With just under a minute left in Wednesday night's ridiculous 100-98 victory over Memphis, DeMarcus Cousins decided to gather his teammates together for a little huddle.
It was a small gesture in the scheme of things, but it struck me as a turning point.
Here was the NBA's rookie bad boy, explosively unhinged, a player benched because of immaturity - yet he was gathering his teammates to offer something the team so obviously lacks.
A dose of swagger.
Now Cousins is all about swagger. Usually misguided swagger. A selfish swagger. But this was different. This was Cousins feeling the swagger and wanting it to be a part of something bigger.
It's strange. Just from watching, you knew. From that moment, the Kings would win the game.
The players on the bench were energized. The crowd was electric. And suddenly there was confidence.
Even O.J. Mayo's impossible basket with 2 seconds left wasn't going to change the outcome.
What does it all mean?
Who the hell knows.
Tyreke Evans' 50-foot prayer with 1/10th of a second to play could be just the medicine to heal the deep, dark wounds this team has suffered.
And maybe not.
Maybe it was just a blip.
Maybe it all means nothing.
But I'm not sure. Swagger is the ultimate commodity in basketball. Once you get it, you learn to love it. And then you learn to love winning.
For one night, the players tasted the rare sweetness of a righteous win.
Let's see where it goes.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Where have I heard this before?
From ESPN's Chad Ford when asked in a chat: What's wrong with the Kings? So much talent with so little results? Coaching?
"Not as much talent as you think. No chemistry. Way overrated front office. Evans and Cousins are good individual players, not great team players. Rest of the supporting cast has a few solid players like Landry, Casspi ... but not much else to be excited about. I know lots of people love Geoff Petrie, but I don't get what they're so excited about. Team has been terrible for a while. You're supposed to get great players with very high draft picks. Rest of his moves are pretty questionable. Since the roster has already essentially been blown up ... might be time for changes at the top."
Geoff Petrie has been exposed and the league knows it. I've always kind of wondered why Geoff Petrie wasn't pursued by other teams if his reputation was so good. Wouldn't another team throw wads of cash at him if he was a genius? But there's been not a whisper of interest in Petrie over the past 10 years.
No surprise. He ain't a genius.
Here's an even more damning fact: David Kahn, who has garned a reputation as a complete buffoon as general manager of the Timberwolves, is making Petrie look like a hack this year.
Kahn gambled on Miami's Michael Beasley and it paid off big. He chose Wes Johnson over DeMarcus Cousins in the draft and that's looking like a brilliant move. He's got Ricky Rubio coming in next year. And he's always actively looking to make moves.
Petrie is barely a blip on the trade radar.
Read my post from a week back
I'll be over here patting myself on the back.
By the way, I'm officially throwing my hat into the ring for the general manager job. I have no doubt I can do what Petrie is doing. I'm very good at standing around and looking cerebral, giving non-answers to questions, and basically just surfing the net in my office instead of actually trying to do my job.
"Not as much talent as you think. No chemistry. Way overrated front office. Evans and Cousins are good individual players, not great team players. Rest of the supporting cast has a few solid players like Landry, Casspi ... but not much else to be excited about. I know lots of people love Geoff Petrie, but I don't get what they're so excited about. Team has been terrible for a while. You're supposed to get great players with very high draft picks. Rest of his moves are pretty questionable. Since the roster has already essentially been blown up ... might be time for changes at the top."
Geoff Petrie has been exposed and the league knows it. I've always kind of wondered why Geoff Petrie wasn't pursued by other teams if his reputation was so good. Wouldn't another team throw wads of cash at him if he was a genius? But there's been not a whisper of interest in Petrie over the past 10 years.
No surprise. He ain't a genius.
Here's an even more damning fact: David Kahn, who has garned a reputation as a complete buffoon as general manager of the Timberwolves, is making Petrie look like a hack this year.
Kahn gambled on Miami's Michael Beasley and it paid off big. He chose Wes Johnson over DeMarcus Cousins in the draft and that's looking like a brilliant move. He's got Ricky Rubio coming in next year. And he's always actively looking to make moves.
Petrie is barely a blip on the trade radar.
Read my post from a week back
I'll be over here patting myself on the back.
By the way, I'm officially throwing my hat into the ring for the general manager job. I have no doubt I can do what Petrie is doing. I'm very good at standing around and looking cerebral, giving non-answers to questions, and basically just surfing the net in my office instead of actually trying to do my job.
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