By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings have made a major investment in their future by signing center DeMarcus Cousins to a reported four-year $62-million contract extension. The exact contract figures were not released per Kings policy.

The very talented Cousins has at times shown that he can be a dominate force who can take control of game and lead a team to victory. He has also shown that he can be inconsistent and moody at times. The Kings are betting on the fact that with maturity Cousins’ strengths will become the dominate factor in his play.

No one can deny that Cousins is an impressive player with the potential to become an All-Star caliber player. The 6-11 center has averaged 16.3 points (.448 FG%, .704 FT%), 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 29.8 minutes per game in 220 games over his three seasons with the Kings. Cousins has missed just two games due to injury over that time period.

The Kings management is happy to have Cousins signed, sealed and delivered for the long-term. This contract makes the statement that management believes Cousins is a major building block to the team’s future success on the floor.
“DeMarcus is a unique talent with skills rarely witnessed at the center position,” said D’Alessandro. “His combination of size, quickness and athleticism lends an invaluable dimension to our team now and in seasons to come. We look forward to watching DeMarcus continue his development into one of the best players in the game.”

“I am excited to continue to be a part of the Kings under the leadership of Vivek Ranadivé and the Sacramento ownership group,” said Cousins. “I’m also thankful to work alongside Pete D’Alessandro and Coach Michael Malone. I’m anxious to get back on the court with my teammates and can’t wait to play in front of the best fans in professional sports. I plan on showing them my appreciation this season and beyond.”

With Cousins in the fold, the Kings can now concentrate on evaluating the talent at training camp in order fill the 2013-14 roster. The Kings first preseason game is Monday, October 7th at Golden State.