George Karl reacts to DeMarcus Cousins signing with Warriors, ‘We had our problems, but…'

George Karl was named head coach of the Kings in mid-February 2015.

He was on the bench for the final 30 games of that season and was fired after a 33-49 campaign in 2015-16.

The 2012-13 Coach of the Year and DeMarcus Cousins didn't exactly see eye-to-eye.

"Don't get me wrong -- we had our problems, but our problems were very seldom when he was a basketball player," Karl said on KNBR 680 on Monday. "In the gym, on the court, in the games -- he wanted to win.

"And his emotional breakdowns were because we were losing or because things weren't going well. There was failure on the court -- some of it was maybe his fault, some of it was maybe other people's fault.

"DeMarcus was a good player for me. I helped him evolve into being a little more of an outside player. And he's shown the world that he can make the 3-ball and he's a high-skilled player.

"And I like using high-skilled players all over the court. And that's what Golden State likes to do ... I think it's a win-win."

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It's unclear when Cousins will make his regular-season debut with the Warriors.

It's also unclear if Cousins will be able to make a full recovery and become the player he was before the Achilles injury.

And according to Karl ...

"We also don't know even if Golden State needs him. But it's a helluva insurance policy to have in their backpocket."

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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