Didn't he go off on some fan in the crowd in college?  Danny has to be taking a long, long look at Cousins.

Cousins would love it because he would come on to a winning, young, above average team that isn't too far from the top of the East, well at least 2nd.

We'll know something soon!

db

 

dbrown,

Smart did make the loser list in some people's eyes after he went after a fan while playing college ball. It turned out that the "fan" hit him with some pretty racially charged taunts, which provoked the incident. Never good to physically confront a fan, but it was his only offense and carries somewhat of an understandable explanation.

I think the knock on Cousins comes more from ongoing issues. Perhaps the reputation DJ had before coming here is more of a direct comparison. Although, if I recall, DJ was thought to be more coachable than Cousins. The shortage of big, physical centers will keep Cousins on everyone's radar either way.

Regards

A TICKING TIME BOMB!

AND YOU WANT HIM DURING CRUNCH TIME IN A FINAL SERIES WHEN THINGS GET REALLY EMOTIONAL?????

I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!

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