November 9, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) dunks over San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green (4) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Cousins and Tim Duncan, who were battling all evening long got into it verbally late in the fourth as the Kings were doing their best to come back on the shoulders of the said Cousins, who inexplicably got away with murder on the offensive end late. After two missed offensive fouls on Cousins (which to Cousins’ credit, he converted) the Kings big man, according to Elliot, gestured to the Kings’ bench and was heard mouthing “I’m going to bust his ass” to which Elliot, who played with Duncan, took offense.

Another trip down the court and a Tim Duncan block on a Cousins shot sent Elliot into a mini on-air rant:

“That’s why some humility is in order,” Elliott said on the air. “You think you’re dominating Tim Duncan, you get it stuffed right back in your face. Timmy doesn’t like to talk trash. But if guys start talking mess to him, he’s going to respond. All that trash talking was premature. I’m not about to let these guys off the hook. Young ballclub should learn from this. Don’t start talking and flapping your gums against one of the greatest players ever. He’s going to make you pay. Tell me who got the best of this exchange.”

Cousins waited for Elliot to finish his postgame show and then confronted the former Spurs gunner as the two had an animated conversation at midcourt before parting ways, which has now lead the NBA to investigate the situation.

So where or where do I start with this?

First off – as much as I love DeMarcus, he has to be smarter than this. I don’t exactly have a problem with him confronting somebody if the scenario calls, but this wasn’t it. Even if Cousins didn’t say what Elliot said he did – ignore it or find a better way to do it. Nobody cares what Elliot has to say and the situation would’ve died down as quickly as it started, but the confrontation poured more gasoline on a fire that didn’t even need to burn. Add in the fact that it was Cousins and now it’s a another dart on his board. The only way Cousins is going to shed that sometimes undeserved (and sometimes deserved) label is by showing it with his actions, not his words.

As for Elliot – while I don’t exactly have any issue with anything he said (nor do I with Cousins), if you’re going to open your mouth – what you say is open for criticism, be it from DeMarcus or somebody else. Elliot is a clear homer in the situation (which is well within his right), but if Elliot is going to act like he never went at it with a player during his career he’s selling a bridge without water.

In the heat of the moment, players, especially emotional players like Cousins, get caught up. It’s how they play and that’s fine. If it makes them a target, so be it. If it makes them loved by their fanbase but despised by others, that’s fine. What happened between Cousins and Duncan was trivial and a common occurrence in the league, but it didn’t need to be escalated like it was by Cousins or Elliot.

It’s a mountain out of a mole hill, no doubt, but it’s also a learning experience for the Kings’ young big. Hopefully next time he’ll just brush it off his shoulder.

Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Although the Sacramento Kings’ offseason isn’t technically over, with a roster that now sits at 14 players (of the possible max, 15), one could assume there will be little movement from a free agent standpoint. If the Kings do deem it worthy to fill their final roster spot, it’ll most likely be via a trade or a young training camp invitee who fills out the 15th spot. So with that said, we’ll start to breakdown the Kings’ offseason moves here in the next few days, starting with their re-signing of big man Jason Thompson.

The four year veteran who’ll be entering his fifth NBA season this year was an offseason priority for the normally quiet Kings front office, who breaking their traditional silence made it very clear they wanted Thompson back – and who could blame them? The former Rider product, who has improved every year, played the best ball of his young career last season and has proven himself to be one of the better rotational big men in the league. Despite the high level play and their professed desires for a Thompson return, the Kings weren’t taking any chances, moonlighting with then Orlando Magic forward and Sacramento native Ryan Anderson in the rare case an outside team offered Thompson an un-matchable contract. Thankfully for the Kings, that didn’t happen.

It took a while to finalize, most likely because Thompson was waiting for a heftier outside offer to earn a larger annual salary, but the Kings and Thompson finally agreed on a 5 year, $30 million dollar contract that will keep the big man in purple and black through the 2016-2017 season (the final year is only partially guaranteed). From a financial standpoint, it’s difficult to find fault in the deal, especially given the current market. Consider some of these contracts given out so far this offseason:

• Nets sign Brook Lopez to 4 year, $61 million dollar deal
• Mavericks sign Chris Kaman for 1 year, $8 million dollar deal
• Nuggets sign JaVale McGee to 4 year, $44 million dollar deal
• Rockets signed Omer Asik to 3 year, $24 million dollar deal
• Pacers matched Portland’s offer sheet of 4 years, $58 million to Roy Hibbert
• Pacers signed Ian Mahinmi to a 4 year, $16 million dollar deal
• Lakers sign Jordan Hill to a 2 year, $8 million dollar deal
• Hornets sign Ryan Anderson to 4 year, $34 million
• Spurs re-sign Tim Duncan to a 3 year, $36 million dollar deal

For a 26 year old (just 26, by the way) big man who could potentially average a near double-double off the bench, you could find much worse to gripe about than a $5-6 million dollar annual salary. I might not go as far as to say it’s “team-friendly” but it’s bordering on the line and it’s certainly fair given the production Thompson brings.

From an on-court perspective, Thompson is in a way a luxury – but now an affordable one which will continue to solidify the Kings’ front court. Personally, I’ve always felt Thompson to be a better center than power forward. That’s not to say JT can’t play PF in the NBA effectively, but he’s better suited to play center. Career numbers across the board are better (think effective) when Thompson plays the five (although he’s averaged more playing time per game at C), especially in the foul department where JT averages a half foul less (2.9, 3.4 as PF) per game despite playing nearly five more minutes a contest. His sometimes slower feet/reactions can hamper him against smaller or quicker opponents at the four, but his slower tendencies against opposing fours become advantages against most fives where the tables are turned and he now is the quicker, faster reacting player.

The addition of Thomas Robinson who’ll mainly play the four will only lead to more time at center for Thompson, who will split time between power forward and backing up Cousins at the five which is a near perfect scenario for JT.

Overall, both the Kings and Thompson have to be happy with how this offseason played out. The Kings were able to re-sign their effective big for a very fair price, deepening their roster and keeping their current core of big men intact while Thompson gets financial security and a role with 25-30 minutes nightly. It’s not a homerun by any stretch of the imagination (which is where a higher grade would be), but it’s a solid move that will only help the Kings improve.

Grade: B