I’ll admit that when I heard of the latest drama in the DeMarcus Cousins/Sacramento Kings saga, I wasn’t surprised in the least bit. Following a game last week where he was caught purposely hitting O.J. Mayo in the groin area, (and as a result O.J. Mayo telling the media Cousins has “mental issues,”) DeMarcus decided to up the ante this week and get in a verbal altercation with Head Coach Keith Smart which led to him failing to see the floor in the second half of a game against the Clippers. This latest feud seemed to be the final straw and the Kings announced shortly thereafter that Cousins had been suspended indefinitely. There now seems to be a consensus around the league that Cousins needs to make some amends for him to stay in Sacramento following this season.

The red flag that has followed Cousins since his days in high school in Alabama has always been his attitude. Following his commitment to UK when John Calipari was named as the new coach in 2010, Cousins became somewhat of a paradoxical fan favorite for the Rupp Arena faithful. He was a dominant force under he basket, and his behavior and the excuses that followed were akin to that of excuses a naive parent makes for their spoiled child. Yeah, he elbowed Swopshire, but he just plays hard, AND he put up 18 points and 18 rebounds. Sure, he made the famous (at least around Lexington) “call me” sign to Mississippi State fans in a win over the Bulldogs, but he did so while scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Cousins was able to hide his immaturity at UK because A.) He had a coach in John Calipari who was able to discount his misbehavior and baby him enough to get the best production out of him, and B.) everyone was willing to overlook his actions because he was unstoppable on both ends of the floor.

Unfortunately for Cousins, that type of behavior doesn’t translate well to the NBA. Taken 5th overall by the Kings, it seemed that Cousins was going to be able to outlive his reputation and succeed at the next level. He was named to the All-Rookie First Team his first year, and seemed to be on his way to fame and fortune for a team looking to younger players like Cousins and Tyreke Evans to pull them out of the NBA West cellar. His second year, however, wasn’t as successful as his first, and the trouble began for Cousins when he was reportedly kicked out of practice by then-Head Coach Paul Westphal and publicly acknowledged he was seeking a trade. The Kings instead put all their eggs in #15’s basket and fired Westphal, bringing in Keith Smart who, before the past week’s incident, seemed to have a good relationship with the troubled center.

Cousins has not been a bust by statistical standards; he is averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds a game for his short 3-year career. His contributions, unlike at UK, are being overshadowed by his lack of maturity by a frustrated fan base who remember the Golden Age of Kings Basketball with Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Mike Bibby. Those days of Western Conference Finals and famous feuds with Shaq’s Lakers were not all that long ago and Evans and Cousins were supposed to be the guiding light back to the Promised Land. The excuse for Cousins during his time at UK was his age; he was 18, adjusting to the rockstar life that UK brings with it, and trying to change his behavior. The same thing could be said about his rookie year with the Kings. That excuse cannot be used for Cousins anymore. He has had 3 years of professional basketball under his belt and numerous chances by the Kings front office to change, and he has squandered every single one of them. It remains to be seen if he will be traded during this latest episode, but it is clear his honeymoon period is over. The excuses are all used up, the “woe is me” mantra is a tired narrative, and the time has come for Cousins to make real change in his behavior and approach to the game of basketball.

Cousins was fortunate to be drafted to the Kings, a small market team that had the ability to hide him while he worked on his image and his talent in order to become a dominant NBA center. Instead, Cousins has continuously brought unwarranted national media attention to the Kings and all in a negative light. The argument by most Cousins proponents is that he does good deeds and is misunderstood by the media that cover him. That may be well and true, but it doesn’t excuse a professional basketball player making millions of dollars from acting like a child. Just this past holiday season, Cousins took 50 less fortunate kids on a shopping spree in Sacramento and it embodies what Cousins has become known as; a troubled kid in a giant’s body. This positive action does not reduce his reputation in the least bit; the world doesn’t reward one moment of good behavior by wiping away one negative behavior to offset it. The NBA is a professional organization that demands the utmost professional behavior from its employees, and when it doesn’t receive that in return, there are consequences.

The most troubling part of the Cousins saga is that he had (even still has) a great chance at becoming the most dominant center in the NBA. Following the retirement of the early-2000 centers like Shaquille O’Neal, and the injuries to Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum (Howard is playing but struggling mightily, while Bynum has yet to see the court this year), Cousins, through a new work ethic and complete overhaul of his attitude, could become unquestionably the best center for the next 5-7 years. This type of distinction has to be started from within, though. Cousins can’t expect the Kings to continue to give him break after break while hoping that he finally transforms into what his potential says he can be. It’s possible that all he needs is a change of scenery; maybe leaving the Kings would be the best thing for him. Regardless, it has become clear over the past week that the Kings have grown impatient with their young center, and the NBA is not big on troubled players being the face of a franchise. Cousins is at an important crossroads in his career, and what he does with the rest of the 58+ games left in this season will speak volumes about his future. The excuses are over and the actions cannot be overlooked anymore. It is time for DeMarcus Cousins to grow up or be left on the outside looking in.