Jerry Colangelo Says DeMarcus Cousins Needs to Grow Up to Make Team USA


DeMarcus Cousins’ dream of making the Olympic team didn’t come true, and USA Basketball head honcho Jerry Colangelo blames some of that on Cousins’ maturity level. From USA Today: “Cousins might have been an Olympian in his own mind at one time. Cousins, a talented player still working on his attitude and demeanor, is not yet close, according to USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo. ‘He needs to mature as a person (and) as a player if he’s going to have an outstanding NBA career,’ Colangelo said. In May, Cousins told the Sacramento Bee: ‘I feel like if I did go play for the Select Team, I probably would get a spot (on the Olympic team). Honestly … but we’ll see.’ That didn’t happen when Colangelo announced the 12-man Olympic roster Saturday. If Cousins doesn’t change, he won’t be on the 2014 world championship team either. ‘Before there’s discussion about him being part of our program, he has a lot of building to do. … He has a lot of growing up to do,’ Colangelo said.”