Sacramento Kings: Quiet Week for DeMarcus Cousins with Team USA … and That’s a Good Thing

Last summer, Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins made headlines for all the wrong reasons, getting into a highly publicized spat with USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo while playing with the U.S. select team.

What a difference a year makes.

After being criticized by Colangelo for a lack of maturity in 2012, Cousins created quite a different impression in 2013 at the Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

“I think Cousins came in with a very good attitude,” Colangelo said. “He worked very hard, his work ethic was great. So he just has to continue to mature and grow as a player and we’ll make those decisions [about the 2014 U.S. national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup] in the near future.”

Cousins scored six points and had a team-high-tying seven rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench in the 2013 USA Basketball Showcase Thursday night. Cousins didn’t have any qualms about his playing time.

“It was a fun experience,” Cousins said. “It was fun playing with a lot of talented players.”

He said he wasn’t bothered by not starting or by not getting as much run as some other players in camp.

“I’m not used to that, but it’s like that in these types of games,” Cousins said. “There are more guards than bigs, so you have to get in the rotation. Overall it was fun and I had fun.”

Cousins talked to the Cowbell Network about his time with Team USA:

This is an important time for Cousins, whom the Kings are counting on to grow into the unquestioned leader of a franchise that has made some big moves this summer, picking up point guard Greivis Vasquez from the New Orleans Pelicans in a sign-and-trade deal involving Tyreke Evans. Vasquez gives the Kings their first real playmaker at the point since the days of Mike Bibby.

Cousins is entering his fourth year in the league and while his overall numbers have been decent, his attitude and demeanor often haven’t been.

He averaged 16.3 points and 9.8 rebounds over his first three seasons, but shot just 44.8 percent from the floor. His player efficiency rating declined from 18.4 in his second season to 16.3 last year—still above the average mark of 15—and his defensive rating in 2012-13 was a career-worst 106 (points per 100 possessions).

This is a crucial time for Cousins, who is eligible for an extension this offseason. He told the Sacramento Bee last week that Sacramento is where he wants to be.

“I do want to be a King,” Cousins said. “I do.”

Cousins hadn’t said anything publicly regarding the team since a wave of changes swept over the franchise, beginning with the sale of the club to Vivek Ranadive and the hiring of general manager Pete D’Alessandro and coach Michael Malone.

“I’m super-excited where this franchise is headed,” Cousins said. “I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Respect is often a two-way street and the young center likes what he’s hearing from the new management team. Ranadive called Cousins the cornerstone of the franchise.

“It’s something I already knew, but I’m glad it’s being said,” Cousins said. “So I’m going to take my opportunity and I’m going to do my best to lead this team to this win.”

The maximum allowable extension for Cousins under the collective bargaining agreement is five years at roughly $80 million, with a deadline set for Oct. 31. If an extension isn’t signed by then, Cousins would become a restricted free agent next summer.

The Kings are expected to meet with Cousins’ agent, Dan Fegan, in the near future to discuss a possible extension.

It does seem like Cousins has been around forever, so it’s easy to forget that we’re talking about a guy who won’t turn 23 for another couple of weeks, a player who spent just one season at the University of Kentucky before entering the NBA Draft in 2010 and being selected fifth overall by the Kings.

There are easier ways to transition into the NBA than to be declared the latest savior of a lottery team.

Cousins’ week with Team USA was a positive sign after last year’s showing. He showed up, did his work, didn’t complain about playing time and generally seemed to have a positive experience.

If he can show that same level of commitment and maturity in 2013-14, the Kings might indeed have the guy they thought they were drafting three years ago.