It’s no secret the Sacramento Kings have a volatile superstar in DeMarcus Cousins, who clashes with head coach George Karl.
Another interesting development in the Cousins saga is that a “vast majority” within the organization are now in favor of trading the star center, according to a report.
“Sacramento wants to hold onto him,” Howard Beck of Bleacher Report said. “Vivek Ranadive absolutely wants to hold onto DeMarcus Cousins. But I’ve been told if you polled the rest of the organization, the vast majority are in favor of trading DeMarcus Cousins and that would include, thought he denies it, George Karl.”
So, is there now a power struggle in Sacramento between the owner and the rest of leadership, too, to go along with the nasty feud between the star player and head coach?
This isn’t pretty, but then again, nothing has looked pretty in Sacramento since the Maloofs began dismantling the championship roster a decade ago.
Cousins and Karl famously shared an awkward handshake in mid July, during which time Karl admitted there was plenty of friction between himself and Cousins.
“I think it’s two guys who met each other for the first time three months ago, who don’t like losing, are competitive sons of bitches, and are probably a little stubborn,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s plenty of time to figure that out. Right now, we’re trying to (focus on) the roster.”
Perhaps over the course of “trying to (focus on) the roster,” Karl and the rest of the Kings brass have realized there is no point in denying the obvious: Either Karl or Cousins needs to go.
Cousins is as talented as any player in the league and could become downright dominant under the right teaching hand.
Ironically, Karl could be the right man to help mold Cousins into an even better version of himself, being one of the best teachers in the NBA. But Cousins has been a prickly porcupine towards his head coach ever since Karl arrived on the scene, so this probably won’t end amicably.,
This will be a fascinating story to continue tracking as the NBA season draws near.