Not much has gone right in Sacramento this season, but the Kings are still very optimistic about the future of rookie center DeMarcus Cousins.

"DeMarcus Cousins, he's going to be a tremendous player," Joe Maloof said. "He's going to have his ups and downs just like any rookie does. I'm telling you the way I feel. He's got extraordinary talent, and with he and Tyreke [Evans], we have a tremendous future. ... I think going forward, we're in a great, great position. We're in a wonderful situation."

There have been whispers that the Maloofs could fire coach Paul Westphal and/or general manager Geoff Petrie, but ownership has denied the rumors.

A source close to the Kings told Ken Berger of CBS Sports that ownership is concerned that Westphal isn't the right coach to handle Cousins' personality and groom him into a star.