Barnes says Cousins 'has to keep his head'

Matt Barnes is trying to apply his experience as an NBAer with a less-than-sparkling reputation to the current situation facing his Sacramento Kings teammate, DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins has already served a one-game suspension for exceeding the league's limit by accumulating 16 technical fouls. He picked up his 17th on Sunday night, and one more will trigger another one-game suspension.

The Kings are a game-and-a-half out of eighth place in the Western Conference, and clinging to hope of ending their 11-year playoff drought. They can ill afford to lose more games from Cousins, without whom they are 11-43 over the past four seasons. Barnes is doing his best to guide Cousins through the challenge of avoiding further discipline.

"We're very similar," Barnes told ESPN-Tencent's Yuan Fang after Sunday's game. "Obviously he's a superstar and I'm a role player, but I think we have similar reputations. You know, me being young and doing all the stuff he did, reputation-wise I think I can give him advice. Sometimes.

"He's got a tough rap. A reputation is earned, whether good or bad. We both have bad, and it's taken me my whole career to kind of change mine, and it still hasn't worked. He just has to be able to adjust, within his reputation, and still be himself."

But being himself is something Cousins is struggling to reconcile with the mounting technicals and scrutiny. He's played the best ball of his career this season, but, for better or worse, hasn't curbed the unrestrained emotion with which he plays.

"I can't be myself," Cousins said Sunday. "Me playing the way I play is what makes me the player I am. I'm trying to find a way to do what these guys are asking me to do. Obviously what I've been doing is not acceptable. It's not easy, but I'm trying to find a way."

Barnes understands the contradiction, but said in no uncertain terms that the Kings need Cousins to figure it out.

"He just has to keeps his head," Barnes said. "I know. It's hard. He gets beat up, he doesn't get calls, he gets bad calls against him. But when you're one of the best players, a lot of responsibility comes with that. We need him to win, we need him if we're gonna make the playoffs, and he's gotta try to be himself without jeopardizing himself or the team."