Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins plans on staying in Sacramento for his entire career, apparently. Or so he told NBA TV on Wednesday:
“If you were to ask me, I think my jersey will be hanging in the rafters when I retire in Sacramento…my only concern is winning games every night and pushing this team to the next level.”
The surprising part of this is not the confidence that Cousins has in himself to be good enough to have his jersey retired by a franchise. Cousins does not lack confidence. Whether he’s saying that he’s the most dominant player in the world, or saying that he could be the best big man in the NBA if he played in sandals, Cousins is constantly talking about how good he is. That’s not a knock on him at all; he has every right to be confident, he’s phenomenal.
The more surprising part of Cousins’ statement is that he expects to spend the entirety of his career in Sacramento. Then again, maybe this shouldn’t really come as a massive surprise. While Cousins’ situation in Sacramento always seems dire, Cousins has had nothing but good things to say this season (except for when he ripped his team’s defense). But seriously, Cousins has said he’s “in a great place” in Sacramento, and has called the city his home.
However, even if Cousins (inexplicably) wants to spend his entire career with the Kings, is that what they want? Cousins’ antics and attitude are well-documented, and earlier this season, ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that the Kings are “starting to get sick of Cousins.”
I don’t know about this one, DeMarcus. Sure, he appears to like Sacramento, but it’s also all he’s known. This feels like one of those situations where Cousins won’t realize how miserable he was in Sacramento until he’s with another franchise and has something to compare his time with the Kings with.
