The Sacramento Kings formally introduced their new coach, Mike Malone. He has two big tasks ahead of him — get the Kings to play some defense, and figure out how to work with DeMarcus Cousins. Team owner Vivek Ranadive has a much larger vision for the young big man. Per the Sac Bee: “‘At the end of the day, these players are all going to have a choice to make,’ Malone said during his introductory news conference Monday. ‘You’re either going to embrace the change or you’re going to resist.’ As he approaches his fourth season, Cousins remains the great divide, which makes him Malone’s No. 1 challenge. There are those who believe Cousins will benefit from the ownership and organizational changes and mature into one of the game’s most dominant big men. But there are those who stare at his 6-foot-11, 270-pound frame, are scared off by his frequent outbursts and expressive demeanor, and wouldn’t let him near their foxhole. Here, though, they’re all in. Malone wants Cousins as his cornerstone. Ranadive wants Cousins on the floor and in his foxhole, and he wants Cousins to become a familiar figure in his native India. ‘I’d like nothing better than a billion Indians to know who DeMarcus Cousins is,’ Ranadive said. Added Malone: ‘I will go to him with open arms, because we all know, on any given night, he’s the most talented big man in the NBA. You just don’t get rid of those guys.'”
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