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Cousins Gives Full Effort In First Game With Kings Since Illness

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The Sacramento Kings welcomed back star DeMarcus Cousins Thursday from a lengthy illness.

Playing to the excitement if his crowd, he returned to center stage.

DeMarcus Cousins put on a comeback performance his Kings fans were waiting for after being diagnosed with viral meningitis, an infection that sent him to the hospital.

"I like his grit, his determination -- putting Sacramento on the map," said Mike Mufich, a fan.

While Cousins was out, his head coach was fired.

Coinciding with the comeback, Michael Malone released his first public statement to the Sacramento Bee, reading in part:

"Though my time as head coach ended much sooner than anticipated, I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish during our time together."

NBA writer Scott Howard-Cooper says Malone's carefully crafted language is the smart move.

Scott howard-cooper/nba.com sports writer

"He's not going to be lob grenades out the door, I don't think because a lot of people are doing it for him," said Howard-Cooper.

Cousins said he felt partly responsible for his coaches firing by being sick. The Kings only won two games while he was out.

New team owner Vivek Ranadive's decision to fire Malone during the stretch created the first criticism in his honeymoon with fans.

"If this works out, things will turn back in his favor. We can talk about the honeymoon being over, but he can get back on the Caribbean cruise pretty fast," said Howard-Cooper.

It's a franchise in flux. Their star is back and the spotlight is as bright as ever.

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