DeMarcus Cousins' Dominating Performance

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Last night DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings went up against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers. Damian Lillard would finish the game with 24 points and 15 assists for the game. His teammate, C.J. McCollum however, had a much better shooting night than Lillard putting up 36 points on 59 percent shooting. But their performances were overshadowed by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins helped the Kings to a 126-121 victory behind his 55 points and 13 rebounds.

This was only Cousins second 50 point game of his career. What really grabbed fans attention was the moment Cousins received his second technical of the game. What made the technical unusual was that it was rescinded after Cousins had already made his way back to the locker room. Cousins had to be fetched from the locker room to get back out on the court.

Cousins is a target for referees and they always keep a close eye on everything he does. In this case, the ref called a technical on him for spitting his mouthpiece out at the Blazers bench. The refs got together after the call and quickly talked it over. They came to the conclusion that his mouthpiece fell out of his mouth and rescinded the technical. In the post game interview, Cousins said, "It's ridiculous. It's obvious what's being done out here. It's on a nightly basis. I hope the world can see now what's really going on out here."

Maybe this will be the start of change amongst referees looking for any excuse to remove Cousins from the game. Cousins is at fault sometimes, but he has really come a long way with controlling himself since entering the league. His reputation with his emotion still warrants refs to take any precautions so that nothing escalates to the next level. Hopefully, refs will take it easier on Cousins when it comes to technicals because he is by far the heart and soul of the Kings, without him, the Kings have no shot at winning games. In any matter, it was nice to see the refs come together and fix the mistake they had made.

Greg Oden Biggest Bust in NBA History

Greg Oden was the number 1 draft pick in 2007. Oden is forgotten by many after injuries derailed his career. What he is known for now is being picked before Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant has had a far more successful career than Oden and that is why even the most casual of NBA fans call Oden a bust. While all these facts are known about Greg Oden he never really spoke on how his career unfolded. 

In the past month or so Greg Oden has officially announced his retirement from professional basketball. After multiple injuries Oden was forced to step away from the game. Today Oden finally addressed the media about how his career went and how it will be perceived. He stated that he will go down as the biggest bust in NBA history. It is unbelievable to hear him come to grips with how his basketball career has panned out. He said that he would love to continue playing basketball, but his health prevents him. At 28 years old Greg Oden is officially beginning life after basketball. For comparison Kevin Durant is at the top of his game and is in serious position to win an NBA title. It truly is a tale of two stories.

Greg Oden could have been special in the NBA. He had all the physical tools to make him a great center. He performed extremely well at Ohio State and was a safer choice for Portland on draft night. Portland already had budding all-stars in Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. With no solid center on the roster adding Oden was a no-brainer. The team already had a good scoring wing player. By drafting Oden the Trail Blazers knew they could add a guy who will immediately impact the team. A trio of Roy, Aldridge, and Oden was supposed to be a super team in the near future. Each player was under 23 years old. Not to mention in 2008 the Trail Blazers drafted Nicolas Batum. Batum was the perfect pick for this team. He was a guy who shoot the ball and was a good scorer, but he was a role player. In his career so far he has averaged 11 points per game. He would have filled his role perfectly since the team had two scorers in Aldridge and Roy. And of course Oden would want to get touches on offense too. This group of guys never had the chance to reach their full potential due to injuries to Oden and Roy. Roy would be forced to retire early in 2011 and Oden only played 82 total games with the Blazers. This is what got this team a spot on my all time what-could-have-been teams. It is an unfortunate story, but all these players seem to be at peace now.