George Karl On DeMarcus Cousins: ‘I Never Felt I Got Into A Good Place With Cuz’
USA Today
The Sacramento Kings came into the 2015-16 NBA season with high hopes of turning things around. The team had a veteran head coach in George Karl, a proven star center in DeMarcus Cousins and one-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo running the show in the backcourt.
All signs pointed to the Kings being relevant again with an end to the playoff drought potentially on the horizon. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Sacramento with everything falling apart the same way it has for years since the Chris Webber era.
During this disappointing season for the Kings, there was one constant storyline that became a major distraction in Sacramento. Karl and Cousins never saw eye-to-eye nor were the two all that fond of each other.
With Karl and the Kings now having parted ways, the veteran coach talked about his relationship with the All-Star center, via Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee:
“I never felt I got into a good place with Cuz,” said Karl, who was fired April 14 after going 44-68 in parts of two seasons with the Kings. “Some of that was my stupidity when I said that no player is untradeable.
“I still believe that. But I should have been smart enough not to say it, and I in no way, at any time, thought DeMarcus was going to get traded.”
Ironically enough, all the trade talk surrounding Cousins has resurfaced after a year of turmoil and endless speculation about the future of the franchise. Cousins’ reputation has been damaged over the past year with many believing he’s nothing more than a talented player that is a locker room cancer.
In an effort for a fresh start, the Kings may elect to cut their losses and trade Cousins while he still has high value on the open market. The Los Angeles Lakers may be the team to show interest once again if they are willing to part ways with one or more their talented trio in D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson.
As for Sacramento, the coaching search continues with the team having an uncertain future ahead. The Kings will try to bring in another head coach as well as make a splash in NBA free agency in July.
