Mar 13, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Former Sacramento Kings center Brad Miller watches the game between the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls at Power Balance Pavilion. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 121-79. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

For the most part, Brad Miller is universally loved by Sacramento King fans – and for good reason. The former Boilermaker spent parts of six seasons (five full seasons) rocking the purple and black of Sacramento, living the undrafted to multiple time All-Star storybook career along the way. In that time-frame though, Miller was known as a pouter – a guy that found himself on the wrong side of a technical foul 82 times during his career, picking up 33 of those in just three seasons (’03-04, ’04-05 and ’07-08) with the Kings and 45 total during his Kings tenure. In addition to the tech’s, Miller was ejected four times and suspended for seventeen games as a King – five of which came from a third failed drug test. Miller was the guy who irritated fans by not running back on defense when things didn’t go his way. Miller was the guy who would commit multiple fouls out of frustration, no matter how harmful to the team the timing was. Miller was the guy who’d let a bad call or another player take himself out of the game because he couldn’t handle his emotions. Miller was essentially…DeMarcus Cousins?

We all remember the wild elbows being thrown by Miller if he didn’t care for the way he was just boxed out. We all remember the shoves – the harmful hacks – the pushes – the rakes across the face. It’s not that Miller was an on-court thug – not in the least bit. What he was though, was a hot-head. A player who in the moment, couldn’t contain his frustration. If Miller took offense to a particular player or play, it didn’t matter if the Kings were up by three with only twenty seconds to go – Miller was going to get his retribution, no matter the cost. We all knew it was coming – that cheap foul he was so notorious for. It was clockwork, much like another particular player.

Granted – both Cousins and Miller have their own reasons why they were loved/loathed by the King fan base. Miller was a much more personable figure, a player who had essentially come from nothing to stardom in the NBA while Cousins is a more gruff, entitled high lotto pick in the eyes of many. Miller was a blue collar talent who worked his way up while Cousins struggles with many things outside of his offensive game and finds difficulty fitting in. Still – the similarities between both players are striking, at least when it comes to their temperaments yet the fan and media reaction/perception to both is vastly different.

This isn’t mean to be a slight or even defending one player over the other – simply how two players, both well known for their heat of the moment issues, were perceived differently despite their similar frustrating on-court personalities.

Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

When Sacramento King fans think of Devin Harris, the first thought that crosses their mind is his near lifeless body laying in the middle of the court after running into some brickhouse screens set by former King, Brad Miller. And although Miller has moved on from the Kings and Harris from the Mavericks, his apparent disgust with King big men hasn’t diminished as he and current Sacramento King DeMarcus Cousins aren’t exactly going to be singing campfire songs together anytime soon.

While nobody knows exactly what started it, or even truly when, it became obvious in the February 28th Kings victory over the Jazz when DeMarcus Cousins threw a hefty forearm shiver into the chest of Harris as Cousins returned in-bounds from a made basket. A technical was called and moments later the game would be over. Hands washed, right? Well, not so fast.

Cousins was asked about the incident after the February game and while he played coy on the television interview, in print he let it be known that Harris was throwing some very unfriendly barbs and questionably placed grabs towards he and other Kings throughout the evening. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Cousins was referring to, but let’s just say Chris Paul would be proud.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend DeMarcus plays a saintly game – there’s no doubt he plays with a chip on his shoulder, does his best to play an intimidating style and certainly will dish out some rough play. But to draw up a scenario that poor little Devin Harris is just an innocent bystander in all of this? Yeah, can’t do that – its not like he has a glowing reputation either:

Fast forward to tonight when Cousins ran into a ill-positioned Harris as he attempted to retrieve a ball on its way out of bounds. The two collided in a semi-typical basketball play in which Harris greeted Cousins with a stare-down those in the WWE would be envious of. The two locked eyes like two rhino’s in the wild before both players were separated and the situation was resolved – well, so we thought.

Postgame, the barbs continued:

Per James Ham:

Cousins on Harris: “I don’t know what his issue is, but I can definitely solve it.”

Per Jason Jones:

DMC on Devin Harris: “Honestly I’m tired of the kid. I don’t know what his issue is.”

As for Harris’ reaction, he says he’s just trying to get into Cousins’ head, per Clint Peterson:

Devin says DeMarcus Cousins feud was just him “trying to get in his head.”

And Brian T. Smith was told by Harris that the issue continued from last game:

Asked about cold staredown with DeMarcus Cousins, Devin Harris said it traced back to last game.

Whatever the case, it doesn’t appear that either Harris or Cousins plan to back down from the other and while Harris may not have an extended future in Utah, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the Cousins/Harris tilt.

Between the talented youthful rosters, Utah’s golden boy in Jimmer Fredette wearing black and purple and the already festering issues between the two rosters – it appears the Jazz and Kings are doing their best to re-kindle that rivalry we had not so long ago.

And don’t think this was just a Harris/Cousins thing – tonight was intense, for all involved. A playoff styled atmosphere on the court.

The worst of it may have went to press row though, which took the brunt of some Keith Smart frustration, keeping his busted cuff link as a trophy of its coup, per Sean Cunningham: