Any hope that the drama involving Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins and his team would die down following the firing of George Karl can pretty much be thrown out the window.
Cousins, one of the top all-around players in the NBA, is also one of the most divisive. His on-court and off-court actions since entering the league as the No. 5 pick of the Kings back in 2010 has made him somewhat of an enigmatic figure around NBA circles.
Shortly after Sacramento selected center Georgios Papagiannis with the 13th pick in last month’s draft, Cousins himself sent out a rather cryptic tweet.
Lord give me the strength 🙏🏿
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 24, 2016
While the All-Star claimed this had nothing to do with basketball, our ability to read between the lines suggests otherwise.
As it is, Sacramento would then go on to add another big man in the form of Kentucky product Skal Labissière later in the first round.
This all comes one year after the Kings selected the 7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein in the top-10 of the 2015 NBA Draft.
Needless to say, the Kings’ decision-making process leaves a lot to be desired. Speaking at the opening of the USA Basketball’s training camp in Vegas on Monday, Cousins reiterated what most around the league feel about Sacramento’s draft.
“I don’t really understand what’s going on. I just control what I can control; I let them do their jobs,” Cousins said, via NBC Sports.
It might be a little more diplomatic than public stances Cousins has taken against his organization in the past, but it surely does point to a continuing divide between the star center and those making the decisions in California’s capital city.
Cousins has been the subject of constant trade rumors over the past two seasons, the majority of which took place when George Karl was manning the bench in Sacramento.
Regarding the Kings’ draft, it could be said that the team is preparing for the eventuality of trading Cousins. Why add two big men to a roster with two capable big’s already manning starting jobs? That’s the biggest takeaway here.
Though, moving Cousins would also put the fledgling Kings organization in a less-than-stellar position as it moves into new digs this upcoming season.
Cousins, 25, averaged 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds this past season. He’s among the best big men in the entire game and the team’s only marketable player.