DeMarcus Cousins: Is He Worth the Headache for Sacramento Kings?

DeMarcus Cousins doesn't need the NBA in order to make headlines in the offseason.

After Cousins' immaturity was on full display at different points last season, he's done nothing to shed the idea that he's a major headache in the locker room.

The promising big man got a lot of attention for the "Misunderstood" tattoo he recently got inked on his calf less than two weeks ago, and now he's once again made waves after participating in an exhibition between former Kentucky Wildcats and the Dominican Republic squad.

When the two teams faced off, Cousins' aggression beneath the rim got the best of him. Battling with his very own teammate from the Sacramento Kings, Cousins tossed swingman Francisco Garcia off of him, instantly drawing a whistle from the referee in light of the reaction.

That's right. Cousins went after his own teammate in a meaningless exhibition game because Garcia was defending him in the backcourt after the Dominican Republic team had just stole the ball on an errant pass from Cousins.

There's so much that I like about Cousins on the court when he's got his head on straight. But there in lies the problem for the Kentucky product, as he hasn't shown the ability to keep it on the right way at any point since garnering the reputation of being an immature player.

Had there been no character concerns leading up to the draft with Cousins, he would've have undoubtedly been in the conversation for the top overall pick, and almost certainly would have gone off the board before the fifth spot where he was selected.

Putting up impressive numbers in his inaugural season, Cousins finished the campaign with averages of 14.1 PPG and 8.6 rebounds. Although his extraordinarily low field-goal percentage (43 percent) really needs to be improved upon moving forward, there is a more pressing issue that Cousins needs to address beforehand: his attitude and approach to the game.

Despite the Kings knowing what they were undertaking when they drafted Cousins, it was reported that Paul Westphal felt a bit over his head when the coddling Cousins proved to be a bigger task than expected.

Marc Stein of ESPN passed along a tidbit that details Cousins' troubles with his first professional team. Despite the Kings hiring his high school coach in an effort to contain his attitude, Cousins got himself into some hot water when he was fined for clashing with the coaching staff.

But that's not where it ended. The Associated Press reported in February that Cousins was once again fined and suspended for one game for an altercation that he had with Donte Greene (another teammate) in the locker room.

This is what Cousins had to say after the alleged altercation with Greene:

"

I accept full responsibility for my actions and know that I must keep raising my standard of professionalism to be my best and a great player in the NBA.

"

Clearly, Cousins hasn't come very far since entering the league. That apology he gave was obviously an obligatory one, because he hasn't fulfilled his quest to raise his standard of professionalism in the slightest.

Fortunately for both him and the Kings, Cousins has plenty of time to figure it out and provide a fantastic return on investment for the club that rolled the dice by investing in him.

However, he needs to shed the immaturity and embrace a new personality, or that negative stigma will follow him throughout his NBA career and almost certainly will eventually detract from his value as a basketball player.

There's too much talent with Cousins to give up on him, but one has to wonder if the Kings' patience is running thin with continued incidents centered around his attitude.