DeMarcus Cousins will be on the sidelines tomorrow when the Sacramento Kings host the Orlando Magic.
Kings VP of basketball operations Vlade Divac announced on Thursday that Cousins would be suspended for one game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Although Sacramento hasn't confirmed anything beyond that, it's believed the suspension stems from Cousins seemingly yelling at coach George Karl on Wednesday night during a timeout in their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Sacramento fell to the Cavs 120-108 for their 38th loss of the season.
This marks the eighth time the 25-year-old has been suspended in his six-year NBA career. The former fifth overall pick is among the best players in the league and is averaging 27.4 points per game, 11.5 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game.
Cousins was a few inches away from a suspension earlier this month when he was about to take a swing at Oklahoma City Thunder forward Steven Adams, who was on the ground and apparently grabbing Cousins leg as he was attempting to run up the court. Cousins cocked back his fist in retaliation and was considering hitting Adams, but he collected himself and held back.
However, his run-in with Karl is nothing new. The two have been clashing for much of the season as the Kings sit in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 25-38 record. Additionally, Boogie has been suspended for internal issues with the team in the past as well.
It's fairly clear he's in a bad situation with the Kings since the team has yet to log more than 29 wins during his tenure. The All-Star center ranks top-five in the NBA in points per game and rebounds per game, but the state of the Kings provides a frustrating scenario.
Trade rumors engulfed the former Kentucky Wildcat in the offseason and earlier in the year, but the Kings kept him in an attempt to contend with a number of talented players such as Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marco Bellinelli and others.
However, the experiment isn't working out and that's being magnified through Cousins frustrations.
