[Dave Bing]

How was his body language?

[hack]

Well at one point it looked as if he was giving high fives, but on replay it became apparent they were actually terrorist fist bumps.

[Dave Bing]

Why are they blaming Westphal? His mom never told him not to slouch.

[papalawrence]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

How was his body language?

Well I saw the letter "i" on his jersey......selfish bastard.

[Billl]

Looks like he also let Drew Gooden get loose for 18/9 though. Cousins has tons of offensive talent, but he still hasn't shown a desire to play anything resembling winning basketball in the NBA. A guy with his physical gifts should be dominating the paint on both ends.

[ThaMaestro]

Someone suggested Patrick Ewing to coach Sacto after Westphal was fired. They should have thought long and hard about that before locking up Smart. Ewing has been getting a lot of respect as a head coaching candidate as of late. He deserves a shot and who better to bring in to develop a young big?

I do hope that Cousins figures it out. Talented superstar centers will only help the league. The more the merrier.

[Stefan S]

Voisin argues that the team is poorly designed, was poorly coached, and that during off season they will likely look for a well established coach like Larry Brown or Sloan or Jeff VG...

Kings had to fire Westphal
By Ailene Voisin
avoisin@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1C

This was a necessary move, the obvious move, the only move. Paul Westphal was doomed because his team was losing games in an alarming manner, and repeatedly and openly acknowledging their sins, of which there were many.

You know the drill. The ball movement was horrific. The body movement was nonexistent. The transition defense was embarrassing. And if anyone wants to dump Westphal's firing at the feet of 6-foot-11, 270-pound DeMarcus Cousins, well, have at it. He is the biggest and easiest target. His mother isn't the only one who wants to wipe the smirk off his face.

But you would be wrong.

The real issue here? The real coach-killer? A collective lack of effort.

The Kings' persistent and perplexing lack of energy was far more damaging to Westphal's job status than their immature center, their poor transition defense, their shooting woes and even their trademark death-by-dribbling offense that sucked the life out of the team (and the crowd) faster than a fatal dose of arsenic.

Whether Keith Smart was the wisest choice as Westphal's successor remains to be seen. He is young (47) and eager but, typical of most Kings coaches in the post-Rick Adelman era, he is relatively inexperienced. His NBA bonafides include only one season of head-coaching experience – a year with the injury-riddled Golden State Warriors club that overachieved last season en route to a 36-46 record.

But he also signed on without any guarantee that he will be around for Sea- son II, so the selection is not altogether risky.

Inside the organization, the thought goes something like this: Rather than rushing out, grabbing the first high-profile available coach and tossing him into the midst of a bang-bang season, see if Smart can transform a moribund roster of highly compensated professionals into an entertaining and interesting bunch. You know? Make some progress? Turn them into something at least imitating a team?

Otherwise, according to sources, the offseason plan is to put the fullcourt press on a veteran coach from a group of available candidates that includes Jerry Sloan, Jeff Van Gundy and Larry Brown, among others.

"You're in a situation here where you can't take a philosophical vacation, because things are happening in real time," Petrie said before the Kings eked out a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. "We looked at where we were (2-5). It's about the … performance of the team as a whole, not any one particular player. But we do feel that this team – and I think most people would agree – is a more talented team than was here two years ago."

He's right. Most people would agree. But assembling better talent doesn't necessarily result in a better team. Most NBA people also would agree that adding John Salmons last summer to a starting lineup that already included the dribble-heavy and ball-dominant Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton was a combination that was unlikely to work, even in the short term.

The Kings' biggest issue concerns the situation that Westphal began spinning almost the day he took the job: trying to squeeze the uniquely talented Evans into the role of primary ballhandler and facilitator. Please, no more pretending. Please, listen to Evans. He is a pleaser by nature, but he has eyes for the basket, not for directing an offense.

And when players don't think they're going to get the ball, they stop running, they stop rebounding, they stop defending, they stop setting screens. They stop trying. Departed Kings Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes, Omri Casspi, Carl Landry and Samuel Dalembert all complained during the Westphal regime – publicly and privately – about a system that leaves one player with the ball and four other players standing. Statues move more than the Kings.

"Eventually they will have to get it, otherwise they are going to keep going in the same direction as when I was there," said former Kings guard Beno Udrih, now with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Cousins? He might not be the solution, but he's not the problem. He's not that big a problem. Westphal, who only a week ago was still praising the second-year center for his improved conditioning and more collegial attitude, suddenly, surprisingly, couldn't stand the kid. After the two engaged in some sort of discussion in the locker room Saturday – Westphal saying Cousins asked for a trade, Cousins denying it – the head coach acted as if his young star kicked a cat, slugged a dog, or was the only underachieving player contributing mightily to his tenuous job security.

"I'm going to be fair with everyone," Smart said he told the players before the game. "We're going to have definite policies and rules for everyone on the team. We're going to have guidelines. I just want you to play hard. In the NBA, if you play hard, that's half the battle."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Ailene Voisin: Kings had to fire Westphal - Sacramento Sports - Kings, 49ers, Raiders, High School Sports | Sacramento Bee

[Stefan S]

Sacramento Kings have questions about future - ESPN

2. Your take on how the DeMarcus Cousins situation goes from here?

Henry Abbott, ESPN.com: He's the same guy he ever was: a prickly and passionate character who likely will frustrate everyone daily. Along the way he also might average 20 and 10, or not, depending on whether the coaching staff can build a bridge to the place he lives.

J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: Since they came down on his side instead of Westphal's, they have to keep Cousins. But the Kings have to realize that they just empowered him, so how can they expect him to change? I maintain that by the time we see a mature Cousins, he will be wearing a different uniform.

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: Someone with a measure of credibility in Cousins' life will kindly but forcefully remind him that a player's first four seasons in the NBA are an audition for one of the most lucrative service contracts known to man. How Cousins responds to the arrival of Westphal's replacement will influence the weight of that deal.

James Ham, Cowbell Kingdom: Cousins is an amazing talent. I expect the Kings to hold on to him for now, but they have a lot of time and energy invested in Tyreke Evans. If he and Cousins can't coexist, I expect the Kings to choose Evans over Cousins, purely on personality.

Zach Harper, Daily Dime Live: Cousins is a volatile, young player. He doesn't appear to have a filter in what he says or how he reacts on the court. But the talent and matchup problems are there for the team/coach who can figure out how to help him progress. I'd imagine he'll eventually move on and try new scenery. He might take a couple of tours before he harnesses his potential.

[joe servo]

Originally Posted by The King

The Kings are a pathetic franchise. The Maloofs not only ran their casino into the ground, but also that team.

They fire the coach when everyone knows Cousins is a fucking asshole?

What happened to their casino?

[The King]

I read they lost a lot of money at The Palms. They try to be too upscale and are completely off the strip.

[Kstat]

Steve Nash's future with Phoenix Suns - ESPN

Of the eight teams ESPN.com has confirmed as registering interest in trading for Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins in the past week, in the wake of Cousins' recent one-game suspension, five of them hail from the East.

According to sources close to the situation, they are: Boston, Detroit, Indiana, New Jersey and Washington. (Portland, Houston and Utah are the others.) The Wizards might rank as the most surprising team on that list, given their longstanding non-interest in Cousins and the number of hard-to-harness youngsters already playing in the nation's capital, but perhaps the Wiz couldn't resist exploring the possibility of reuniting John Wall with his college teammate.

[The King]

There will always be a market for this guy. In sports, talent always overrides stupidity. Cousins will play for multiple teams with limited shelf lives, but will put up big numbers. He's the TO of the NBA. There will always be a market until he ages and can't play anymore.

[tin mad dog]

Will he be like Derrick Coleman or Alonzo Mourning? Zo was a hothead in college that finally reigned it in to have a very solid NBA career.

[papalawrence]

Joe made it clear before that draft that he has a hard on for Cousins. If he ever does hit the market I'm quite sure Joe will make a strong push for him.

[Dave Bing]

Not worth a thread but at least we leared that Joe has some of the other GMs phone numbers.

The Pistons had trade discussions with the 76ers about power forward Marreese Speights, but Philadelphia specified that it only wanted picks and not a player. That eliminated the Pistons since they are over the salary cap. The 76ers eventually received two second-round picks from the Grizzlies for Speights in a three-team deal that also included the Hornets. The deal was announced Tuesday.

[King Mob]

That can't be right. All Joe does is cram donuts into his face and ignore offers of Dwight Howard and cash considerations for Macklin and the rights to Alex Acker.

[DYNOMITE]

Originally Posted by King Mob

That can't be right. All Joe does is cram donuts into his face and ignore offers of Dwight Howard and cash considerations for Macklin and the rights to Alex Acker.

We are a Marreese Speights away from not even needing D Howard.

[The King]

Speights doesn't do much except score. A Villa of sorts. Bad defender.

[papalawrence]

Cousins had 21 and 19 Wed eve.

[FadedMario]

Cousins last 4 he's been going off

[mn3]

Great talent. Ticking time bomb.

Just be glad the bomb isn't going to go off in our arena.

We're lucky Sacramento picked him and that we got Monroe.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by mn3

Great talent. Ticking time bomb.

Just be glad the bomb isn't going to go off in our arena.

We're lucky Sacramento picked him and that we got Monroe.

Cousins has a higher upside I think.
He is a beast with a mean streak.
He can become a dominant big man for years to come.

But you are right, a ticking bomb!

I love what we have in Monroe.

[papalawrence]

I would never trade Monroe for Cousins straight up at this point. I posted his stats more to make the statement that the guy is not going to get traded unless someone blows Sac away with an offer, and that's not going to happen.

[Billl]

I don't think anyone disputes that cousins is/can be a total beast. It should be noted that his attempts to impress have come with a boatload of turnover too. In the last 4 games, he's had 4, 5, 4, and 5. That is a TON for a post player who really doesn't handle the ball at all. He also averaged 5 fouls per game in that stretch while not really playing "starters minutes." He's a talent, but he's a very raw talent.