"Being Open, Honest Key to Coaching Kings' Cousins"-Jason Jones
- Thread starter Chubbs
- Start date
This is nothing new. I've been saying for a long time that all Cousins wants is honesty. Calipari was as tough on him as any coach could be, and yet, he looks at Calipari as a father figure. Cousins has never looked for a coach to kiss his butt. He just wants to be coached, know the rules apply to everyone, and not be stabbed in the back. I saw Calipari jerk Cousins from a game because of a mistake, and make him sit right next to him while he screamed in his face. But one minute later, Cousins was back in the game. No grudge, just a lesson in the moment.
If Cousins thinks your saying one thing, and doing another, you'll lose him. I'm not saying he's right or wrong, just who he is, and what he wants from a head coach. Somewhere down the line Cousins has to realize that while every coach isn't perfect, neither is he, and that sometimes forgiveness and or compromise is necessary for the good of the team. For now, I hope that Vlade finds a coach that's a straight shooter. And, knows how to coach.
If Cousins thinks your saying one thing, and doing another, you'll lose him. I'm not saying he's right or wrong, just who he is, and what he wants from a head coach. Somewhere down the line Cousins has to realize that while every coach isn't perfect, neither is he, and that sometimes forgiveness and or compromise is necessary for the good of the team. For now, I hope that Vlade finds a coach that's a straight shooter. And, knows how to coach.
If the newly hired coach doesn't go out and try to trade him in the Summer, that would be a step in the right direction. If the newly hired coach uses terms like, "we need to give better effort" or " we have to be better at defending, from the coaching to the players executing" instead of saying "the players aren't defending hard enough" ...... That coach will be off to a better start than GK.
Last edited:
Its very irksome that Cuz has a coach killer rep.
Yes, we've had a ludicrous number of coaches come through here in Cousins' tenure, and all of them were fired, but the only two I can remember him clashing with are Karl and Westphal. And besides being awful coaches, those guys are also **** heads.
Then you have all the others, who were fired for being inept and shouldn't have been hired in the first place.
Finally you have Malone, who was fired because PDA is a rat and our owner is a moron.
To be a coach killer, you have to kill coaches. Besides Malone, I don't think any HC we've had here has been worthy of the title.
Yes, we've had a ludicrous number of coaches come through here in Cousins' tenure, and all of them were fired, but the only two I can remember him clashing with are Karl and Westphal. And besides being awful coaches, those guys are also **** heads.
Then you have all the others, who were fired for being inept and shouldn't have been hired in the first place.
Finally you have Malone, who was fired because PDA is a rat and our owner is a moron.
To be a coach killer, you have to kill coaches. Besides Malone, I don't think any HC we've had here has been worthy of the title.
Peaches is the ultimate "smile to your face, but talk #$%^ behind your back" type of guy. It's not shocking in the least that he burned a bridge with Boogie early on. Not sure what Poi-son's issues are, but I'm guessing she's of the same ilk.
While Jason Jones work isn't on par with Marty Mac, I think he's probably like him with regard to being frank and honest yet not catty, which Cuz would respect.
While Jason Jones work isn't on par with Marty Mac, I think he's probably like him with regard to being frank and honest yet not catty, which Cuz would respect.
I don't think many naysayers know or consider the fact that the team was on their 5th coach in 5 seasons when DeMarcus 1st set foot into the building. Adelman, Musselman, Theus, Natt, Westphal.
The coaching carousel was well under way mostly due to pride and penny-pinching.
Now the Kings have been through 5 coaches, again, during Boogie's tenure. But let's be real. Two of them were interim guys that weren't ever going to have the gig long term. Keith Smart only got to keep the job an extra year because of the aforementioned penny pinching by the former ownership group and all the relocation drama that was going on.
And a 3rd, Michael Malone, wasn't terminated because of Cousins. Everyone knows that.
So 3 of the 5 really had nothing to do with DeMarcus whatsoever. Only Westphal and Karl. Westphal had a falling out with Spencer Hawes of all people and hasn't picked up a meaningful job since. Karl was showing signs of senility and isn't likely to garner interest from another NBA team either.
In summary, this coach killer thing is vastly overblown. I'm not saying his relationship with Smart and Corbin was great, but it certainly wasn't horrible as it was with Karl and Westphal. Those guys just weren't good fits, DeMarcus or not.
The coaching carousel was well under way mostly due to pride and penny-pinching.
Now the Kings have been through 5 coaches, again, during Boogie's tenure. But let's be real. Two of them were interim guys that weren't ever going to have the gig long term. Keith Smart only got to keep the job an extra year because of the aforementioned penny pinching by the former ownership group and all the relocation drama that was going on.
And a 3rd, Michael Malone, wasn't terminated because of Cousins. Everyone knows that.
So 3 of the 5 really had nothing to do with DeMarcus whatsoever. Only Westphal and Karl. Westphal had a falling out with Spencer Hawes of all people and hasn't picked up a meaningful job since. Karl was showing signs of senility and isn't likely to garner interest from another NBA team either.
In summary, this coach killer thing is vastly overblown. I'm not saying his relationship with Smart and Corbin was great, but it certainly wasn't horrible as it was with Karl and Westphal. Those guys just weren't good fits, DeMarcus or not.
Kudos to Jason Jones for going out and getting some quotes and putting this message out there. It's really easy for people to stand back and point figures for all the losses, for all the coaching changes, for all the apparent dysfunction. But it's important to acknowledge that players are people first and people don't always get along with each other for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with basketball. I think it's been pretty clear from the beginning what DeMarcus wants from a head coach and while he had some issues with Westphal early on, George Karl was the first time his conflict with the coach actually interfered with his play on the court. We just need to move on. Stop looking for people to blame, stop lamenting the past, and hire the most qualified head coach we can get right now.
Being honest and open with any player is part of the key to being a good coach. I don't know anyone who likes being lied to. This is not a magical clue as to how to be a coach. The only reason that Cousins is circled as someone "special" is because if you do not treat him honestly, you find out very loudly. There is no telling how other players react to a dishonest coach but it probably is detrimental to the team.
I think that some believe that trying to find a coach that not only fits the team well, but fits Cousins game and personality, is pandering to Cousins. Well, look at it this way. If Cousins had JT's skills, then we wouldn't be having this conversation would we? He would have been gone a long time ago. So obviously, his talent is relevant to the conversation. He's one of, if not the best center in the NBA and perhaps the world. And he belongs to us. So, doesn't it make sense to create an atmosphere that keeps him content?
That doesn't mean your looking for a coach that will pander to Cousins. What your really looking for, is a coach that fits whatever vision Vlade has for the team. That's first and foremost, and secondly, a coach that can relate to the players, and vice versa. A communicator and straight shooter. Who that is, I have no idea, but my guess is that there's more than one guy out there that could fill that bill. When you look at what Nate McMillan did when he came to Portland, he might be someone to look at. They were known as the Portland Jailblazers at the time. He cleaned up that mess, and turned them into contenders.
Elston Turner has been mentioned by some. He was an assistant under Adelman, and many thought the heir apparent to the job when Adelman left. He's been the bridesmaid two or three times, but he's highly respected around the league. Turner is known as a no nonsense guy, as is McMillan. I doubt that either would have a problem with Cousins. I know some want to be rid of Cousins, and trust me, I get frustrated with him as well. I just don't allow my frustration to cloud my judgement. All I need a little rant now and then. There were quite few that wanted to be rid of IT. How did that work out for you? You have to be careful what you wish for. Once he gone, he gone. Not saying we couldn't win without him. I just think it might be a tad harder.
That doesn't mean your looking for a coach that will pander to Cousins. What your really looking for, is a coach that fits whatever vision Vlade has for the team. That's first and foremost, and secondly, a coach that can relate to the players, and vice versa. A communicator and straight shooter. Who that is, I have no idea, but my guess is that there's more than one guy out there that could fill that bill. When you look at what Nate McMillan did when he came to Portland, he might be someone to look at. They were known as the Portland Jailblazers at the time. He cleaned up that mess, and turned them into contenders.
Elston Turner has been mentioned by some. He was an assistant under Adelman, and many thought the heir apparent to the job when Adelman left. He's been the bridesmaid two or three times, but he's highly respected around the league. Turner is known as a no nonsense guy, as is McMillan. I doubt that either would have a problem with Cousins. I know some want to be rid of Cousins, and trust me, I get frustrated with him as well. I just don't allow my frustration to cloud my judgement. All I need a little rant now and then. There were quite few that wanted to be rid of IT. How did that work out for you? You have to be careful what you wish for. Once he gone, he gone. Not saying we couldn't win without him. I just think it might be a tad harder.
I can't imagine where the Kings fanbase would be getting this idea from...... 
What's so difficult? Our major difficulty is our reputation part of which is that we grind through coaches like potato chips or nachos. People may blame that on Cousins but if you check the details, it really isn't. Our grinding through coaches predated Cousins and only one of these coaches went on to have another head coaching job. If we hire bad coaches, they may not last.
Let me toss in something about McHale. I think someone said he didn't like California. As a Minnesotan, let me tell you what that means. It means he doesn't like LA or the Bay Area. I once had the option of moving to several cities in California and my view was that Sacramento was the one of the biggest little cities in the country. We are small town folks. Sacramento is not a classic Californian city. If Brad Miller likes the area, any Minnesotan would like it, especially one from Hibbing, MN. Google Hibbing or watch the movie "Fargo."
Last edited:
I was being sarcastic.
I would have thought my anger at Napear was well-known enough, but I'll clarify:
Napear has been propagandizing the "pandering to Cousins" narrative for a long time, and cranked it up the past few months to 11.
The entire public opinion spawns from him.
It likely wouldn't even be a public perception if not for Napear constantly blaring it so often.
Mind you, it's largely unsupported AFAIK - Grant has never elucidated what examples support his theory that "the franchise has pandered to Cousins since he got here".
The narrative flies in the face of reality and team history so obviously, I'm shocked noone in the media or on the team has blown him up over it.
I would have thought my anger at Napear was well-known enough, but I'll clarify:
Napear has been propagandizing the "pandering to Cousins" narrative for a long time, and cranked it up the past few months to 11.
The entire public opinion spawns from him.
It likely wouldn't even be a public perception if not for Napear constantly blaring it so often.
Mind you, it's largely unsupported AFAIK - Grant has never elucidated what examples support his theory that "the franchise has pandered to Cousins since he got here".
The narrative flies in the face of reality and team history so obviously, I'm shocked noone in the media or on the team has blown him up over it.
I guess I'm a little confused, so bear with me. I'm not sure if your responding to my post or not, and since you and I are in agreement, I'm not sure why you would respond to my post. But to address the Pandering thing, to the best of my knowledge, I'm the one that used the word pandering in a statement, so why then would I object to the use of the word? I would be objecting to myself. By the way, I moved to Sacramento from St. Louis for the exact reasons you did.
