Grantland

Isaiah Thomas

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Q&A

Q&A: Keith Smart on the Art of Coaching Boogie Cousins and the Kings' Defensive Struggles

By Zach Lowe at
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

Keith Smart is in the stretch run of another disappointing Sacramento season, his first full year in charge after taking over for Paul Westphal seven games into last season. (Hey, remember Paul Westphal? Or did you kind of forget he ever coached the Kings? You did, right?) Smart is a defense-first guy presiding over the league’s worst defensive team and perhaps its most volatile player — DeMarcus Cousins, a promising big man who can’t control his temper or commit himself to playing hard on defense for an entire game. Smart’s a great guy with whom to talk hoops, and he sat down for a one-on-one with Grantland in Dallas before the All-Star break.

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