Cousins at it again.. Could face suspension

[nickagneta]

Boogie the baslrtball talent would be good for any team. Boogie the person and all he brings is an even larger negative than his game brings to a team. People like Cousins just dont understand the team concept. He is poison and should, and I think, will be passed over by Ainge.

Things like this are so unsupported it's ridiculous.  Yet people like to say them on the internet and pretend like they're true without any sort of argument.

If the crap you read in media articles and in forum posts about Cousins being a cancer were actually true, do you honestly think he would have been let anywhere near Team USA?

They could have won the gold with Kevin Hart starting at Center, why would they risk having this cancer who "doesn't understand the team concept" around, ESPECIALLY with all the pressure from the 04 team having bad chemistry and blowing up.  Why is Ainge scared when Colangelo wasn't?

Not sure how anyone can outright dismiss the plethora of reports and articles as well as quotes from team mates that state Cousins is a major problem behind the scenes. How that is considered ridiculous is beyond me. Couple that with Cousins behavior on the court and it paints a picture of a complete cancer. Stevens is thought to want nothing to do with Cousins for these reasons.

As for the Olympic team, who knows what problems he caused. Lets be real. This years USA team struggled and who knows if the locker room was pproblematic.

[Boris Badenov]

Really two different issues here:

Demarcus' complaint ... a good one ... was that Furillo named Cousin's brother (who is NOT a public figure) in his negative column.  The inclusion of the brother in the story was completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the story.  Furillo was not "wrong" to do so but should not have.

The Bee is correct, though, that all of the writers should have left once one was excluded.

A third issue ... the Bee's adding that Demarcus' salary is $17 million ... is a "cheap" shot ... his conduct is neither better or worse because of his salary.  The shot is a cheap one because it uses an irrelevant but alienating fact to burnish its own argument.

This article was complete 'TMZ' one sided rubbish

I just took a look. Here it is:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/andy-furillo/article120107843.html

I agree with your assessment. It takes a bunch of unfounded accusations by a plaintiff lawyer (money chaser) and gives them weight by quoting them heavily and not providing any balance.

To do something like that before all of the facts are out, much less before the authorities assess those facts and decide how to proceed, seems like incredibly sensationalistic and irresponsible journalism. The journalist is to blame, but more so the Bee for publishing it. All the more so because this is Cousins' home town newspaper. Why on earth are they trashing him, other than to get unwarranted clicks by playing to his bad reputation and creating controversy?

That said, Cousins had a host of other avenues for expressing his frustration. He's 26, this is his seventh year in the league and he's aware of how he's perceived. He played right into this guy's hands and in doing so, affirmed the impression the article was trying to create. It was a really, really dumb move by someone who has had plenty of time to learn better. He could have shamed the Bee and this poor excuse for a journalist by taking the high road and pointing out how scummy they are. If he did that with class and composure (or had his agent do it), he would have done himself a world of good.

[trickybilly]

Really two different issues here:

Demarcus' complaint ... a good one ... was that Furillo named Cousin's brother (who is NOT a public figure) in his negative column.  The inclusion of the brother in the story was completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the story.  Furillo was not "wrong" to do so but should not have.

The Bee is correct, though, that all of the writers should have left once one was excluded.

A third issue ... the Bee's adding that Demarcus' salary is $17 million ... is a "cheap" shot ... his conduct is neither better or worse because of his salary.  The shot is a cheap one because it uses an irrelevant but alienating fact to burnish its own argument.

This article was complete 'TMZ' one sided rubbish

I just took a look. Here it is:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/andy-furillo/article120107843.html

I agree with your assessment. It takes a bunch of unfounded accusations by a plaintiff lawyer (money chaser) and gives them weight by quoting them heavily and not providing any balance.

To do something like that before all of the facts are out, much less before the authorities assess those facts and decide how to proceed, seems like incredibly sensationalistic and irresponsible journalism. The journalist is to blame, but more so the Bee for publishing it. All the more so because this is Cousins' home town newspaper. Why on earth are they trashing him, other than to get unwarranted clicks by playing to his bad reputation and creating controversy?

That said, Cousins had a host of other avenues for expressing his frustration. He's 26, this is his seventh year in the league and he's aware of how he's perceived. He played right into this guy's hands and in doing so, affirmed the impression the article was trying to create. It was a really, really dumb move by someone who has had plenty of time to learn better. He could have shamed the Bee and this poor excuse for a journalist by taking the high road and pointing out how scummy they are. If he did that with class and composure (or had his agent do it), he would have done himself a world of good.

The author did include this though:

"Legal observers might surmise that the matter of Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell v. Barnes and Cousins creates an immediate crisis of credibility. Civil lawsuits filed within 48 hours of the aggrieved conduct tend to raise suspicions about the motivations of the accuser. Couldn’t they have waited until the cops did their thing? Under New York’s statute of limitations in civil assault cases, they had a year to sue the basketball players"

He gave them opportunity to comment which they declined.

I don't see the bad journalism myself...

[Boris Badenov]

Really two different issues here:

Demarcus' complaint ... a good one ... was that Furillo named Cousin's brother (who is NOT a public figure) in his negative column.  The inclusion of the brother in the story was completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the story.  Furillo was not "wrong" to do so but should not have.

The Bee is correct, though, that all of the writers should have left once one was excluded.

A third issue ... the Bee's adding that Demarcus' salary is $17 million ... is a "cheap" shot ... his conduct is neither better or worse because of his salary.  The shot is a cheap one because it uses an irrelevant but alienating fact to burnish its own argument.

This article was complete 'TMZ' one sided rubbish

I just took a look. Here it is:

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/andy-furillo/article120107843.html

I agree with your assessment. It takes a bunch of unfounded accusations by a plaintiff lawyer (money chaser) and gives them weight by quoting them heavily and not providing any balance.

To do something like that before all of the facts are out, much less before the authorities assess those facts and decide how to proceed, seems like incredibly sensationalistic and irresponsible journalism. The journalist is to blame, but more so the Bee for publishing it. All the more so because this is Cousins' home town newspaper. Why on earth are they trashing him, other than to get unwarranted clicks by playing to his bad reputation and creating controversy?

That said, Cousins had a host of other avenues for expressing his frustration. He's 26, this is his seventh year in the league and he's aware of how he's perceived. He played right into this guy's hands and in doing so, affirmed the impression the article was trying to create. It was a really, really dumb move by someone who has had plenty of time to learn better. He could have shamed the Bee and this poor excuse for a journalist by taking the high road and pointing out how scummy they are. If he did that with class and composure (or had his agent do it), he would have done himself a world of good.

The author did include this though:

"Legal observers might surmise that the matter of Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell v. Barnes and Cousins creates an immediate crisis of credibility. Civil lawsuits filed within 48 hours of the aggrieved conduct tend to raise suspicions about the motivations of the accuser. Couldn’t they have waited until the cops did their thing? Under New York’s statute of limitations in civil assault cases, they had a year to sue the basketball players"

He gave them opportunity to comment which they declined.

I don't see the bad journalism myself...

Huh. I think that makes my point, actually. The Kings said they were waiting to comment until they gathered information. The NYPD hasn't commented on its investigation. The players haven't said much other than professing their innocence. So why not wait to write the story - or at least write it in a neutral way that doesn't give one side 90% of the air time?

I mean that whole paragraph has the feel of "well this might all be nonsense...BUT LISTEN TO THE ALLEGATIONS!!!!" It's a basic CYA strategy.

[The One]

http://cowbellkingdom.com/addressing-cousins-beef-with-cowbell-kingdom-and-moving-forward/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flPFIZw9qJc


Cousins goes cuckoo!!

[Tr1boy]

why is the media mentioning Cousins brother? 

sometimes the media definitely does go overboard.   Should Cousin have acted the way he did?

no, but someone could have stepped on a nerve (especially when concerning friends/family that have little to do with the game)

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

why is the media mentioning Cousins brother? 

sometimes the media definitely does go overboard.   Should Cousin have acted the way he did?

no, but someone could have stepped on a nerve (especially when concerning friends/family that have little to do with the game)

Right. And in a line of work (journalism) that is as much about clicks and ad sales as truth, I find myself wondering if this reporter was trying to egg on Cousins for the sake of selfish gain. That's not to excuse Cousins' behavior, but it's a fair consideration.

[tazzmaniac]

why is the media mentioning Cousins brother? 

sometimes the media definitely does go overboard.   Should Cousin have acted the way he did?

no, but someone could have stepped on a nerve (especially when concerning friends/family that have little to do with the game)

Cousins and Barnes were recently involved in a bar altercation.  Mentioning that Cousins was previously involved in a bar altercation where his brother was arrested is completely germane to that article. 

[The One]

If the Boog can't handle Sacramento...it won't get easier in Boston.

[Boris Badenov]

why is the media mentioning Cousins brother? 

sometimes the media definitely does go overboard.   Should Cousin have acted the way he did?

no, but someone could have stepped on a nerve (especially when concerning friends/family that have little to do with the game)

Right. And in a line of work (journalism) that is as much about clicks and ad sales as truth, I find myself wondering if this reporter was trying to egg on Cousins for the sake of selfish gain. That's not to excuse Cousins' behavior, but it's a fair consideration.

I think it's hard to come away with any other impression after reading the article.

As I said above: this is his HOME TOWN paper.

Can you imagine the reaction if someone in the Globe had written an article repeating such unsubstantiated allegations about one of our superstars? About Bird, or Papi, or Pierce, or Brady? Maybe I just can't remember the examples but it seems ridiculous to think about.

[Roy H.]

The Sacramento Bee has been lousy to Cousins for years. The worst in Voisin, who several times has written vague hIt pieces about Boogie. For a star who has never been arrested, who is heavily involved with giving to the community, and who is very loyal to the franchise, Cousins d serves some balance in media coverage.

That said, this outburst follows on the heels of his first real off the court incident he's had. I'm skeptical that Boogie did anything wrong in the Barnes incident, but it looks bad.

DMC just needs to refocus. Losing plus being sued plus an unfair media is a lot to deal with, but he's gotta do better.

[moiso]

Yes, Cousins is an angel and the newspaper goes out of its way to make him look bad.  Give me a break.

[Granath]

Yes, Cousins is an angel and the newspaper goes out of its way to make him look bad.  Give me a break.

You know it's possible for both Cousins and the paper to be in the wrong, don't you? The article in question may simply be the one-sided-hit-job straw that broke the camel's back.

Look, I think Cousins has a bad attitude. What I don't know is how much of that attitude has to do with two inept ownership groups, 6 different head coaches and an inability for Sac to put together any kind of decent team around him. Pitino once said the "negativity in this town sucks" and that applies double in Sacremento. They haven't had a winning season since 2005. They're consistently one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NBA. The newspaper (the Bee) is a constant source of criticism and one-sided articles. Their draft picks beyond Cousins are an absolute s**t show - anyone who thinks Danny is a bad drafter should take a look at the Sac track record. Chriss, WCS, Stauskas, McLemore, Thomas Robinson and Biyombo were all drafted in the top 10 picks the last 6 years. It's just a really bad situation all the way around there.

In this case Cousins should have probably controlled his temper. The team should have a done a better job of removing the reporter from the scene given he's had multiple run-ins with Cousins before. The reporter ran a hatchet piece. And finally, when you watch the video it's really not that bad. Cousins is p---ed but he wasn't a raving lunatic. I see this whole thing as being blown out of proportion.

[Roy H.]

Yes, Cousins is an angel and the newspaper goes out of its way to make him look bad.  Give me a break.

Huh. Who said that?

[sahara]

I´m not sure what to make of this guy, he might be bananas `till the end. But then again Z-Bo turned it around and he is still a very effective player at 35yrs old.