Voisin says Cousins in dire need of help

[VF21]

Ailene Voisin: After latest ugly incident, Kings' Cousins in dire need of help

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- DeMarcus Cousins deserved this. Of course he deserved this. Enough already. The Kings' third-year center should be banned from Sleep Train Arena until he apologizes for verbally accosting his coach Friday night - only the latest display of troubling, destructive behavior - and strongly encouraged to start addressing his issues.

You don't have to be a psychiatrist to realize he needs counseling. He needs to be punished, true, but he also needs to be helped.

Cousins' emotional outbursts are occurring in rapid-fire succession, demoralizing his coaches, alienating his teammates and crippling his promising NBA career. His stature is shrinking by the deed...

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[Singhisking]

Yes, I agree. I have posted before suggesting psychiatric help for this young man. And I have also given the example of Ron Ron. Look how calm and focused he became with some help. He even thanked his psychiatrist after the championship.

[Singhisking]

Never mind. He is as good as gone........... Guess too late now
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c.../12/23/report-demarcus-cousins-changes-agents/

[VF21]

Never mind. He is as good as gone........... Guess too late now
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c.../12/23/report-demarcus-cousins-changes-agents/

That's being discussed in a couple of other threads, too. Changing agents doesn't mean he's on the way out the door, especially when the agent is assuredly well aware that despite what the Kings have contributed to the problem, his client needs help dealing with issues.

[Singhisking]

Nice! I like Cousins and always thought he is an amazing young man, enormous talent and probably the best center I will ever get to see in the Kings jersey. I would love to keep "in" Sacramento. Kid needs help. He needs some mental counseling in order to realize & enjoy his enormous talents. Hopefully his new agent helps. May God bless this young man.

[LWP777]

Nice! I like Cousins and always thought he is an amazing young man, enormous talent and probably the best center I will ever get to see in the Kings jersey. I would love to keep "in" Sacramento. Kid needs help. He needs some mental counseling in order to realize & enjoy his enormous talents. Hopefully his new agent helps. May God bless this young man.

Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.

[Bricklayer]

Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.

Again, as would I. That's not going to happen. To him its a sign of weakness, of submission. Not happening.

The way to accomplish similar goals is through some sort of mentor or buddy system. You have to sidle up to a prickly pear like DeMarcus as a friend. He's smart enough if you get the information/advice to him in non-confrontational ways he can absorb it. But you come at him in any way that demands he submit, back down, admit he's wrong, or anything else, and you're going to get the horns.

[UK_King]

all speculation at the end of the day.

[Jose]

Yep that's great and all but today it was reported that he is refusing any help.

http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/2012/1...fter-one-game/

So, it appears we are moving past the latest Cousins situation. Once again, talent trumps all and the Kings set yet another dangerous precedence. A profanity-laced and highly-personal attack on head coach Keith Smart got him a one-game suspension.

Duly noted.

Very dangerous precedent that we're setting here. For all of Coach Smart's talk about "setting standards", this was just a slap in the wrist.

[PurpleHaze]

Well, being that Smart said today that Cousins will "play at some point," coach could just ice him at end of the bench for several games - if not bunch of games. That would be punishment that Cousins would simply have to take or face another suspension. I do agree this slap on the wrist one-game suspension is basically meaningless, except for problem-child losing some $.

[blackice]

Well I can't fault Cousins for being disgruntled. I can't count how many times I see him just not touch the ball for numerous possessions. When he does get it, he is at the top of the key where he really isn't a threat. It's a damn shame that no one can get it through his skull that he needs to be in the block most of the time and work through him, for example that Clipper game the other night, I saw Brooks just come up and chuck a three, I immediately looked at Cousins to see his reaction and he just kind of stood there and didn't want no part of it anymore.

[bajaden]

I think I would have sat him out for at least 5 games to make my point crystal clear. Actually I would have told him, you take the help we're offering, and it will be a 5 game suspension. If you refuse the help it will be a minimun of 10 games. He has to understand that his options have run out. I don't want to kill his desire, but to temper it. No one is irreplacable, including him. He has to understand that.

Make no mistake, I love Cousins, and I want him on our team for the forseeable future. But sometimes tough love is the only way to get across.

[Arco Arena]

Again, as would I. That's not going to happen. To him its a sign of weakness, of submission. Not happening.

The way to accomplish similar goals is through some sort of mentor or buddy system. You have to sidle up to a prickly pear like DeMarcus as a friend. He's smart enough if you get the information/advice to him in non-confrontational ways he can absorb it. But you come at him in any way that demands he submit, back down, admit he's wrong, or anything else, and you're going to get the horns.

Takes more than that. Who says they haven't tried to do some sort of mentor or buddy thing? Reports are they've tried everything including that approach.

Players like Cousins will only grow up with a combination of a drastic action wake up call (i.e getting traded/severely suspended/etc) + having a winning team environment (respected/proven coach & players).

[Glenn]

Dalembert seemed like a mentor to Cuz. I saw them laughing together with Sam having his arm around Cuz as they both sat on the bench. Too bad we didn't sign him but I suspect the last thing Dally want was to continue connection with this dysfunctional franchise.

[Glenn]

Well, being that Smart said today that Cousins will "play at some point," coach could just ice him at end of the bench for several games - if not bunch of games. That would be punishment that Cousins would simply have to take or face another suspension. I do agree this slap on the wrist one-game suspension is basically meaningless, except for problem-child losing some $.

What makes you think your approach would work? Do you have examples that show if you bench a guy game after game that he "get's it" and comes back a reformed athlete.

[Glenn]

I think I would have sat him out for at least 5 games to make my point crystal clear. Actually I would have told him, you take the help we're offering, and it will be a 5 game suspension. If you refuse the help it will be a minimun of 10 games. He has to understand that his options have run out. I don't want to kill his desire, but to temper it. No one is irreplacable, including him. He has to understand that.

Make no mistake, I love Cousins, and I want him on our team for the forseeable future. But sometimes tough love is the only way to get across.

You would take this approach without knowing what is wrong, right? I agree that he should have stayed away from the team far longer but for much different reasons.

[PurpleHaze]

What makes you think your approach would work? Do you have examples that show if you bench a guy game after game that he "get's it" and comes back a reformed athlete.

I have no idea if it would work. What I do know is, Kings said they were suspending Cousins indefinitely and that turned out to be one game. So, it's now up to Kings to figure out if he's reformed after sitting out one measly game - I doubt it. What do you suggest?

[Bricklayer]

He has to understand that his options have run out..

That is the thing. He will never understand that, because its nothing we have control over. All we can prove to him is that his options with us have run out. At which point our options with him will runout and he will leave. We're the ugly pot bellied aging guy driving the '86 Volvo. Somehow we scored a young hot wife. Sure, she's a bit nutty and she's got a vicious temper, but to this point at least she's been loyal, and we'll never do better. But now we're fighting, and the young hot guys cruising in their Italian sports cars are circling. She's even just gone out and hired one of the best divorce attorneys in the nation on retainer. So sure, we can put our foot down all we want. We can say I think we need a break. We can make her sleep on the couch or even kick her out of the house. We can demand she go to therapy before she gets to come back in. But all that is going to prove to her is that we're over, and that dude in the $1000 suit sitting in his ferrari just winked at her.

[Glenn]

I have no idea if it would work. What I do know is, Kings said they were suspending Cousins indefinitely and that turned out to be one game. So, it's now up to Kings to figure out if he's reformed after sitting out one measly game - I doubt it. What do you suggest?

Go read the thread about Cousins being suspended. I wrote a =small novel about what I suggest and why.

The fact is, as people looking in from the outside, we DON'T know what's going on. I am a bit touchy on plans that are based on guess work but I suspect that is all we are going to get from this team. I agree that Cuz should stay out longer but for different reasons. I suspect either his new agent rattled the cages of the Maloofs and/or they told the team to bring him back because they saw attendance taking another hit.

Start with this page http://www.kingsfans.com/forums/show...finitely/page8 and read the long note and another to follow about half a page later.

[Glenn]

That is the thing. He will never understand that, because its nothing we have control over. All we can prove to him is that his options with us have run out. At which point our options with him will runout and he will leave. We're the ugly pot bellied aging guy driving the '86 Volvo. Somehow we scored a young hot wife. Sure, she's a bit nutty and she's got a vicious temper, but to this point at least she's been loyal, and we'll never do better. But now we're fighting, and the young hot guys cruising in their Italian sports cars are circling. She's even just gone out and hired one of the best divorce attorneys in the nation on retainer. So sure, we can put our foot down all we want. We can say I think we need a break. We can make her sleep on the couch or even kick her out of the house. We can demand she go to therapy before she gets to come back in. But all that is going to prove to her is that we're over, and that dude in the $1000 suit sitting in his ferrari just winked at her.

I like this. You should be a lawyer.