DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl continue to be like fire and ice for the Sacramento Kings.
The latest in a long line of issues between the two men was brought to us after another bad loss Sunday night when Cousins told reporters that his recent one-game suspension wasn’t handed down by the organization but by Karl instead.
Cousins expressed his frustration that the Kings aren’t better than their record, via James Ham of CSN Bay Area, before sending a right hook towards his head coach:
“That wasn’t a suspension from the organization, that was one from the head coach,” Cousins said. “There’s a difference.”
Not surprisingly, the organization quickly disagreed with Cousins’ assessment and made it clear it was an organizational decision.
The suspension stems from a tirade Cousins directed at Karl during last Wednesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cousins still believes Karl should have “fought harder” for his players, who thought they were getting a raw deal from officials, but admits he went about expressing himself the wrong way.
It’s clear Cousins doesn’t respect Karl, which is somewhat surprising, given the coach’s pedigree. He’s had it in for Karl since the beginning of their relationship, and one wonders how much his disdain for the team’s leader has to do with the overall performance of the team.
As pointed out by Ham, “since Jan. 23, they are just 5-17 and they now sit at a season-high 15 games under .500.”
It’s hard to know at this point if the team’s inability to win under Karl has more to do with Karl’s inability to make it work or Cousins’ influence in the locker room causing a cancerous rift. Either way, the pairing has proven to be a loser.