The Sacramento Kings continue to be a bit of a mismanaged mess as a basketball franchise, and this week put that idea under a spotlight. The trade of DeMarcus Cousins may not have been a bad idea in principle, but the way in which the move went down has widely been criticized. Now, Cousins himself is sounding off about the Kings.
Cousins says he has absolutely no desire to ever speak to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive or general manager Vlade Divac ever again, and thinks they are a couple of flat-out cowards.
“It was a coward move, so I’m pretty sure I will get a coward response,” Cousins said this week in an interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated when asked if he would make any effort to speak to his former bosses. “For what? And I’ve seen this happen before. I’ve been there through all same types … I was there with [coach] Mike Malone’s [firing]. I’ve seen how they operate. I know what kind of answer I will get anyway. So, what is the point?”
Put yourself in Cousins’ shoes. He went to the NBA All-Star Game and found out after game he was being traded to New Orleans. That had to be interesting. Just a few years ago, Cousins was supposed to pair up with Tyreke Evans in Sacramento to be a dynamic duo for future success, but that plan obviously fizzled out amid poor management from above. Now, ironically, Evans is returning to Sacramento as a diminished throw-in trade piece in the Cousins deal.
It has been previously reported how much this recent trade struck Cousins on a personal level, so it makes sense there would be some bitter feelings after being shipped away to New Orleans. Cousins was drafted by Sacramento and he had been hearing his name attached to various trade rumors in recent years enough to know his being traded may be an inevitability. Having his name linger so often can take a toll on a player with a cloud of uncertainty hovering above his head, especially while continuing to do work for a franchise that continues to baffle the minds of the basketball world time and time again.
If nothing else, at least Cousins can now move forward with his basketball career with a new focus and can leave behind the baggage from his last days in Sacramento.
[ESPN]
