Sacramento Kings Look to Shake Things Up

Aor 2, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Shaquille O

Shaq Mentoring DeMarcus 

In a more bizarre and recent twist, Shaquille O’Neal met with new Kings owners Vivek Ranadive and Mark Mastrov over dinner Tuesday evening about potentially mentoring DeMarcus Cousins.

O’Neal then tweeted,”I’m going to make DeMarcus Cousins the best big man in the game.”

O’Neal’s status involving the team hasn’t been established, but it has been speculated that he would like to at the very least mentor Cousins.

With the confirmed meeting between O’Neal and the Kings ownership, maybe a more established role with the team is in Shaq’s future. While I can personally attest to the pain O’Neal has caused Kings’ fans over the years, O’Neal is one of the games most prolific centers in the history of the NBA, and these actions speak to his true character.

O’Neal is a class act, who could help show Cousins how to communicate with officials in a respectful and effective manner that keeps him in games and out of foul trouble. O’Neal has said on several occasions on national television that he sees a lot of himself in the young center, and would very much like the opportunity to mentor the young big man.

The Kings would be wise to consider bringing their one time rival into the mix in some sort of a coaching capacity. The Kings would have an incredible bargaining tool when it comes time to talk numbers with Cousins and his impending contract extension. While Cousins has remained mostly quiet with regards to his future in Sacramento, he has made it very clear that he wants to be a King.

O’Neal’s intentions to assist the Kings’ big man adds credibility to the Kings new ownership and could pay major dividends if O’Neal helps Cousins mature and grow into a prolific center.

With the NBA Draft on the horizon, the Kings are very likely to entertain deals, and get into the free agent mix.

The Kings new ownership has made it clear that they have both the capital and the staff to lure a big name into Sacramento, so expect things to get interesting in the Capital.