Per Jason Jones, DeMarcus Cousins did not join the team for their trip to Portland tonight. Cousins, who was recently suspended "indefinitely" for a verbal altercation with Coach Smart, was reinstated by the team on Monday. Curiously though, no member of the Kings front office or coaching staff lent their name to the press release, and Smart was very vague when talking to the media about the reinstatement.
Whatever the case, Smart is definitely taking the prerogative here and I like it. Just because Cousins has been reinstated, that doesn't mean he automatically gets to play. Hopefully the lesson will sink into Cousins' head and he and the team can move on from this sordid affair.
Jones also reported that Tyreke Evans did not make the trip so as to rest his ailing knee. Evans, who has a bone bruise per James Ham, has just started to pick up the pace in practices but is not ready for game action yet. There's still no timetable for his return.
It's currently unknown whether Francisco Garcia will be available to play, but it seems probable since he practiced with the team on Monday. Garcia injured his back against the Clippers and sat out Sunday's win against the Blazers.