DeMarcus Cousins made his Pelicans’ debut last night. Though the Rockets cruised to a W over New Orleans, Cousins finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and four blocks.
With Cousins and Anthony Davis, the Pelicans have the best young frontcourt in the NBA, and they seem poised to make a run at the Western Conference playoffs. That doesn’t mean Cousins is happy about the situation, though. He’s clearly salty about how it all went down.
Cousins spoke with Marc Spears of The Undefeated about the trade. Cousins said the Kings told him a week before the trade that he would not be traded.
“The sick part about it is that Vlade [Divac] came in my house with my agent [Jarinn Akana],” Cousins said. “We sat in my theater and just talked. That was maybe three weeks ago. We sat there and [he] told me what moves he wanted to make. All of that. I just didn’t understand.”
Cousins said he got indications from Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, too, that he’d be kept around.
“I got a text from the owner right before I went to All-Star,” Cousins said. “He was asking me about a player, how I felt about him and making a move. The owner! When it happened, I was just in shock. I didn’t understand.”
Spears then asked Cousins if any part of him wants to talk to Randive or Divac. Cousins was disinterested.
“Nah. For what? It was a coward move, so I’m pretty sure I will get a coward response,” Cousins said. “For what? And I’ve seen this happen before. I’ve been there through all same types... I was there with [coach] Mike Malone’s [firing]. I’ve seen how they operate. I’ve seen how they operate. I know what kind of answer I will get anyway. So, what is the point?”
Tell us how you really feel, Boogie.
It’s an interesting interview. You can check out the whole thing here.
