There are few more controversial figures in the NBA than Denver Nuggets big man DeMarcus Cousins. He's definitely mellowed down a bit now that he's nearing the twilight of his career, but there's no denying that in his heyday, nearly everything this man said and did was contentious, particularly during his time with the Sacramento Kings.

In a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Cousins had more than a few things to say about his former team. For starters, the 31-year-old spoke about his relationship with Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Cousins and Malone first crossed paths in Sacramento when Malone served as the team's head coach between 2013 and 2014. The Kings decided to fire Malone after just 24 games in his second season with the team, which Cousins believes was an absolutely wrong decision by the organization:

“I thought they were insane, and it shows,” Cousins said. “… When he was with us [in Sacramento], he was successful. Still doesn’t make sense and it never will. Everything else that happened to Sac should have never happened. That guy should have never been fired. The rest of what happened in Sac would have never happened if they let him go.”

Cousins went on to say that he probably would have stayed on with the Kings if they didn't decide to give Malone the ax:

“Absolutely. We would’ve been winning,” he responded. “We would’ve won. Probably would have finished my career there along with Mike…  They sucked before I got there. They sucked when I was there. They sucked after I left.

“When it comes to these modern-day bigs we see today, that we’re praising today, I feel like I’m the godfather. And they won’t give me the credit, which is fine.”

To say that Cousins still has some ill will against his former team would be an understatement. He's still carrying a lot of baggage and he isn't shy at all about speaking his mind.

What is also clear is that Cousins believes that he was one of the best big men in the game during his time with the Kings, which is actually true. However, he took it a step further by saying that there is no doubt in his mind as to whether or not the Kings should retire his jersey:

“I put the time and work in,” he said. “I hold many records there. I honestly think I’m the best player to ever come through Sacramento. And I stand on that, absolutely.”

There's no denying that Cousins was a great player during his time in Sacramento but for him to say that he is the franchise GOAT would be a tad contentious, to say the least. Besides, given the rather unceremonious way he left, he's not exactly the most well-loved individual by the organization. Clearly, Cousins reciprocates this same feeling about the Kings:

“What did Sac do for me?” Cousins said. “Besides say my name [draft day]. I did more for them than they did for me. That’s just being honest. Just being 100% honest. I had two owners, three GMs, seven coaches in seven years… Not much more needs to be said.”