Warriors: DeMarcus Cousins has plenty to prove, beyond injury concerns
Though he’s one of the best centers in the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins must prove he’s not hampered by the season-ending achilles injury from last year. Beyond that, he also must prove his reputation as locker-room cancer is behind him and that he can be part of a championship team with the Warriors
It’s no secret that DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best big men that the league has seen in quite some time. Throughout his career, spent between the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans, the only knocks against him were poor character traits.
The achilles injury is a tough one, as its has ended careers far and wide, notably Kobe Bryant. Then again, it is possible to return to the floor after suffering this kind of injury. Cousins has the drive to return to the hardwood as soon as possible, though it will likely be well-after the training camp deadline he is clinging to at the moment. It may not even be until the all-star break.
Whatever the case may be, nobody can truly predict whether DeMarcus Cousins will be the same player when he returns. The injury is something that he’ll continue to work his way back from day by day. However, his recovery is ultimately out of his control, something he may not be able to improve regardless of how much he works to get back into playing condition.
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The saga has gone on between him, the media and even some of his former coaches. His infamous video cussing out the Warriors in the tunnel after a game while he was a member of the Kings has resurfaced all over the place. He also got into a skirmish with Kevin Durant on the floor, resulting in both of them getting ejected, another video which has risen to the spotlight again. He also feuded with former Kings’ head coach George Karl constantly, though he seemed to get along well enough with Alvin Gentry in New Orleans.
That being said, the possibility of developing respectable character is there. Take Marcus Smart’s growth for example. Smart wasn’t exactly a class act in his college days at Oklahoma State. However, he has matured both as a player and as a human being during his time in the NBA.
While the examples of noticeable character growth are few and far in between, it can be possible. In Smart’s case, he starting acting with professionalism once he went from an “amateur” in college to a professional. He has grown and it has been quite beneficial to his reputation, especially in a city like Boston that will only care about how you play and not what you say.
In the case of DeMarcus Cousins, who has never played in a playoff game after spending several years in the league, he still has much to prove. However, with the Warriors, he walks into what is already a championship locker room. Including him, what will be the entire starting five (Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, Cousins) has played in an all-star game. Steve Kerr has guided the team to three titles in just seasons in the Bay Area.
If there are any reports of discord coming out of that locker room, Cousins will likely be pinned as the culprit. Though Draymond Green has had his own issues picked apart by the media, he has proven to be one heck of a teammate and a leader, making Cousins the likely victim for this particular criticism.
He has to show that he can be a winner. While that may seem to be an easy task given that his new team already won the championship last year, it isn’t. The former Kentucky star has to prove that he can thrive without the spotlight. Again, all five starters are all-stars, so he has to show that he can deal without being “the guy.” He’ll have to show he can take a step back and support Curry and Durant, not let his ego get the best of him and try to steal the show from them.
The team obviously has great chemistry after going to four consecutive NBA Finals. Even when Golden State inked Kevin Durant two summers ago, people weren’t sure how he’d fit into the system. Now, with Cousins joining the team, it’ll be even more difficult to imagine everyone getting their time in the spotlight.
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Talent has never been and never will be the issue with DeMarcus Cousins. Drawing headlines for the wrong reasons, which can be found all over the internet, has been a glaring issue, however. As long as he doesn’t destroy this locker room, his reputation will improve.
If he somehow manages to mess up this championship-caliber team, he’ll have hell to pay when searching for his next contract, since barely anyone wanted to sign him just now, let alone if his reputation worsens.