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What Had Happened Was

What Had Happened Was: 7/20/16

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    2016 USA Men’s Senior National Basketball Team
    NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 27: DeMarcus Cousins #12 of the 2016 USA Men’s Senior National Basketball Team shakes hands with some fans during a press conference at Dunleavy Milbank Center on June 27, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    You remember when Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins tweeted this after the Kings selected Georgios Papagiannis in June’s NBA draft?

    Cousins told our own Marc J. Spears that he was in a “hot sculpting” class when said tweet was unleashed and that he wasn’t complaining about the team’s draft pick(s) like folks assumed.

    Even if Cousins was telling the complete truth, he has now admitted what we all thought upon seeing Papagiannis get his name called: Boogie ain’t happy. Speaking to reporters after the U.S. men’s basketball team completed practice this week, Cousins talked about his frustration with a kind of honesty we’re not accustomed to seeing in sports:

    In terms of big men, the Kings now employ Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, Papagiannis and the team also selected big man Skal Labissiere with the 28th overall pick in the draft. What Cousins said was indelicate and it’s probably something management is bothered by (shoot, the team may even trade him for this), but the 25-year-old has good reason to be fed up. The roster construction makes his job harder, makes him feel less valuable and, at its core, makes the Kings worse for next season. After a career spent shuffling through different coaches and losing consistently, no one should criticize Cousins for speaking his truth.

    Because of the decisions the Kings made on draft night, maybe they were already looking to trade Cousins. Maybe his current comments will expedite that. Just don’t ask Boogie. He might tell you the truth — that he can’t wait to get out of town. Can you blame him?

    SOCIAL STATUS

    BLESSINGS!

    When you can get in “Formation” at a moment’s notice, like say when you’re in Milan. That’s exactly what Beyonce’s backup dancers did the other night. Oh, and they can still perform “Single Ladies” on a whim. Must be nice.

    WHO YA GOT?

    FOR THE CULTURE

    Here’s more information on an event in November, featuring Kid Cudi and Skrillex, called ComplexCon.

    Mychal Denzel Smith wrote about the urgent need to do better for black women.

    A short film featuring rapper Lil Yachty? Yup. We’d watch.

    An important look at the history of Cleveland.

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. LOSERS!

    2. BRING IT ON

    https://twitter.com/ijwarren/status/755298695365664768

    3. ALL RIGHT, ARBY’S

    #ICYMI

    Our friend Andrew Maraniss wrote about a group of inspiring Southeast Missouri State football players who aim to heal community wounds:

    Tremane McCullough will forever remember his mother’s screams of anguish, the ones that startled him out of his sleep. McCullough was 14 years old, sharing a hotel room with his mom while they attended a church conference in Orlando, Florida, in 2007. It was around 4 a.m., and his mother had just learned that McCullough’s older brother, Tavaris, had been shot and killed by a police officer in their hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida. For several years afterward, McCullough said, he hated all cops, wouldn’t look at them. On Thursday, McCullough, now a senior running back at Southeast Missouri State University and a preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, may end up in the same backfield with some police officers. And he welcomes the opportunity. In what’s being dubbed as the “Cops and Hawks Bowl” in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, members of the Redhawks football team will join area law enforcement officers for a flag football tournament on July 21, all in an effort, McCullough said, to combat stereotypes and develop deeper empathy and understanding on both sides.

    PICTURE PERFECT

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: What Had Happened Was DeMarcus Cousins