Cousins quiet after frustrating game; Gay questions what chair did to Boogie

Despite escaping with a win against a very good Memphis Grizzlies team, Wednesday was a frustrating night for Sacramento Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins.

He played well enough, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes, and the Kings' 2-1 record under George Karl is surely encouraging after Cousins was maligned by the early-season removal of Mike Malone behind the bench. 

Still, it was a rough day at the office. Not only was Cousins the recipient of two elbows to the face from Zach Randolph, but Cousins had his night cut short after he fouled out on an offensive foul call with 46 seconds to play. There was also a run-in with a certain chair.

"I don't know what the chair could have did to him," teammate Rudy Gay said after the game.

For Cousins' part, he wasn't much for discussing his frustrations, opting instead to keep his next paycheck in its entirety.

"How can I say this and keep my money?" Cousins said. "You know how it goes."

Cousins may no longer have to speak for himself in such scenarios. New to the bench and surely hoping to ingratiate himself to his new star, Karl went to bat for Cousins during the game, even earning a technical foul in the second quarter.

The book on Cousins is that he's clashed with multiple coaches but had found an ally in Malone. Karl working early to show Cousins he has his back should go a long way in getting their relationship off on the right foot.