A Candid Conversation On The Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins

5) How much of a concern are the tantrums, attitude, and passion we associate with Cousins if any?

Davis – Cousins is an emotional guy, plain and simple. That said, he’s clearly done a much better job of maintaining it or at least being able to reel it in when necessary over these last couple seasons. Part of what makes him so effective is the drive and passion that he plays with. Just so long as it doesn’t become an issue where he is jeopardizing the team’s success, there really isn’t all that much of an issue.

Ginsberg – It’s obviously a concern, but I think it gets overblown. We have all seen Cousins’ emotions get the best of him, and while his passion can be a good thing, it is more frequently a net negative for his team. There is the issue of the technical fouls, and also his tendency to take plays off defensively.

Rowan – I’ve never been concerned with it. He has passion and never gets in trouble off the court. I’d lose my mind if I was giving as much as he has to the Kings and only receiving incompetence in return. He needs to grow up a bit, but everybody has character flaws that need to be worked on at that point. His are just more visible.

Thomas – Some guys you just have to accept who they are as long as they give you more wins than losses. So for the time being, I am going to say I am not concerned.

Watson – It’s little things that bother me more, such as in the loss at Portland Tuesday night, there was a sequence where he got on a teammate about missing a rotation. The next trip down the floor, he missed the same rotation. That’s the sort of stuff that just points to a continued lack of mental focus and maturity. Tantrums aren’t great, but Cousins is hardly the first superstar that’s had that issue. You should have seen Rick Barry back in the day. Dude whined and flailed around having fits all the damn time.

Woo – Minor. We’ve seen hotheads in the league before, and every time it kind of goes the same way — they figure it out, or they don’t. Rasheed Wallace was awesome before and after he figured out how to tone it down. This season, Boogie looks to be taking his first real steps in that maturity leap. When these guys hit a certain age and get more into their primes, it either clicks or it won’t. I‘m betting it will for Cousins.

Next: How high can Boogie climb?