DeMarcus Cousins Speaks on Isaiah Thomas Trade, Kings' Coaching Situation, More

Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins is a lightning rod for controversy, which he tends to bring on himself, but the two-time All-Star did not hold back when describing where he and the team are at after another disappointing season. 

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with Carmichael Dave on Sacramento's Sports 1140 KHTK (via SacTownRoyalty.com's Tony Xypteras), he called the 2015-16 season "rough, disappointing," and he noted he was tired of the politics. 

One apparent source of frustration for Cousins goes back two years ago when the Kings fired head coach Mike Malone. The 25-year-old told Dave that Sacramento "would be a playoff team" if Malone was still on the bench. 

The relationship between Cousins and George Karl, who was fired by the Kings after the season ended, seemed strained basically from the time Karl was hired in February 2015. 

While Cousins didn't dive too deeply into Karl in his interview with Dave, he and Rajon Rondo met with the former coach during the season to let him know that rookie Willie Cauley-Stein needed to play more. 

Kings fans are sitting at home watching Isaiah Thomas, who was drafted by the team in 2011, turn into a star with the Boston Celtics after leaving the team in a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns two years ago. 

Cousins noted to Dave he's "frustrated" about the loss of Thomas, adding it's "frustrating that bad things happen out of his control." 

The interview was not all doom and gloom. Cousins did say he wants "to be the person to bring us back to the glory days...this is a personal vendetta for me."

Things have been a mess in Sacramento for years, long before Cousins arrived in 2010. The Kings haven't had a winning season since 2005-06 and haven't won a playoff series since 2004. This year, while a mess overall, was a step forward from a record perspective because they won 33 games, the most since 2007-08.

Cousins has the raw talent to lead the franchise back to prominence, averaging at least 22 points and 11 rebounds per game each of the last three years. He's got to become a more focused leader on the court and behind the scenes, and the front office has to start finding and developing talent around him.