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DeMarcus Cousins to sit out Kings’ final two games

By John Buhler

Apr 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call during the second quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call during the second quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeMarcus Cousins’ 2015-16 NBA season comes to a close after Saturday night’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the Sacramento Kings will shut him down.

Now that the Sacramento Kings have appropriately closed out what was the final game of the 28-year run at Sleep Train Arena by defeating the No. 3 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday night, 114-112, the Kings will shut down All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins for the final two games of the 2015-16 NBA season.

This announcement of the Kings deciding to shut down Cousins come as no surprise at all. Sacramento will miss the Western Conference Playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.

With the final game being played at Sleep Train Arena before the Kings move to brand new Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento next fall, it makes a great deal of sense to ensure that the Kings’ star player is healthy for what could be a promising year for the Northern California hoops team in 2016-17.

Cousins averaged a double-double in what has been his best NBA season to date, scoring 26.9 points per game and collecting 11.5 rebounds per game. He expanded his strong offensive game to beyond the three-point line, shooting above a 30 percent clip from distance for the first time in his young NBA career. Not bad for what many consider as the most complete center in the game today.

While it is up in the air if Kings head coach George Karl will return for a second full-season in 2016-17, it is obvious that owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Vlade Divac want to have Cousins at full strength for when the Kings break in Golden 1 Center next fall. Going forward, Cousins will remain the franchise center piece for the Kings.

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