In what seems like another lifetime, DeMarcus Cousins made a statement during the 2016 All-Star weekend in Toronto that resonated to the Bay Area two years later like a message in a bottle.
It was a time of turmoil for the Sacramento Kings, and Cousins, as usual, found himself squarely in the middle of the chaos. He was feuding with then-coach George Karl, and the Kings were losing and spiraling further into toxicity. People wondered during that frigid All-Star weekend whether Karl or Cousins would be the first to go.
"I prefer to be in a perfect situation," Cousins said at the time.