Photo: AP Images
After publicly denouncing young center DeMarcus Cousins and leading the Sacramento Kings to a weak 2-5 record to start the season, head coach Paul Westphal has been fired.Whenever a coach bluntly calls out a player, like Westphal did with Cousins, there are serious interior cohesive issues within the team. Not only with the coach, but also with the player, and it's generally a sign that things are on the verge of total collapse.
When Westphal claimed that Cousins was, "... unwilling or unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely," it set off a chain-reaction within the Sacramento organization. Cousins demanded a trade, but instead, the Kings decided to fire their coach and keep their disgruntled star center in hopes that he would quiet down.
The removal of Westphal as head coach was likely two seasons overdue, and after his first year in the position it was clear he was not the right fit for the job. Westphal's career reflects that he works best with focused and dedicated veteran teams, and not with rebellious and young teams. The issue is how the Kings decided to end their relationship.
After Westphal's strong comments towards the Kentucky-Kid, Cousins took strong offense and went straight to his agent. The news broke that Cousins was looking for a trade, and the Kings hit the panic button. The idea of losing a future center who could eventually become one of the best in the NBA was sickening, and Sacramento caved.
In a last ditch effort to salvage the respect and happiness of Cousins, the Kings organization abruptly fired Westphal seven games into the season, claiming that it was due to failing to meet expectations. Anyone can read straight through that flimsy excuse, and the Kings thought in some distant reality that this move could save the franchise.
Cousins has always been a very emotional player, and has had well-documented melt downs throughout his entire career. This latest breakout, in which he demanded a trade, put the Kings in a tough situation. A situation where Sacramento had the choice of either keeping their ground and declining to meet Cousins' demands, or caving in and giving the superstar what he wanted.
Firing Westphal may not have been exactly what Cousins wanted, but it had to at least make him smile. With the firing of Westphal, the Kings have essentially said, 'DeMarcus, your latest antics were totally unacceptable, but we hope that firing our head coach, with whom you were publicly unhappy with, makes you happy again.'
The best comparison for what happened in Sacramento is the kid in the store who wants candy. The parent says no to buying a candy bar, the kid cries and yells, and eventually the parent caves, even though they know it's wrong, and buy the candy. The next time the kid and parent go to the store, the kid knows that if they cry and stomp their feet, they will get a candy bar.
Of course, in the NBA, things are more complicated than just a candy bar and a kid. But the idea remains the same, and the Kings have enabled Cousins to become a full-blown diva on the basketball court. At this point, it's nearly a guarantee that things are going to get worse, and Sacramento can't do anything about it.
The only thing missing from this equation is one of those Kardashians.
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