Would Cousins attitude change in a winning environment ?

[BitterJim]

Cousins is so crazy I'm not sure he can be controlled but KG would have been the best person for that job.  I could see KG really disliking Cousins though- not so much for the temper tantrums and outbursts, but because he constantly takes plays off when he gets frustrated.  Maybe KG would make him cry Big Baby style, which wouldn't be that much of a leap from how Cousins looks when he's frustrated.  He already looks 3/4 of the way to crying.

I don't know, KG and Rondo were really good friends and Rondo was the same way

[tankcity!]

I'm starting to think if he was on a winning team he would be more chilled out. However, I don't think people can ignore how easy it is to take Cousins out of a game. KG did it all the time when we played them. It's so easy to punk him. I mean the LBJ could take him out and so could Draymond Green. I don't understand why people keep ignoring this point.

However, I would trade for him as long as the Brooklyn picks aren't involved. It's not worth mortgaging the future for this guy.

[Who]

Nope. He clearly has emotional problems.

I remember with Zach Randolph how you would always hear about good he was when he was around other good-natured people but also how bad he would become once he was around bad influences. This had been his track record since high school. There was a clear reason for believing he could be a solid professional in a good environment. There is nothing of the sort with Cousins. He has been a problem everywhere he has been.

Perhaps it would be better to compare Cousins to Rodman. Rodman would do a lot of good things for you but you had to put up with a lot of crap too. When the Bulls got Rodman, Phil Jackson went to the rest of the team and told them he would need one set of rules for the rest of them and a different set of rules for Rodman and got the team to agree to that. I think the same would be needed with Cousins. Because he cannot fit within the same parameters as other people. He is too up-and-down. Not bad all the time or good all the time but moving between extremes with high frequency.

[Ogaju]

Phil also hired a sitter for Rodman.

[GRADYCOLNON]

I think a Cousins and Smart intensity would put this team over the top for a title.  That much passion, guided by Steven's positive attitude, is going to help this team explode. 

Cousins' attitude is negative because he cares so much about winning and that the Kings' organization has messed up every decision since he was drafted.  And the media is completely throwing him under the bus because they don't condone his passion.  Although the Boston media can be harsh and critical frequently, the organization and winning atmosphere will hold off most of the negative media (and hopefully they'd know that they are making it worse if they choose to publish something negative).  Getting a Cousins with Smart, Horford, Bradley, It and Crowder would make for an incredible force.

[gift]

I don't think you ever change him completely. His attitude is part of the whole package.

That being said, there are major factors that absolutely contribute to player behavior. One major one is environment, and I don't think you there has been a much worse place for Cousins over his career than Sacramento. The other is age/maturity. Many "headcases" do mature with age (Rasheed Wallace, Zach Randolph, Ron Artest etc.) They don't change completely, but they do get better, especially in better environments.

While I can't blame anyone who insists that Cousins is who he is, I don't think it's crazy to assume we've probably seen the worst case scenario for Cousins and that there's a good chance he becomes a more dialed down version of himself in the future. I think that's a more than fair argument and should definitely factor in the decision of any team thinking about acquiring him.

[Tr1boy]

Nope. He clearly has emotional problems.

I remember with Zach Randolph how you would always hear about good he was when he was around other good-natured people but also how bad he would become once he was around bad influences. This had been his track record since high school. There was a clear reason for believing he could be a solid professional in a good environment. There is nothing of the sort with Cousins. He has been a problem everywhere he has been.

Perhaps it would be better to compare Cousins to Rodman. Rodman would do a lot of good things for you but you had to put up with a lot of crap too. When the Bulls got Rodman, Phil Jackson went to the rest of the team and told them he would need one set of rules for the rest of them and a different set of rules for Rodman and got the team to agree to that. I think the same would be needed with Cousins. Because he cannot fit within the same parameters as other people. He is too up-and-down. Not bad all the time or good all the time but moving between extremes with high frequency.

What about for team usa? He didnt make any noise

[PAOBoston]

I see him as a Rondo type diva. The talent is undeniable. The guy dropped almost 60 pts on a team the other night. But is he worth the possibility of destroying the team from within. He's going the be costly  (picks, players, etc) and I'd like to think the C's locker room now is strong enough to handle him but it's certainly a gamble.

Ultimately, it's really hard landing a young star player. If one of them re available it's probably because there are warts. Personally, I don't think it worth the risk. Based on how the C's have operated the past few years and how they value character I don't think he's realistic. Then again, you never know with Danny.

[seancally]

Yes, of course his attitude would change with a more positive environment - he's a human and he's not Matt Barnes. Ever been stuck in a dead-end job, or forced into a project with a bunch of losers or underperformers? Very very few people have the capacity to change that situation. MJ didn't do it for years and neither did Lebron. Neither did Paul Pierce or KG. You need talented guys - as in multiple - to win in this league. One superstar and a bag of peanuts doesn't get it done.

And you can't say he's not an upstanding citizen. He's involved in charities and community work regularly, as that YouTuber pointed out. People loved him in Kentucky and as others have mentioned he fit in just fine on Team USA. Sacramento SUCKS and their management has been league-worst. They are an embarrassment. And you know what? I'm surprised he isn't more vocally critical of the organization.

One thing hasn't changed: Boogie wants to win. For all the outbursts and craziness, it's out of competitive drive. He really, really wants to win - and his franchise can't help him on that front. We can.

[Tr1boy]

Yes, of course his attitude would change with a more positive environment - he's a human and he's not Matt Barnes. Ever been stuck in a dead-end job, or forced into a project with a bunch of losers or underperformers? Very very few people have the capacity to change that situation. MJ didn't do it for years and neither did Lebron. Neither did Paul Pierce or KG. You need talented guys - as in multiple - to win in this league. One superstar and a bag of peanuts doesn't get it done.

And you can't say he's not an upstanding citizen. He's involved in charities and community work regularly, as that YouTuber pointed out. People loved him in Kentucky and as others have mentioned he fit in just fine on Team USA. Sacramento SUCKS and their management has been league-worst. They are an embarrassment. And you know what? I'm surprised he isn't more vocally critical of the organization.

One thing hasn't changed: Boogie wants to win. For all the outbursts and craziness, it's out of competitive drive. He really, really wants to win - and his franchise can't help him on that front. We can.

Disagree we know this is the whole truth

He is also very prideful. Too prideful... Too sensitive

If you care about winning, you would not do dumb things(spaz on the ref for example)to help your team lose

[seancally]

One other point: As much as I would love to have Tim Duncan and David Robinson, chances are, you're gonna have to take the good with the bad in star players.

Kobe wanted to be traded at one point and wanted other guys traded. Lebron was a whiner and entitled complainer early in his career. MJ punched out a teammate. Shaq also demanded a trade. So did Kevin Love. So did Paul Pierce. Dwight Howard farts really bad. Jason Kidd beat his wife. Allen Iverson may have assaulted someone. Gilbert Arenas brought a [dang] gun to the locker room.

OK, last one is a little extreme. But you get the idea. A lot of the best players in the league were flawed individuals. Had they played today, their warts would have been even more exposed.

It's also worth mentioning that Cousins is a dominant defender, unlike several other star players in this league who are universally admired like Curry and Harden.

[seancally]

Yes, of course his attitude would change with a more positive environment - he's a human and he's not Matt Barnes. Ever been stuck in a dead-end job, or forced into a project with a bunch of losers or underperformers? Very very few people have the capacity to change that situation. MJ didn't do it for years and neither did Lebron. Neither did Paul Pierce or KG. You need talented guys - as in multiple - to win in this league. One superstar and a bag of peanuts doesn't get it done.

And you can't say he's not an upstanding citizen. He's involved in charities and community work regularly, as that YouTuber pointed out. People loved him in Kentucky and as others have mentioned he fit in just fine on Team USA. Sacramento SUCKS and their management has been league-worst. They are an embarrassment. And you know what? I'm surprised he isn't more vocally critical of the organization.

One thing hasn't changed: Boogie wants to win. For all the outbursts and craziness, it's out of competitive drive. He really, really wants to win - and his franchise can't help him on that front. We can.

Disagree we know this is the whole truth

He is also very prideful. Too prideful... Too sensitive

If you care about winning, you would not do dumb things(spaz on the ref for example)to help your team lose

We've seen Lebron do the same thing. I've seen D-Wade fail to get back on D while complaining a call. Two champions with unimpeachable pedigrees. He's also 26, and has done some really dumb things. But you can't tell me the man doesn't want to win.

[Granath]

Would it change? Almost certainly.

Would it be perfect? Probably not.

I think if you put Cousins on San Antonio, Boston or other teams with strong leadership and management Cousins' attitude problems in large part go away or diminish considerably. Take Boston for example. Does anyone think that having strong leaders like IT, Al, Crowder and Smart wouldn't have a significant impact on Cousins? How about him mouthing off in the media knowing that he has no power over Danny and Brad? How about his press interviews when he's coming off the floor a victor and hero rather than frustrated because he's the only one on his team who can actually produce? It's ludicrous to think these wouldn't have a major impact on most anyone.

Take for example Rasheed Wallace. He still remains the poster boy of bad behavior. Led the league multiple years in ejections and DQs. Suspended multiple times by the NBA including for threatening a referee. Set the NBA record for technical fouls including years of 41, 38 and 27 (and people harp on Cousins' 17!!!). The dude was known as a cancer on the Wiz (Bullets) and Portland. He gets to Detroit and look what happens - techs go down (to about 18 per year) and was known as a pretty good teammate. Not perfect but his pros outweighed his cons. Strong leadership + winning environment cures a lot of ills.

Now take Cousins. He's not anywhere CLOSE to the level of Wallace's behavior. If Wallace - the poster child of bad behavior - can make such a drastic change, why couldn't Cousins? There's just too many players who were deemed cancers who - once in the right situation - suddenly were model citizens that it'd be foolish not to think the same could happen with Cousins. It'd be different if he had a drug or alcohol problem because those substances drive someone's behavior. But barring that, I have little doubt that Cousins' attitude would change in a good environment.

[Monkhouse]

Would it change? Almost certainly.

Would it be perfect? Probably not.

I think if you put Cousins on San Antonio, Boston or other teams with strong leadership and management Cousins' attitude problems in large part go away or diminish considerably. Take Boston for example. Does anyone think that having strong leaders like IT, Al, Crowder and Smart wouldn't have a significant impact on Cousins? How about him mouthing off in the media knowing that he has no power over Danny and Brad? How about his press interviews when he's coming off the floor a victor and hero rather than frustrated because he's the only one on his team who can actually produce? It's ludicrous to think these wouldn't have a major impact on most anyone.

Take for example Rasheed Wallace. He still remains the poster boy of bad behavior. Led the league multiple years in ejections and DQs. Suspended multiple times by the NBA including for threatening a referee. Set the NBA record for technical fouls including years of 41, 38 and 27 (and people harp on Cousins' 17!!!). The dude was known as a cancer on the Wiz (Bullets) and Portland. He gets to Detroit and look what happens - techs go down (to about 18 per year) and was known as a pretty good teammate. Not perfect but his pros outweighed his cons. Strong leadership + winning environment cures a lot of ills.

Now take Cousins. He's not anywhere CLOSE to the level of Wallace's behavior. If Wallace - the poster child of bad behavior - can make such a drastic change, why couldn't Cousins? There's just too many players who were deemed cancers who - once in the right situation - suddenly were model citizens that it'd be foolish not to think the same could happen with Cousins. It'd be different if he had a drug or alcohol problem because those substances drive someone's behavior. But barring that, I have little doubt that Cousins' attitude would change in a good environment.

TP.

I agree with all of it.

When you grow up in a toxic environment, eventually you become so toxic, that you are intoxicated yourself. Cousins coming here would have to change a lot of things, so its dependent upon whether or not he really wants to win by changing his attitude and demeanor, and finally buying into a team that wants to succeed and see him succeed too.

[SHAQATTACK]

Pressure to susceed is always there in NBA either dolars .   But I think he could do his job better with a lot less frustration than he has been subject at the hands of the Kings owner.

You can't do your best when your beaten down with years of bad business and advice.

He was not brought into an established team.  He was brought into a situation of high pressure right off the batt ..t make them great as a kid ....to an already disfunctional organization.   

That vivi character is nothing but a spoiled brat who never earned a penny in his life. Just inherited basketball franchise .