Who's Bad? Demarcus Cousins Makes a Play for NBA's Bad Boy Title
Honestly, who didn't see this one coming?
Demarcus Cousins is often seen pouting after a play gone wrong. A missed shot, a no call—any little thing a teething, six-month-old infant also might complain about.
At Kentucky, Cousins was known for his unsportsmanlike antics on the court, but I don’t know that everyone realized how that immaturity would play out in the NBA.
Well, here you go.
At the end of Saturday night's game, Sacramento Kings forward Donte Greene inbounded the basketball to sophomore hooper Tyreke Evans, who missed a shot that could have won it. After the play Cousins appeared to be "sour," to say the least, at Green’s decision-making in the last seconds.
Why don’t we take a step back from emotions, though, and see if Greene’s decision was better than Cousins thought. Let’s not even bring Evans' year in the NBA under his belt or Cousins' rookie status into the equation. That would make too much sense.
Tyreke Evans averages 18.3 points per game and 26.0 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the game, Demarcus Cousins had only hit five of his 14 field goal attempts, with only a 57.1 percent mark at the free throw line. Evans had shot 50 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the line. Evans was having a better game, and thus was more qualified to take the last shot.
In the locker room, there was a heated exchange between the two that resulted in punches being thrown. Seeing as how Cousins is the only player missing the plane ride to Phoenix, I'm taking a wild guess he started the confrontation.
If Cousins isn't not careful, he'll become expendable.
As emotional as basketball is, professionals separate themselves from street warriors by knowing how to keep their attitudes in line. Occasionally, there's a slip of judgment and a quarrel between rival teams will turn into a boxing match. But, as a rookie in your trial season with the Kings, be humble and play well.
No one is irreplaceable—there are talks of a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thoughts of a younger Artest, anyone?
