DeMarcus Cousins Happy to Come off the Bench

Despite the local media’s anticipation of a much juicier story when this was announced, Cousins graciously accepted his coach’s decision to bring him off the pine. The Sac Bee reports: “DeMarcus Cousins only looked as if he wanted to throw a punch when his coach announced plans to move veteran Samuel Dalembert into the starting lineup. The big rookie stepped aside graciously, and in fact, appeared almost a little relieved. ‘I thought it was a great idea,’ Cousins said Thursday after Kings practice. ‘I think it will really help the team … because I’m still learning. Coming in off the bench, I can how see how the game is, I can learn how aggressive to be and not be. I get the feel of the game a lot better.’ So, like we said. So much for a starting center controversy. This was the plan long before the team gathered for training camp: Dalembert starting and anchoring the defense. Cousins, the immensely talented but foul-plagued first-round draft choice, initially sitting and watching and learning. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound youngster entering the game late in the first quarter and playing approximately 30 minutes instead of his current 22.6.”