Now it's time for the excuses to end. I'm perfectly happy to forgive past transgressions by Cousins. I'll forgive but I won't forget. But we can move on. What happened in the past is in the past. We all know that the environment around the team has been dysfunctional at best and completely toxic at its worst. It's undoubtedly been a difficult environment for all of our young players to live in. And some players have handled it better than others, but none of that matters anymore.

Vivek and Malone and whoever is chosen as GM will have a shared goal: change the culture of the Kings and turn this franchise around. This isn't the Maloof regime anymore. This means no more excuses. Malone is a fiery figure and I won't be the least bit surprised to hear of shouting matches between him and Cousins. And that's ok. That can be healthy. It's a normal thing in the NBA. What matters is that those shouting matches be productive and generate something more than ill will.

The days of DeMarcus the malcontent must end.

The culture of the Kings is changing. Cousins can get on board with that culture change or his exit will become a signal of it. It's his choice.