Cousins reveals how García shifted his initial perspective on Kings

Cousins reveals how García shifted his initial perspective on Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

DeMarcus Cousins’ relationship with the Kings has taken its twists and turns to say the least.

Cousins, who was selected No. 5 overall by Sacramento in the 2010 NBA Draft, reflected on his rocky partnership with the organization during and after his six-and-a-half years in the 916.

The four-time NBA All-Star appeared on a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show” where he recalled a conversation with former Kings wing Francisco García that shifted his perception of the Kings organization early in his career.

“It was tough and it was confusing,” Cousins said. “It was even worse for me because I was coming from a situation at Kentucky where [Coach Jon Calipari] treated us like pros. He was preparing us for that next level. I’ll never forget this, shoutout to my vet Francisco Garcia. Cisco was my vet. But I remember in my rookie season, it was something simple. I don’t even remember what the task was, but at Kentucky, I never did anything like that [and] then I came to the Kings and in my mind, it’s like, this is a step higher even more.

“This is the elite level of basketball, so my expectations were off, to say the least. It was a simple task and I remember Cisco saying something like, ‘Yo, you really was spoiled at Kentucky.’ And in my head, I’m like, ‘Damn, maybe I was.’ But at the same time, I’m like, ‘This is an even more elite level so why is it being looked at as me being spoiled?’

“So long story short, Cisco ended up eventually getting traded to the Houston Rockets. And I remember when he went there he ended up tapping in with me a little later. And he was like, ‘Man I remember that day I called you spoiled.’ He was like, ‘I was wrong. We were in the s–thole.’ I’m like I knew I wasn’t tripping.”

After shining at Kentucky, Cousins entered the NBA and joined a team that had just finished 14th in the Western Conference with a 25-57 record.

During his rookie season, Cousins averaged 14.1 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds, but the Kings (14-58) again finished 14th in the West. Sacramento didn’t win…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cousins-reveals-garc-shifted-initial-180735434.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-21 18:18:21

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