![\"Adam](\"http:\/\/cowbellkingdom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/SILVER_ASW2014.jpg\")
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The good people of Sacramento have grown\u00a0accustomed to the NBA commissioner saving their bacon. \u00a0Be it the Anaheim Royals or the Seattle SuperSonics, the fate of the Kings franchise was placed squarely in the hands of David Stern on more than one occasion and somehow Sacramento always came out on top.<\/p>\n
Adam Silver is in place now, and like Stern before him, he found a new way to save the Kings this week.<\/p>\n
Maybe we are being overly dramatic, but the decision to allow DeMarcus Cousins into the 2015 NBA All-Star game on Friday by Silver may have changed the direction of the Kings both in the short run and long term.<\/p>\n
Cousins is an emotional guy. \u00a0Actually, he is a very emotional guy and when he didn\u2019t make the initial list of reserves, he had to be livid. \u00a0Maybe even mad enough to have a serious heart-to-heart with the Kings about his future with the club.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t your run-of-the-mill situation. \u00a0Through 15 games, the Kings were the talk of the NBA and Cousins was being mentioned as not just an All-Star, but an MVP candidate. \u00a0A bout with viral meningitis crippled Sacramento and just as he was set to return, the Kings ownership and front office fired Michael Malone.<\/p>\n
Since the loss of Malone, the Kings have been in a complete tailspin. \u00a0Before knocking off the Pacers in Indiana on Saturday night, the Kings had lost eight straight. With the win, they’re a lowly\u00a06-16 under head coach Tyrone Corbin.<\/p>\n
They are already out of playoff contention at 17-29, and the Kings have taken a beating for the post-Malone mess.<\/p>\n
This is where Silver comes in. \u00a0There are plenty who believe that the All-Star team is both a team and an individual award. \u00a0Cousins has the numbers, but his team is currently 12 games under .500, placing 13th of 15 teams in the powerful Western Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kinda understand the ins and outs of the whole system, and like I said, I didn\u2019t expect it to go my way,\u201d Cousins told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n
Silver had plenty of choices lined up to replace the injured Kobe Bryant, most notably being Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. \u00a0Not only is Lillard averaging 21.6 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, but his team is leading the Northwest division at 32-16.<\/p>\n
While Lillard is a top-10 guard in the NBA, the fans voted both Bryant and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry in ahead of him. \u00a0And when the reserve spots were voted on by the coaches, the Rockets’ James Harden, Klay Thompson of the Warriors, OKC\u2019s Russell Westbrook and the Clippers’ Chris Paul were all selected ahead of him.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t a knock on Lillard, but Cousins is either the best big man in the game or really close to it. \u00a0His omission from the game was egregious.<\/p>\n
The Kings’ 24-year-old center is seventh in the NBA in scoring at 24.0 points per game and his 12.4 rebounds per game average ranks third in the league. \u00a0He is as unstoppable as any player in the league, and every coach in the league knows it.<\/p>\n
Cousins was more than deserving, but even he knew he faced long odds after missing out on a reserve spot. \u00a0In a dark twist of fate, it appeared that the NBA coaches chose to punish Cousins for the sins of the Kings.<\/p>\n
The coaching community is tight and not at all happy about the Kings\u2019 handling of Malone. \u00a0Their only recourse? \u00a0Shunning Cousins from the February classic in New York in favor of a 38-year-old Tim Duncan, who is averaging just 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds a night for the defending champion Spurs.<\/p>\n
Silver made the right call. \u00a0Cousins is a superstar and more than deserving of the honor of All-Star. \u00a0More than that, if he didn\u2019t make the team, the Kings were in for a long ride the rest of the season. \u00a0We have seen post-All-Star snub Cousins before. \u00a0It\u2019s not a pretty sight.<\/p>\n
While he has certainly matured, the former Kentucky star still wears his heart on his sleeve. \u00a0The last 36 games of the 2014-15 Sacramento Kings season had the potential to be Cousins\u2019 last in a Kings uniform. \u00a0But now there is light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a stepping stone, not just for myself, but for the whole organization,\u201d Cousins said. \u00a0\u201cWe can\u2019t go anywhere but up from here. \u00a0This is a building block and lets continue to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yesterday, it was a wrecking ball swing at a glass house. \u00a0Today, it’s a stepping stone. \u00a0Sacramento Kings fans owe Adam Silver a major standing ovation when he visits Sleep Train Arena on Tuesday evening. \u00a0The commissioner has your back Sacramento, just like always.<\/p>\n
#PurpleTieTuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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