DeMarcus Cousins says Kings have ‘internal issues’ already

It’s taken just eight games of the regular season for the Sacramento Kings to develop ‘internal issues’.

Yep, just eight games into the season, and things are already heading south for the Sacramento Kings. Not only are they 1-7, but they’ve also developed some issues off the court. But let’s be honest. With characters like Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins and head coach George Karl in the mix, should we really be that surprised?

James Ham of CSN Bay Area has paraphrased some comments made by Cousins, which reveal the internal problems they’re having (whatever those might be):

However, before getting too hasty with that remark, Cousins did add that he believes in everyone (his teammates):

So, what could these “internal issues” be? It’s most likely that certain characters (the aforementioned trio) are having differences of opinion. Whether that’s on their respective roles in the team, how the offense should operate, or if they generally aren’t getting along well after the first few weeks they’ve been together, the internal issues Cousins referred to could be a number of things.

In fact, he expressed that he wants to deal with these issues in a “players-only meeting,” per Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

While Cousins has shown signs of maturation over the last year or so, he’s still a fiery character – as we’ve seen from him leading the NBA in technical fouls in two straight seasons from 2012-14. As for Rondo, he admitted weeks ago that his relationship with Karl wasn’t going well. Early disturbances like that between a starting point guard and head coach can have a big impact on a team. Plus, when Karl came in and wanted to change the offense to use Cousins all over the floor, we knew things could be totally different this season with the existing players the Kings already had.

Now, after two weeks, the Kings have more issues to worry about than how Rondo will gel with the team. At face value, his 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2 steals per game look good. He even had a triple double against the Golden State Warriors on November 7 with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. Yet the matter of whether or not he can lead the Kings’ perimeter players and connect with Cousins effectively down low is entirely different.

Sitting at 21st in offensive efficiency isn’t exactly a recipe to earn many wins. And the problems only increase at the other end of the floor with their 28th ranking in defensive efficiency.

Let’s not discuss that any more now, though. And Kings fans, don’t worry too much about performance on the court. It’s going to take time with a new head coach, major roster changes and a rookie (Willie Cauley-Stein) entering the starting lineup. That much is expected, especially from a team who haven’t won more than 30 games in a season since 2007-08.

The real concern right now is these off-court issues. The talent is there, but it won’t get the Kings anywhere until they can handle whatever internal issues are surrounding the team right now.