Phoenix Suns: Pros And Cons Of Trading For DeMarcus Cousins
Con:…Who Has Also Earned His Bad Reputation
However, as good as Cousins is, the Suns shouldn’t just drop everything and dive into a possible bidding war without bearing in mind the many drawbacks of a potential deal. For starters, there’s his notorious temper and reputation as a head case — a reputation he’s more than earned — to consider.
At this point, it’s hard to remember all of Cousins’ run-ins with officials, teammates, coaches and reporters, but here are a couple of notable incidents off the top of our heads:
- 2011-12: Head coach Paul Westphal sends Cousins home from a home game against the New Orleans Hornets for not embracing the direction of the team (Westphal was fired four days later)
- 2012-13: Cousins is suspended for two games for confronting San Antonio Spurs color commentator Sean Elliott
- 2013-14: Cousins is suspended one game for punching Patrick Beverley in the stomach
- 2015-16: Cousins is suspended one game for yelling at head coach George Karl
- 2016-17: Cousins is fined $25,000 for throwing his mouthpiece and entering the stands in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves
- 2016-17: Cousins is fined $50,000 for a profanity-laced tirade on a reporter
And all that is without including his 105 career technical fouls in six and a half seasons, including 15 technicals this season.
No one should ever question his devotion to the game, the city of Sacramento or winning. In a better environment, perhaps Cousins would be viewed very differently. Maybe he wouldn’t constantly antagonize reporters, berate officials or draw fines and suspensions from the league.
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But we can’t ignore that Cousins has always had a bit of a temper, and if the “I’d rather have a guy who cares” argument sounds familiar, it’s because people said something similar about Markieff Morris‘ destructive fire.
Cousins is quite clearly on a different plane from Morris talent-wise, but he’s very rarely shown the qualities of a true leader outside of his production on the stat sheet. He’s playing for his sixth head coach in seven years, and his most successful team won 33 games.
That’s not all on him, and Sacramento’s dysfunction bears plenty of the weight, but DeMarcus Cousins would have plenty to prove if he were traded to the Suns. Would adding him really transform Phoenix into a winning team again? For a franchise that spent the last three years purging its locker room of “bad chemistry,” trading for Boogie would not come without risk.