DeMarcus Cousins sitting out for rest Monday

Because sometimes, the offseason just can't come soon enough.

Sacramento Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins will sit out Monday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, with the Kings citing rest as the reason for his absence.

It's difficult to fault a team for managing the workloads of their players but the Kings have been off since Friday, don't play Tuesday and Cousins has only appeared in four games since his last break. But, hey, the Kings lose their first-round pick if it falls outside the top-10, and however unlikely that may seem, it's better not to risk a win at this juncture.

Not that the 26-46 Kings would have been favorites, anyway, as they're 10-point underdogs against a struggling Grizzlies team. The Grizzlies should be able to get back on track, at least when it comes to their interior offense against a Cousins-less Kings team.

In 56 games, Cousins is averaging 24.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks, with his defense taking a major step forward ... at times. While he's still occasionally derided for stretches of effortless play, the team's defense has been 6.8 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor and advanced metrics rate his defensive impact highly.

Maybe he'll be even better next season, all rested up.