Draymond Green became the story of game three between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors when he kicked Steven Adams in the groin. Most seem to believe that the kick was intentional, although Green maintains that it was a reaction as he attempted to sell a foul call.
While the NBA world waits to see whether or not the Warriors forward will be suspended for the hit, Sacramento Kings center had a different reaction to the love-tap heard ’round the world:
@CarmichaelDave FACTS
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) May 23, 2016
Cousins has a point. The Kings center has been described in the worst of ways by media and fans alike. He mostly has himself to blame. The big man has shown a propensity for losing focus and losing his temper. While immensely talented and arguably the best center in the league, Cousins has been unable to control himself enough to have sustainable success in the league. He has indeed created a reputation as someone who often gets testy in tense situations.
Boogie is right, however, when you consider the following. Switch him and Green in this scenario. If it were Cousins kicking out at Adams and connecting to his kiwis, would there even be a question about whether or not he would be suspended? Having a history certainly matters, but in Cousins’ case, it is often a reputation created by his temperament and not his actions. It may not be to the extent implied in the tweets above, but we certainly do hold the two players to different standards.
There is a reason for the difference in opinions between what Draymond Green did and the case had it been DeMarcus Cousins in that situation. Much of that has to do with Cousins’ own mistakes, but that does not make the fact that we hold them to different standards necessarily right.
