Kings coach George Karl reportedly wanted to suspend DeMarcus Cousins for a post-game tirade in November, but Vlade Divac overruled him.
Karl – at least if you ask Cousins – succeeded in suspending the center last week.
Why is Cousins convinced Karl, not the organization, punished him?
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:
Whether or not Karl has repeatedly pushed for the Kings to suspend Cousins matters only so much. Part of Karl’s job is to develop a productive relationship with the star player, and Karl has failed badly.
It might not be fair, but the onus is on Karl to make this work. Cousins – a young star on a reasonable contract – wields far more power in Sacramento.
Going back to the offseason, when Karl upset Cousins by saying every player was tradable, this has been a strained relationship. It’s clearly not in a good place now, either.
The Kings appear set to do something about it this offseason – firing Karl.
In the meantime, they have to hope this situation doesn’t get even worse.
