DeMarcus Cousins has already served a one-game suspension this month for reaching the league’s technical foul threshold of 16. For every two technicals from now through the end of the season, Cousins will have to sit out a game.
On Sunday night, Cousins inched one closer to that next suspension with a dubious 17th technical foul that was assessed after he appeared to accidentally slap Donatas Motiejunas in the face. There’s no doubt Cousins made contact with Motiejunas’ face, but upon review it’s hard to argue that there was any sort of malicious intent involved in the play.
“I can’t be myself. Me playing the way I play is what makes me the player I am,” said Cousins after the game. “I’m trying to find a way to do what these guys are asking me to do. Obviously what I’ve been doing is not acceptable. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to find a way.”
He’s not necessarily wrong with that statement. Cousins physical style certainly lends itself to picking up more fouls, which leads to his frustrations boiling over. Few players in the league run as hot as Cousins does when things start going wrong, and when he’s getting called for fouls that he feels are unfair because of his size and strength, it can make things spiral.
Hopefully the big man can figure out a way to cut back on the technicals because he is such a dynamic force for the Kings. We also hope he doesn’t have any more issues with people hitting him in the nuts on screens, because no one should have to deal with that.
