NBA Rumors: Door Slams Shut on DeMarcus Cousins Leaving Sacramento Kings

DeMarcus Cousins is not going to be traded.

The angry center for the Sacramento Kings had reportedly asked for a trade after getting into a verbal altercation with head coach Paul Westphal on Saturday. Cousins didn’t play on Sunday against the Hornets as the situation looked to be getting ugly.

Check out these comments from the coach before Sunday’s win:

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There are many, many things that go on behind closed doors in this business that is nobody's business. Certainly you've heard the cliché, 'the tip of the iceberg.' This is certainly the tip of the iceberg.

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When a new coach is talking about the “tip of the iceberg” after a week of regular season games…there must be a serious problem.

Yet owner Joe Maloof has told the Sacramento Bee that the team has absolutely no plans of trading the fifth pick of the 2010 draft.

This is the smart move to make for the Kings. When a team knows you have to get rid of a guy, the value of that player drops significantly. The Kings would be lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar for the ultra-talented Cousins.

At 6'11'', 270 pounds, he is a load to move in the paint. He is one of the only pure back to the basket scorers in the league. He averaged 14 points and 8.7 rebounds in his rookie year and showed solid signs of improvement throughout the season.

It sounds like management knows this, and told him to grow up behind the scenes. The 21-year-old was suspended last year for punching a teammate and has displayed some horrific body language on the floor at times.

Whatever was said to him worked, as evident by the statement he released Monday night:

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I want to address my missing the New Orleans game Sunday. I have not demanded or requested a trade. I don't agree with the actions taken but will give my sincere effort to put it behind me and compete the best I can for my team.

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Hmm. Sounds like a forced apology to me. Cousins doesn’t think he did anything wrong and it’s something that the Kings need to deal with privately. Somebody needs to make it clear that his immaturity has to stop if he plans on ever becoming an All-Star-caliber player.

As for the rest of the league…I’m sorry. The rumors were flying with potential landing spots for a player that virtually every team in the NBA could use.

He’s the Kings' headache and it will be interesting to see how Cousins responds on the court. This is the time where we see just how mentally strong the 21-year-old is.