In the hours after Sunday night's All Star Game, embattled Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he'll join fellow superstar big man Anthony Davis. Days earlier, Kings general manager Vlade Divac had publicly proclaimed that the team was not looking to deal Cousins, but in the aftermath of the trade he has defended the move, saying "character matters."
In his NBA career, the chief knock on the uber-talented Cousins has been an attitude problem that manifests in blowups with coaches, poor relationships with teammates and a record number of technical fouls. Now that he's gotten out of what many consider to be a dysfunctional Kings organization, will he be a different man in New Orleans? Perhaps he can find inspiration from a few stars who thrived with a new start in a new city.
Martellus Bennett: As a young player in Dallas, Bennett was accused of not taking the game seriously enough. Complaints about his attitude followed him to the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, where a 2014 practice scuffle resulted in a six-day suspension. This past offseason, Bennett talked a little smack about Jay Cutler and the Bears and joined the New England Patriots, whose secret recipe of winning football plus the genius of Bill Belichick was the perfect fit. Bennett played a big role for the Rob Gronkowski-less Super Bowl champions.
Randy Moss: Before Bennett caught on to "The Patriot Way," Moss discovered the magic of New England. Of course, first came well-documented legal troubles in college, a high-profile incident with a ref in Minnesota and public declarations of unhappiness in Oakland. But his reputation got a reboot in New England, and later in San Francisco, where he focused on football and being a leader.
Alexander Radulov: Early in his career the promising Russian forward seemed lazy and unmotivated for the Nashville Predators. After a few years playing in his home country, he returned for a short stint with the Predators near the end of the 2011-12 season, only to get benched for violating team rules during the postseason. After another trip to Russia he signed with the Canadiens last offseason. Some questioned the decision to give him a nearly $6 million, one-year deal, but since arriving in Montreal, Radulov has earned nothing but praise from teammates for his infectious energy and positive attitude.
Metta World Peace: From the "Malice at the Palace" to trade demands, the Artest formerly known as Ron had his struggles in Indianapolis. Suspensions and ejections were routine for him with the Kings, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers; he was even involved in a skirmish with his Italian Serie A team in 2015. But since returning to Los Angeles in 2015 he's taken on the role of veteran leader while also speaking out as an advocate for mental health.
Rasheed Wallace: Cousins and Wallace are kindred spirits when it comes to setting off officials. Wallace, who played for Portland and Detroit before heading to the Knicks in 2012, holds the record for most technical fouls in a season, with 41, while Cousins was the fastest in history to trigger the automatic suspension rule, getting to 16 techs before the All Star break this year. Wallace's on-court antics seemed to mellow in New York, though. Who's to say whether a change of scenery helped, or if it was just maturity finally kicking in, but his final season, shortened due to injury, saw him settle in.
Maybe Cousins can get ahead of the game and find his own version of "Serenity Now" while he's still in his prime.
