DeMarcus Cousins’ relationship with the Kings has has taken its twists and turns that’s the least we can say.
Cousins, who was selected fifth overall by Sacramento in the 2010 NBA draft, reflects on his difficult partnership with the organization during and after his six and a half years with 916.
THE four-time NBA All-Star appeared in a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show” where he recalled a conversation with former Kings winger Francisco Garcia that changed his perception of the Kings organization early in his career.
“It was difficult and confusing,” Cousins said. “It was even worse for me because I came from a situation in Kentucky where [Coach Jon Calipari] He treated us like pros. He was preparing us for the next level. I’ll never forget that, a big thank you to my vet Francisco Garcia. Cisco was my vet. But I remember my rookie season, it was something simple. I don’t even remember the task, but at Kentucky, I never did anything like that. [and] then I got to the Kings and in my mind it felt like it was an even higher step.
“This is the elite level of basketball, so my expectations were wrong, to say the least. It was a simple task and I remember Cisco saying something like, ‘Hey, you were really spoiled at Kentucky.’ And in my head I was like, ‘Gee, maybe I was.’ But at the same time I was like, ‘This is an even more elite level, so why am I considered spoiled?’”
“Long story short, Cisco ended up getting traded to the Houston Rockets. And I remember him eventually reaching out to me a little bit later. And he was like, ‘Man, I remember the day I called you spoiled.’ He was like, ‘I was wrong. We were in trouble.’ I knew I wasn’t tripping.”
After shining at Kentucky, Cousins entered the NBA and joined a team that had just finished 14th in the Western Conference with a 25-57 record.
In his rookie season, Cousins averaged a team-best 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds, but the Kings (14–58) again finished 14th in the West. Sacramento did not win more than 29 games under Cousins until the 2015–16 season (33–49, 10th in the West) and the following 2016–17 campaign (32–50), which is the season he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 470 games over nearly seven seasons, Cousins averaged 21.1 points on 45.9 percent shooting, with 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks, while earning All-Rookie First Team honors and two All-NBA Second Team honors.
While Cousins has unquestionably solidified his greatness in Sacramento, he admitted it’s been difficult to navigate all the changes the organization is going through as it aims to climb out of the bottom of the conference.
“I’m not here to bash the Kings or anything. In sports, you have ups and downs. I came in at a time when the organization was dying and figuring itself out. It was in its transition period. The owners that brought me in were ready to move on and sell the team. So I got caught up in a lot of things that were out of my control. The average fan or whatever doesn’t really understand that part of the business or the game. So it’s easy to look at my situation and point fingers. And to be honest, a lot of it was my fault. I did a lot of stupid shit. A lot of stupid shit. But that’s part of growing up and becoming a man. You bang your head a lot of times. But it was tough. It was tough to understand.”
“A new system every year, it’s hard to do. Every coach has a different system. Every coach thinks differently. So trying to be successful with a new system every year is really hard to do. And then on top of that, people think that players create a vibe, which they do. But a good organization starts at the top. It does with any type of organization. It starts at the top. So it just wasn’t right. Things weren’t lining up right. And the Kings weren’t ready to blossom yet. I ended up going through two ownership groups, three general managers and I was there for six and a half years with six coaches. Like I said, it was tough to navigate. But at the end of the day, when it came to competing, that was my foundation.”
“I had my own personal goals, which was to try to be the best player I could be, no matter what my situation was, and find a way to shine. That was just my mindset to get there.”
It took 16 seasons, but the Kings finally managed to break their Notorious playoff drought and tend to progress to sustained success in the NBA. the new success is “awesome” to Cousins, as he revealed in an interview last year, and despite all the past tensions between him and the organization, Cousins is happy for the “incredible” fans and the city of Sacramento.
