DeMarcus Cousins Says His Reputation is Unfair

While admitting that he can be a bonehead on and off the court at times, and saying that he’s working hard to mature, Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins claims that he has been unfairly portrayed by fans and media. Most interesting of all, Cousins lays some of the blame on his own team. Per SI: “Sometimes I let some of the small things take over,’ Cousins said. ‘It can be a simple thing, like a call going the wrong way, and it takes me all off. I’ve got a real problem when I know something is wrong or I feel something is wrong, I’m going to speak about it. I get it from my mother. It’s a problem I have. I don’t want to say I want to change it because it helped me get where I am. But at the same time, I have to learn to be quiet.’ Indeed, Cousins NBA rap sheet has catapulted him to the top of the NBA’s bad boy list, linking him to the likes of Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest in the category of talented players whose behavior overshadows their tremendous skill. Cousins is keenly aware of the perception of him. And he hates it. Badly. ‘I’m not going to sit here and say I’m innocent, because I’ve done things,’ Cousins said. ‘But to get the reputation that I’ve got, I don’t think I’ve done enough. I don’t have a criminal record. Some of the guys with the cleanest image in the league have a record. I don’t think I was given a fair chance. I don’t know what I did in college that was so bad to get that reputation. OK, there is footage of me and Coach Cal going at each other. That happens in sports. Coming into the league, everyone said I was going to be fat, I was the next Oliver Miller. I had all these red flags. I just feel I was never given a fair chance coming in.’ Among those that didn’t give him a chance, Cousins said, was his own organization. The Kings tabbed Cousins with the fifth pick in the 2010 draft but, in his mind, have never made an effort to get to know him. ‘They wanted to get to know me but they were scared because of my reputation,’ Cousins said. ‘I felt like it was bad on their part. I’m your player and you don’t take the time to get to know me? You just go by what the rest of the world says?’ And now? ‘No, I’m still not [given a chance],’ Cousins said. ‘It flip flops. When everything is good, [the organization] is good. When things go bad, there is nothing about that good person they remember. I just want that balance. You are either with me or you’re not.’ Cousins scoffs at the notion that he might have anger management issues and says he was offended when the Kings suggested he seek counseling. ‘I took it as an insult,’ Cousins said. ‘That’s another thing, our organization doesn’t even know me. They were looking for an excuse. I don’t believe that is the way to solve issues. I’m an emotional guy. It’s as simple as that.'”