Cousins learning that his patience may be the key to Final Four run
By dtadmin
John Clay from the Herald Leader tweeted a stat line last night that in his last five games, DeMarcus Cousins had scored 85 points in 84 minutes. Impressive stat, for sure, but it does not take an expert to figure out that Cousins has averaged just 17 minutes in his last five games. Granted, a couple of those games were massive blowouts and Calipari removed him so as not to beat Drexel and Hartford by 100 like those “jagoffs” at Tennessee.
However in two of those games, vs Indiana and Long Beach State, Cousins found himself spending plenty of time on the bench due to foul trouble. He did redeem himself when he did make it into the game, with 14 points and 8 boards in 16 minutes vs Indiana and 15 points and 10 boards in 13 minutes against LBS. But even Cousins knows that the Wildcat’s are a much better team with him on the floor for 28 minutes rather than 18. Cousins recognizes this and he ties his intensity to his emotional nature: “It is hard because that’s just how I’m used to playing. It’s just a change I’ve got to make…to better myself and to help my team”
The one reason why Cousins tends to play with more emotion is that he gets too hyped for the game due to the lengthy pre-game ritual. “You can get so hyped before a game that it can wear you out. “I just need to stay relaxed and calm” Cousins does admit that he does have a different personality that takes over when it is game time and it’s one that plays with great focus and intensity and can be intimidating:
“I guess it’s just another side of me. That’s the ‘Big Cuz’ side of me on the court. I can be mean. ‘Big Cuz’ is the ballplayer. When the lights go on, you get ‘Big Cuz,’ when it is time to chill and relax you get DeMarcus.”
For his credit, Cousins is working to get his nature under control, and he played a foul free game against Hartford on Tuesday night. UK fans are loving both sides of DeMarcus right now and he has already become a fan favorite due to his playful nature. Mark Krebs had these comments on DeMarcus:
“He’s a funny guy, he’s a big ‘Dancing Bear,’ that’s what he calls himself and you can’t deny it. He’s very emotional. He’s very energetic. He’s that type of person. He’s a freshman but he’s part of the team. We can go to him, we can rely on him.”
And of course the fans adore DeMarcus right now as the Cats are 14-0. But what happens if Cousins is not there in the crunch due to foul trouble and the Wildcats lose a big game? That is probably Coach Calipari’s biggest fear, and watching the interactions between Calipari and Cousins has been a favorite pastime of many courtside at Wildcat games. Gary Parrish even tweeted onetime that the bickering between Cal and Cousins was reminiscent of Lindsey Lohan and Samantha Ronson. Even Cal acknowledges that there are tense moments between he and his star forward, but in the end, thinks it is a long maturing process that both he and Cousins will benefit from:
“At the end of the day, when he leaves us, if I need a kidney I can get one from him. That’s what it’ll be like. Believe me, there’s grinding of the teeth, there’s some anxious times — he’s mad, I’m mad. At the end of the day, when those guys look back, a guy like him will say, ‘I needed this in the worst way. This is what I needed, and this man wasn’t afraid to tell me the truth and make me do the right things and hold me accountable.’”
Kentucky fans are also hoping that the great maturation process of DeMarcus Cousins ends with a storybook finish in Indianapolis.
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans