Chris Webber is Mentoring DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins says he’s very happy in Sacramento, and he tells the Boston Globe that he’s gotten some mentorship from a great former Kings big man: “Cousins, who doesn’t turn 22 until August, is averaging a double-double in his second season with the Kings (16.6 points, 11.5 rebounds). He is a prototype franchise cornerstone but has endured a lot of upheaval in Sacramento and spent considerable time fielding questions about his attitude. An NBA scout compared Cousins’s footwork with Kevin McHale’s, and he has a solid mid-range jumper and a mean streak. Rumors that he wants out of Sacramento are just that, especially since the Kings replaced Paul Westphal as coach with Keith Smart. ‘Man, that’s something I’ve been dealing with my whole life,’ said Cousins. ‘I’ve got tough skin. They can say what they want. They are always going to have something to say.’ Asked if the misperceptions bothered him, he said, ‘No, because they’re not really trying to understand me. They’re just following the crowd.’ [...] A mentor who has emerged for Cousins is former Kings forward Chris Webber, who played seven seasons in Sacramento. He has tried to offer sound advice, not criticism. ‘I have the utmost respect for C-Web, he’s a real person,’ Cousins said. ‘He just gives me advice, tells me how to handle situations. He went through similar situations so of course he has advice for me. I guess you can say a big brother looking over me.’ [...] ‘Sacramento is where I want to be,’ he said. ‘I want to bring the organization back, help the organization get started back winning. I love the city of Sacramento. That’s where I want to be. End of story. We can dig a hole, throw that topic in there, cover it with dirt, pack it down. I want to be in Sacramento. End of story.’”
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