In his fourth season of the NBA, I was still unsure if I thoroughly appreciated DeMarcus Cousins’ game or if I thought he was being overhyped by the likes of Charles Barkley and Shaq who love back-to-the-basket big men. This has been shown by their obsessive nature of Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard becoming traditional big men instead of facing-the-basket by guys. But after his run-ins with the LA Clippers, I’ve decided that I don’t only respect his game on the floor, but I love his attitude and swagger too.
Cousins has been labeled as one of the bad boys of the league, approaching game announcers after the game because they don’t like the way he plays (remember the Sean Elliott incident), and intentionally hitting OJ Mayo in the groin before going for a rebound. Due to his aggressive reputation, other players have tried (some successful and some not) to take advantage of it. And thus, we get to a confused and aggressive DeMarcus Cousins’ every game. It seems that Cousins has grown even more impatient with the Clippers guards. We remember the incident a few weeks ago DeMarcus refused to allow his teammate, Isaiah Thomas, shake hands with Chris Paul.
Cousins seems to not get along with guards, but can you blame him? We all remember Chris Paul’s infamous attempt at drawing a foul on Cousins. Or how about earlier just this year when rookie Dennis Schroder got a handful of marbles from DeMarcus. He’s gone to do this for himself now, as he snuffed JJ Redick’s attempt to shake his hand before the game against the Clippers on Friday night.
This is why I love DeMarcus. He’s not afraid to show that he genuinely does not like players. This isn’t a cry that NBA players and that the league is too soft, but more of an appreciation for a guy who will do whatever it takes to win every game. It’s the attitude of a warrior, someone who will do everything he can to show disdain for the opponent without worrying what other people think of him. In his fourth year, we see traits of an old veteran attitude from generations past who weren’t scared of showing their attitudes towards one another.
