Yes, the New Orleans Pelicans still need DeMarcus Cousins
On July 1, DeMarcus Cousins will officially enter free agency. If you’re pining for him to make a deal with Magic Johnson or Mark Cuban, prepare for disappointment
We should fully expect DeMarcus Cousins to re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. Whether it’ll be on a max deal or not remains unclear and frankly irrelevant – Boogie and the Pelicans need each other if they want to win as badly as they claim to.
Don’t believe it? Let’s dispel the myths.
But, the injury…
A month ago, Boogie couldn’t walk without crutches. He’d ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the final seconds of a potentially season-swinging win over the Houston Rockets in late January, punctuating an MVP-caliber season with a question mark.
The image remains heart-wrenching: Cousins, fouled on a momentous putback layup, rises up from the free throw line for a game-sealing offensive rebound before crumbling through traffic in confused horror. Boogie’s expression spelled shock, nausea, and despair all at once as he sat immobile and alone on one end of the court, pleading with his foot to function.
Three months later, after the Pelicans completed their Round 1 sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, Boogie opened up about the frustration of having no choice but to sit idly by and watch:
"“We put in so much time together, just preparing ourselves for this season. For it to be taken away at the drop of a dime, it kind of sucks.”"
For an NBA player as tried, libeled, and doubted as Cousins, it more than sucked. DeMarcus, in his eighth NBA season, still has not played in a single postseason game – for a competitor of his ilk with the talent he wields, this is not just a damning indictment of the organization that drafted him, but an almost poetic setup for a return from such a debilitating blow.
Spookily, Boogie watched from the bench as former Kings teammate Rudy Gay suffered the same injury, on the same leg, in a similar situation, almost precisely a year prior. Defying expectations, Gay – benefitting from the best that medicine can offer – rehabbed and was ready for Spurs training camp eight months later.
Gay would take on a sixth-man role for San Antonio, and was as effective as ever, never looking limited while he wreaked havoc in the paint as a dependable, energetic force off the bench. This should be extremely encouraging to those who doubt that Boogie, who is four years younger than Rudy, can return to his fullest form.
In April, Boogie revealed:
"“Rehab is going great for me. I’m improving each and every day. I’m improving at a pretty rapid pace as well. That keeps my energy high, that keeps my positive vibes going, knowing that I’m improving at a rapid pace.”"
Some cite his body type and conditioning as barriers to the fullest recovery, but might forget that Victor Oladipo wasn’t the only All-Star who glo’d up last summer.
DeMarcus Cousins will return from his injury. He could even be ready, like Rudy Gay was, come September. If he isn’t, we’ll wait. The Pelicans will wait. Because while they may not want to gamble on a max contract, it would be an astronomically bigger risk to let him walk.