During a USA Basketball flat on Monday, DeMarcus Cousins fell to the attic afterwards accepting hit on his knee by an careless knee from addition player.
"I'm too old to be hitting the attic like that," Cousins said, joking.
Hidden in the affect is this: Cousins is not old at all. The Sacramento Kings centermost will about-face 23 on Aug. 13 and just able his third NBA season.
Age abandoned isn't a acumen to acquit Cousins of some able adeptness issues, but it is acumen abundant for USA Basketball administrator Jerry Colangelo to accord Cousins addition Cheap Snapbacks For Sale adventitious with Aggregation USA.
"Look, everybody's assured him because of his concrete physique to be a 29 year old. He's not. You see him complete appropriate afore your eyes," John Calipari, his drillmaster for one analysis at Kentucky, said afterwards USA Basketball's aboriginal convenance on Monday. "He's traveling to be fine."
Cousins is one of 28 players at the camp, which is the aboriginal footfall in alertness for next summer's FIBA Basketball Angel Cup in Spain. Cousins said he is beholden for the befalling afterwards clashing with Colangelo endure summer during the Olympic team's pre-London Abecedarian training camp.
"I'm animated I had a adventitious to appear back," Cousins said. "I'm traveling to accomplish the best of befalling and hopefully it comes out well."
Last summer, Cousins played on the U.S. baddest team, a accumulation of adolescent NBA players who able adjoin the Olympic team. Cousins was one of the best players on the floor, but his advancing actualization and alacrity to get noticed didn't sit well. Colangelo said Cousins "needs to complete as a abecedarian and as a person." Both said Monday the altercation was overblown.
"I've been about the adventurous a connected time," Colangelo said. "Things happen. You set them aside, you coffin these things and you move on. It was overplayed endure summer for sure, but that's endure year. I never I had a agnosticism I'd accompany him aback if he adapted to appear back.
"He's accomplishing fine. He came in with a actual absolute attitude. He looks in actual acceptable actualization and he's alive actual harder here. ... He did his allotment today."
Cousins and Colangelo accept not met for a one-on-one Cartoon Style Snapbacks discussion, but they plan to afterwards in the week.
"What was said amid us wasn't as bad as it (seemed)," Cousins said. "But for him to advance that abreast and accord me addition chance, I'm actual thankful. I'm traveling to appear in actuality and accomplish the best of the opportunity."
There are no guarantees that Cousins makes next summer's Angel Cup team, but the USA is consistently in seek of above big men, and Cousins fits the cast — a concrete 6-11 centermost who can score, backlash and pass. Endure season, Cousins averaged 17.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals and bigger his cutting to 46.5% and his chargeless bandy allotment to 73.8%.
Colangelo just may charge Cousins, and Cousins just may charge USA Basketball. Absurd as it seemed a year ago, it may about-face into a acceptable fit for both parties. Calipari said Cousins is a absolute fit for all-embracing basketball.
"This is all good," Calipari said. "What's traveling on for him actuality (in Las Vegas) is the best affair for his career – accepting able by these guys (U.S. drillmaster Mike Krzyzewski and administering Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams) and demography pride in something added than himself. It's about this organization. If you wish to accomplish it, you accomplish everybody bigger or you're not authoritative the team."
Calipari said he talked with Cousins afore the minicamp but beneath to acknowledge specifics of the conversation.
"I'm not his coach, but we talked. I'm appealing direct," he said. "I talked to Jerry about it. Jerry asked me. (DeMarcus is) accomplishing his thing. I'm blessed for him. … He's young. You can't get guys like him."
It seems Cousins has bought in and said he has able aback endure summer.
"I could accept been adamant and said, 'Forget that, you had your adventitious with me,' " Cousins said. "But I'm traveling to appear in and accomplish the best of the opportunity."
There are added signs Cousins has matured. He followed the Olympics endure summer and said, "I watched Tyson (Chandler) play a lot and how he was alive about the boards and just authoritative the paint. That's what I'm aggravating to appear in actuality and do."
Asked if he believed he would plan out a arrangement addendum with the Kings afore the analysis began, Cousins said, "I'm not absolutely focused on that. I'm focused on USA (Basketball)."
Then, there was his adventurous confidence. http://supllcap.tripod.com/ Who does he see as antagonism to be the best big man at the minicamp?
"Nobody," Cousins said.
