Is DeMarcus Cousins Worth All the Drama?

DeMarcus Cousins has been the source of considerable drama this year. Shortly after getting into a shouting match with head coach Paul Westphal—in which he was alleged to have shouted, "Trade me now!"—he was sent home by Westpahl. That was followed shortly by Westpahl being sent home by the owners of the Sacramento Kings—for good. 

So, this raises the question, "Is he worth all the drama?"

First let's say this much: In the minds of some Kings fans, no drama is too much drama to get Westphal fired. He was a disaster as the coach. He wasn't developing the young talent the team had, and the team was in a continual regression from bad to worse to even more worse. 

So, there's that.

Even if Cousins ends up being a flop, he's already done enough to merit the drama of just getting Westphal fired in the first place. 

Having said that, you can't deny he's been a bit better since Westphal went home. Over the six games he played under Westpahl, Cousins averaged 9.3 points, 8.8 boards, a .310 field goal percentage and 1.2 blocks per game. In the four games since he's been unleashed form the shackles of Westphal, Cousins has been playing at an entirely different level. He's been averaging 19.8  points, a .563 field-goal percentage,11.4 boards and 2.0 blocks  per game. 

Talk about drama! That's a dramatic change in production. 

Apparently, the Kings got two things out of all of this drama. They got a "Smart(er)" coach in Keith Smart, and they got a better center in Cousins. 

Not coincidentally, they got a better team with a better record, going 2-5 under Westpahl and 2-2 under Smart. 

Better coach. Better player. Better team. Better record. You kind of have to believe it's worth the drama.