Sacramento Kings Need To Focus On DeMarcus Cousins In 2015-16 Stretch Run

By Frank Ewere

Near the All-Star break, the Sacramento Kings were a team that had a legitimate chance at making the playoffs in the Western Conference. Now, the Kings are 26-41 have virtually no chance at making the postseason. The cohesion that the team seemed to have is now gone, and the highlighting of center DeMarcus Cousins as the first priority slowly seems to be disappearing.

The Kings have even recently suspended Cousins one game for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Cousins’ frustration was his belief that head coach George Karl didn’t defend him enough to referees in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although that isn’t a reason to yell at a coach, there is also no reason why Cousins should have been suspended when a fine would have sufficed.

There has been tension between Cousins and Karl since last season. They just haven’t got along for a long periods of time, yet the Kings organization continues to employ the coach. Karl knows basketball and he has been to the NBA Finals, but many players have said some things about his personality. There were even several reports that Karl was thinking about trading Cousins this past offseason.

Cousins needs a coach he can get along with. That way he would no longer have any excuses and would be in the best possible situation. Last season, the Kings had Mike Malone (now the Denver Nuggets head coach) as their head coach. Cousins liked him and was upset when the team fired him after an 11-13 start. If the best player on a team likes the coach, the rest of the players are sure to follow.

After this season, Cousins has two more years under contract. Unless the Kings front office begins to prioritize Cousins and his decisions they may end up losing him in free agency. The Kings shouldn’t pander to Cousins’ every whim, but they should make sound decisions that show they are truly dedicated towards working with him for years to come.

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