Shaquille O'Neal was most likely just speaking his mind within his role as analyst on "Inside the NBA," but given his standing with the Sacramento Kings, perhaps he should have tried a softer approach.
O'Neal, one of many minority owners of the Kings, spoke at length about franchise player DeMarcus Cousins before ending off with a cautionary warning.
"It’s been 10 years. It’s been a long time," O'Neal said. "They’re still a long time away. I think they can (sneak into the West’s eighth seed), but it’s up to their leader, DeMarcus Cousins.
"You know, previous years, in the past, he’s made a lot of mistakes. He’s been hot-headed. He hasn’t shown great leadership qualities yet. He’s one of the best centers in the league ... but you know, Reggie (Miller) mentioned this. He’s a hot-head. He’s a hot-head.
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"So if they’re going to make a run, he’s going to have to be a leader. Great players do this. They perform like this, but they always keep people involved. If he can play like this and get the other guys to (support) him, then maybe they can sneak in. But he hasn’t shown me those leadership qualities yet.
"That’s why I’m hearing talk of, if things don’t start to become correct, then they may be looking to go in a different direction."
The Kings have tried year after year to surround Cousins with talent, shuffling everything from ownership to the coaching ranks in hopes of finding a winning formula. And while Cousins has been tremendously productive in his own right, the Kings remain stuck in the same spot: on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason.
Sacramento is 4-7 to start the year and Cousins' contract runs out next summer. Maybe O'Neal is onto something - maybe the Kings do need to finally hit reset and move their disgruntled star.
