DeMarcus Cousins (#12) (Photo : Getty Images / Andrew D. Bernstein)
DeMarcus Cousins, star center of the Sacramento Kings, is admittedly perplexed about the moves his team made during the offseason. The Kings selected Greek center Georgios Papagiannis and forward Skal Labissiere during the NBA Draft last June.
In an interview with The Sacramento Bee after a Team USA practice in Las Vegas, Cousins said "I really don't understand it," after the Kings traded down from the eighth pick to number 13 in order to select the Greek center, who happens to play the same position as Cousins. With the draft choice, the Kings now have a logjam at the center position with Cousins, Papagiannis, last year's rookie Willie Cauley-Stein, and backup Kosta Koufos. With the addition of Labissiere, the Kings have quite a number of big men despite needing to fill in the point guard and small forward slots.
Cousins, who is currently part of Team USA that will compete for the gold medal in the Rio Olympics, pointed out that he doesn't control the moves of the front office and stated that he controls only what he can control, in reference to his job on the basketball floor. With regard to general manager Vlade Divac's decisions, Cousins said, "I let them do their job."
The All-Star center watched some of the Summer League games where the Kings participated and had good words for the newly-acquired Labissiere, calling the forward impressive. Regarding the other offseason moves made by the Kings, one stood out for Cousins - the re-acquisition of former King Matt Barnes, whom Cousins says he hates to play against, but "love(s) to have him on (his) team."
The temperamental but talented big man made waves during draft night when he posted on his official Twitter account after the draft selection of Papagiannis when he seemingly tweeted his disapproval with the move. However, according to CBS Sports, Cousins said he was not referring to the draft pick but rather a hot yoga class.
Last season was one of the best individual seasons for Cousins, stats-wise. He posted a career-high average of 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds, earning him All-Star and All-NBA Second Team honors. The Kings look to improve from last year's disappointing season by making the playoffs this year.
Here are some highlights of Cousins during the USA Basketball training camp:
