The Sacramento Kings
?Are still a debacle. Less of a debacle, comparatively, but still a debacle.
The play on the floor, particularly on defense, is markedly improved. Dave Joerger has already made an impact and I think it bodes well for the future that he is running the show. I also like the group of players that were signed as free agents and the toughness that comes with them. I'm not even overly upset about the draft results, as I think all three players have tons of potential and I think we have a coaching but staff capable of developing these players. So, there are reasons for optimism. Possibly even more reasons than there are for negativity. Unfortunately, in my view, we have one big seven foot problem that we have to purge ourselves of before we can move forward: Demarcus Cousins.
To be honest, I don't blame the way things are on Demarcus and I don't think you can even blame him all too much for the way he approaches the game. He was never taught how to win, he never had a mentor that he could relate to that didn't end up being fired or not retained, or a teammate that had won to show him how to do it. So, to me, it seems like he has been a man on an island since he came into the league. Couple that with the fact that he has been villified from the drop because of the perception that he doesn't play the game the right way, which is partly true, as painful as it is to admit. He is one of the most emotional players I have ever seen, which can be a tool if used correctly. A stupid I said previously, though, he was never shown how's to properly channel that emotion and has, for the most part, done nothing to show people that he isn't what they think he is.
All of these things are opinion-based, obviously, but as a kings fan watching what is essentially an entirely new regime in its infancy, it strikes me that he has been poisoned by lack of success and lack of institutional control and it has created a pattern of behavior in him that is conducive to losing. He was allowed to act however he wanted for too long and now it might be too late to convince him that he needs to change. I firmly believe that they need to cut bait and use the significant value he still represent to fortify what Dave Joerger is trying to do, and that is to win. I'm not sure I feel Demarcus Cousins can ever be changed to the point where he buys into a winning system, and after seven years of technicals and not getting back on defense, I have no patience left to wait and find out.
Dan
