DeMarcus Cousins Reportedly Joins Kings On Road After Being Held Out Sunday

Paul Westphal Fired As Sacramento Kings Head Coach

The Kings have fired head coach Paul Westphal after he engaged in a dispute with young big man DeMarcus Cousins.

Paul Westphal, And What NBA Coaches Ought To Be

The Sacramento Kings still don't have an identity two years after Paul Westphal arrived as head coach. What's the point of a coach in the NBA if he can't develop players or lead the team to stand for something?

DeMarcus Cousins Releases Statement Denying Trade Request

DeMarcus Cousins continued to deny that he has requested a trade from the Sacramento Kings in a statement released late Monday and published by SI.com's Sam Amick. In the statement, Cousins denied that he demanded a trade, as Kings coach Paul Westphal claimed the young center had on Sunday. Cousins also said that he disagreed with the coach's actions, which included sending the center home from the team on Sunday, and holding him out of Sacramento's game against the New Orleans Hornets. The Kings won that game 96-80.

Cousins is with the team in Memphis as the Kings prepare for their only back-to-back-to-back of the season. The Kings play the Grizzlies on Tuesday; the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones reports that Cousins will dress on Tuesday but will not start. Westphal benched Cousins as a form of discipline last season, as well. The Kings have just 12 players in Memphis, as two youngsters -- Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Honeycutt -- were assigned to Sacramento's D-League affiliate on Sunday.

For more on the Kings, visit Sactown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area.

DeMarcus Cousins Reportedly Joins Kings For Road Trip

DeMarcus Cousins is traveling with the Sacramento Kings as the team embarks on a road trip, reports SI.com's Sam Amick, citing sources. Cousins was sent home by Kings coach Paul Westphal on Sunday due to alleged attitude problems. The center, who is No. 4 in the NBA in per-game rebounding, missed Sacramento's 96-80 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday.

The Kings play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The team will fly home from Texas late Wednesday to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. It's the team's only back-to-back-to-back of the season.

In a statement released to the press on Sunday evening, Westphal alleged that Cousins had demanded to be traded. Cousins' agent immediately denied the claim. Westphal also told the media that the supposed trade demand was the "tip of the iceberg" with Cousins.

The Kings are 2-3. They have not made the playoffs since 2006.

For more on the Kings, visit SB Nation Bay Area and Sactown Royalty.

As DeMarcus Cousins Burns, Kings Prove You Get What You Pay For

The Sacramento Kings are treating the $100 wound that is DeMarcus Cousins' development with a two-cent bandage named Paul Westphal. It's time to try another salve.

DeMarcus Cousins' Agent Denies Trade Request

The situation in Sacramento grows more bizarre by the hour, as John Greig, DeMarcus Cousins' agent, strongly denied that his client made a trade request while blaming Kings coach Paul Westphal for the whole situation:

"DeMarcus never demanded a trade," Greig told Sports Illustrated. "I'm surprised the Kings -- if they believe the player wanted a trade -- wouldn't have made a phone call to his representative. Maybe Westphal is just feeling the heat early this season."

Westphal has come under fire for the struggles of Sacramento's new offense as the team started the 2011-2012 season with a 1-3 record, and he is in the last year of his contract, creating a lame-duck situation NBA teams generally try to avoid.

However, Greig's claims may not pass the smell test, if a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is correct:

WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski

In loud exchange with Paul Westphal on Saturday after NY loss, some Kings heard DeMarcus Cousins yelling, "Trade me now," sources tell Y!

16 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Cousins came into the league with a reputation as a trouble-maker, and his conduct as a rookie, including getting into a fight with Donte Greene on the team's charter last year, did little to change that.

A 6'11 270 player with a legitimate low-post game who the Kings took No. 5 overall in the 2010 Draft, Cousins will have plenty of interested suitors despite his many off-the-court indiscretions, but his trade value is likely at an all-time low after this latest incident.

DeMarcus Cousins Requests Trade From Kings, Will Not Play Vs. Hornets

Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins has requested a trade. Is a storm on the horizon in Sactown?