The gentleman doth protest too much.
After all the rumors, accusations, emojis, and poorly-executed handshakes over the past few months, it appeared that both George Karl and prized big man DeMarcus Cousins were ready to move past all the he-said-she-said drama and focus on the upcoming season. They even went so far as to produce photographic evidence that they’re all getting along now.
But that apparently wasn’t enough for Karl, who took it a step further by self-consciously sporting Cousins’ number 15 jersey to a recent coaches panel in Sacramento. Here’s more from Steve DelVecchio of Larry Brown Sports:
“If George Karl wanted to trade DeMarcus Cousins, would the Sacramento Kings head coach be seen wearing a No. 15 jersey in public?
Fans were left pondering that exact question after Karl rocked a Cousins jersey at a Positive Coaching Alliance event in Sacramento on Monday night. Cousins is obviously one of the best players the Kings have, but it would be a surprise if ownership forced Karl to wear that particular jersey.”
We’re not so sure about that last part. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has certainly entertained crazier ideas than that, like having an actual NBA team play 4-on-5 during an actual NBA game.
But it seems like the most likely scenario is that Ranadive and team president Vlade Divac – who have both remained adamant that Cousins is emphatically not on the trading block – had a very frank discussion with Karl about exactly who is the most expendable person in this equation and that Karl’s latest sartorial decision is simply his way of demonstrating to management that he is, in fact, a team player.
(via Larry Brown Sports)
