Storyline: DeMarcus Cousins Injury
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Marc Stein: Jordan Bell gets the Finals Game 1 start at center for the Warriors. DeMarcus Cousins is active and available
Connor Letourneau: Steve Kerr said that he doesn’t think DeMarcus Cousins’ conditioning coming off the quad injury will allow him to play big minutes, but Cousins should help in bursts.
Connor Letourneau: Kerr declined to say what Cousins’ workload would be tonight.
Marcus Thompson: Cousins is sounding like someone who wants to play
Marc J. Spears: Injured center DeMarcus Cousins will be available at #Warriors Media Day at the #NBAFinals today but injured forward Kevin Durant is not listed.
Cousins appeared rusty and told The Undefeated that his conditioning needs work. Warriors coach Steve Kerr listed Cousins as questionable for Game 1 against the host Toronto Raptors. But just the possibility of Cousins being available for Game 1 is stunning. “It’s just about getting my body in shape, my quad muscle in shape and go through the different phases and ups and downs of the game,” Cousins said. “It has been a tough week. I’ve been working my tail off to get to this point. But I am healthy enough.”
In regards to his upcoming free agency, Cousins said he plans to “take it one step at a time.” His focus right now is on winning his first championship and playing a role in it. “All I can do is make sure I do what I can control and that is to get better each and every day, whether it’s my health, me as a basketball player, me as a person,” Cousins said. “Whatever the case may be, I have to make sure I better myself each and every day.”
Mark Medina: Steve Kerr said DeMarcus Cousins is “making good progress.” But Kerr outlines complexities of Cousins’ return pic.twitter.com/9A5SpobWb6
Nick Friedell: Cousins on injury — “Initially I thought it was worse than what it was.” Said it took him a couple days to get over another injury, but was glad it wasn’t as serious as it could have been. Cousins isn’t sure yet exactly what his role will be if and when he returns.
Mark Kreidler: Warriors announce that Durant hasn’t been cleared to return to on-court activity. Team says it’s “hopeful” that “at some point” he plays in NBA Finals. Cousins is more likely at this point.
Mark Medina: Warriors say they “anticipate” DeMarcus Cousins will play at some point in the NBA Finals. Warriors they are “hopeful” Kevin Durant plays at some point in the NBA Finals. But nothing is certain. Warriors will re-evaluate both players on Wednesday
“I think it’s very motivating for us to try to sweep this series and have that time off,” Green said on Sunday. “Obviously we’re a little banged up so nine days off would be great for us. Allow Andre [Iguodala] time to heal, Shaun [Livingston]’s old — but also allow the possibility of Kevin [Durant] and DeMarcus [Cousins] to get healthy and come back as well. So I think it’s very important for us to come out tomorrow with the right mindset. We didn’t do that against the Clippers. “
Logan Murdock: Steve Kerr on DeMarcus Cousins’ status: “He’s working really hard. He’s been in the training room religiously. … So he is ahead of Kevin, as far as getting onto the court.”
DeMarcus Cousins is pretty obsessed with returning at some point in these playoffs. It’s easy to understand. He’s extremely competitive. This is basketball at the highest level. It’s the first time he’s been around it. But he’s frothing for an actual taste. “I’m built different,” he told The Athletic. “He wants to play so damn bad,” one team source said.
DeMarcus Cousins back for West Finals?
Marc Stein: Another reward for the victorious Warriors: League sources say that DeMarcus Cousins — if he maintains his recent progress from a torn quad — is on course to make a return to the Warriors’ active roster during the Western Conference finals
DeMarcus Cousins returning this season?
Golden State Warriors injured center DeMarcus Cousins said he expects to play again this season after suffering a partially torn quadriceps muscle and envisions a “very nice ending” to the 2018-19 campaign.
“For me, my goal is I ain’t planning on sitting,” Cousins told The Undefeated after the Warriors’ shootaround in preparation for Monday’s Game 4 against the Houston Rockets in a second-round playoff series. “I don’t know the reality of it. But for me, that is not what I’m planning on doing…It’s definitely some type of bad movie. But I think it will have a very nice ending. Just wait for it.”
When asked about potentially returning in the Rockets series or at a future time, Cousins answered, “We will see.” “I’m taking it day by day,” Cousins said. “I’m in better spirits, for sure. I kind of shut the world out. There are a lot of opinions out there. I shut the world out, went to my little zone and I’m taking it a day at a time. There were too many opinions. Everybody thought they knew what was going on. Everybody is a doctor. Just sit back and watch. I will do the rest.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is leaving open the possibility of centers DeMarcus Cousins and Damian Jones returning at some point during the playoffs. “It’s a possibility he could be back,” Kerr said of Jones. “Same with DeMarcus. He’s coming along pretty well. We’ll just wait and see.”
Mark Medina: DeMarcus Cousins is here with the team rehabbing
Marc J. Spears: Warriors coach Steve Kerr says DeMarcus Cousins is “progressing with his rehab but not enough to report.”
Connor Letourneau: Good sign of progress: DeMarcus Cousins is getting up shots after practice.
Anthony Slater: DeMarcus Cousins on the bench today. First time since the injury.
Center DeMarcus Cousins is unlikely to return this postseason for the Golden State Warriors yet won’t require surgery on his torn left quadriceps muscle. Coach Steve Kerr has named Andrew Bogut as his starter in place of Cousins for Game 3 Thursday night of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Clippers in Los Angeles. Playing in just his second career postseason game after a nine-year wait, the 28-year-old Cousins went down in the first quarter of a 135-131 Game 2 loss Monday night. He fell in front of the Golden State bench after swiping a ball from Patrick Beverley in the back court. Cousins immediately grabbed at his left quad then hobbled to the locker room at the 8:09 mark.
Marc J. Spears: Hornets guard Tony Parker tore his quad muscle and returned in eight months. Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins’ camp is holding out hope for a much faster prognosis if he responds well to treatment.
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, who exited last night’s Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter, underwent an MRI exam earlier this morning in the Bay Area. The MRI confirmed that Cousins has suffered a torn left quadriceps muscle. The injury will sideline Cousins indefinitely and he will begin rehabilitation immediately
DeMarcus Cousins done for the playoffs
Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins has a torn left quad, a source told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears on Tuesday. Doctors are still determining the severity of Cousins’ quad tear, which will determine the length of the recovery process, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It is unclear whether he will need surgery or how long he could be out. An MRI confirmed the team’s fear of a tear on Tuesday morning.
Shams Charania: Warriors All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has been diagnosed with a torn left quad, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Devastating for Cousins, who had MRI early this morning.
Anthony Slater: Another playoffs spent watching his team while his left leg is immobilized, another summer of intensive rehab, another free agency where he’ll find the market depressed. An agonizing last 15 months (and next 9 or so) in DeMarcus Cousins career.
DeMarcus Cousins done for the playoffs?
Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is expected to miss the remainder of the postseason with a significant left quadriceps injury, but there’s faint optimism that he could possibly return for the NBA Finals, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Cousins, 28, will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning, which should reveal if the Finals are a realistic target for the four-time All-Star, sources said.
He refused assistance to the locker room by teammates and walked off on his own power to be examined with cameras catching what appeared to be a noticeable injury to his quad. The Warriors’ big man is only a few months removed from returning from a left Achilles tear that sidelined him for a year, and for the first time in his nine NBA seasons, he was experiencing his first taste of a long playoff run. “It’s tough, for sure,” Stephen Curry said. “You feel for him, considering what he’s been through this last year. This is a big stage, the playoffs. He’s been looking forward to this. I don’t know the extent of the injury at this point. Hope he gets back sooner than later. Just man to man, in terms of him, what he’s been through, it’s tough for sure. There’s no sugarcoating it at all. You hate seeing that opportunity again on this big stage taken away from him like that.”
Connor Letourneau: If DeMarcus Cousins is done for the postseason, his chances of re-signing with the Warriors would go up significantly. Have to think the free-agency market for an injured Cousins would be tepid, at best.
Jusuf Nurkic: Praying for @boogiecousins ????????
DeMarcus Cousins goes down
Adrian Wojnarowski: There’s significant concern that DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a torn left quad, but there won’t be complete certainty until his MRI on Tuesday, league sources tell ESPN. The hope is that it’s just a strain.
“There’s a pretty significant quad injury … he’s going to be out for a while,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the Clippers evened the first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins will undergo an MRI on his quad tomorrow, league source tells ESPN.
Marcus Thompson: Boogie is going straight to the locker room. Bogut tried to help him so he doesn’t put weight on his foot. Boogie rejected the help and limped on his own
Mark Medina: Warriors officially say DeMarcus Cousins will play tonight vs Pacers at Oracle Arena
Logan Murdock: DeMarcus Cousins is expected to play Thursday vs Indiana, per coach Steve Kerr.
Marc J. Spears: Warriors say DeMarcus Cousins underwent an MRI on his sore right ankle today, the results of which came back clean. He will not play in tonight’s game at San Antonio and will be listed as day-to-day.
Logan Murdock: DeMarcus Cousins is currently getting an MRI, which Kerr called “precautionary.”
Tom Orsborn: DeRozan said “without a doubt” he will return Sunday vs. Clippers. #Spurs
Tom Orsborn: DeMar: “I’m just a little banged up. I always pride myself on not missing anything, a practice, a game. But when you play a lot of minutes, a lot of things accumulate you’ve got to deal with, so it was good to get a rest… A couple of days off for me will be big.” #Spurs
On May 19, 2018, Cousins posted a picture to Twitter and Instagram that showed Wilkins moments after he ruptured his Achilles. It gave Cousins hope and he praised the legend’s comeback. Shortly after, the two NBA stars connected. “I reached out to him,” Wilkins told HoopsHype. “I told him, ‘Don’t listen to all of the critics. Nobody knows your heart the way that you do. Use that to your advantage. Don’t let all of the critics dictate who you are.’”
Some fans questioned why Wilkins has been willing to help a rival player, considering he is Atlanta’s Vice President of Basketball and Cousins obviously plays for the Warriors. However, for Wilkins, this is much bigger than competing with Golden State. “People look at it and ask why I’m lighting a fire in a guy who isn’t on my team, but, to me, that doesn’t matter,” Wilkins explained. “It’s not about that! It’s about helping someone continue to fulfill their dreams. That’s what was the most important thing to me because, look, I’ve been through it! I’ve been through this. I know what he’s dealing with.”
After getting to know Cousins throughout this process, Wilkins has become a big believer in the former Kentucky product. “I would be very surprised if he didn’t come back and get back to the level he once was at,” Wilkins said. “He’s a guy who absolutely loves to play. He plays with emotion. He plays with a fire. And the good thing for him is he was a lot younger at 27 years old [than I was when I had the injury]. He’s a guy who’s really committed. We’ve had some great conversations. I love his game. I really do love his game,” Wilkins continued. “He plays with a lot of emotion and passion, and I have no problem with that. He’s a guy who’s always going to play hard and he’s going to go after guys. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, and that’s what makes you great. He’s one of those throwback guys [who remind me] of the players you’d see back when I played. He’s that kind of guy.”
Cousins is confident he will be able to return to his All-Star form over time. “I’m back, and I’m not looking back,” Cousins said. “I’m moving forward. I’m leaving it on the floor every night. And I plan on coming back for that top spot.”
Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, who is making his season debut on Friday on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers, attempted to get cleared to return from injury a few weeks ago, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Cousins, who tore his left Achilles tendon almost a full year ago, was intent on speeding up his timeline to return, but the organization wanted to implement a 10-minute playing restriction, league sources said.
How do you think you’re gonna come back a different player than you were when we last saw you? Cousins: Well, obviously, I won’t be the same player. I’ve gotten better. (laughs) So you know, a lot of things have changed in my game. You start to tune up other areas of your game: jump shooting, skill work. I think everything has just increased and gotten better.
Have those parts of your personality really come forward in this last few months? Cousins: Oh, they’ve gotten worse. (laughs) A lot worse. Nichols: So you’re coming back more stubborn than you left us? Cousins: Absolutely. Absolutely. Nichols: Should the officials be concerned? Cousins: Nah. They’re on my good side — right now.
Ringer NBA: Oh… (via Draymond Green)
Anthony Slater: Warriors have talked behind the scenes about the importance of dropping DeMarcus Cousins into smooth waters. Despite turbulence, appears they will. Fifth straight W tonight, a blowout in Denver. Everyone healthy, vibe around team best it’s been in a couple months.
Nick Friedell: Kerr says Warriors will be cautious with minutes as they start this back-to-back but DeMarcus Cousins will not play Wednesday night vs. Pelicans. He remains on track to play Friday at Staples vs. Clippers.
Nick DePaula: EXCLUSIVE: DeMarcus Cousins will debut with the Warriors on Friday in this Puma Clyde Court PE. Shoes feature a racing flag graphic and @BoogieCousins’ mantra “The Marathon Continues…” as he returns to action.
Anthony Slater: DeMarcus Cousins is still on track for a Friday return in Los Angeles, Steve Kerr says.
Dominique Wilkins could hear the melancholy in DeMarcus Cousins’ voice last June. Five months removed from a season-ending Achilles injury, Cousins’ career was suddenly in doubt: Would anyone pick him up in free agency? Could he play at an All-Star level again? During that phone conversation, Wilkins told Cousins not to worry about his critics because “no one knows your heart like you do.” The Hall of Famer’s message resonated. Twenty-six years earlier, Wilkins was 32 when he tore his right Achilles tendon, only to come back nine months later and make two more All-NBA teams.
“People always doubt people first before they give people credit for how quickly they can come back from those types of injuries, but it depends on the person,” Wilkins said. “I think DeMarcus is a guy who’s put the work in and is going to be fine.” The breakthrough for Cousins came in the past couple of weeks, when he started to show flashes of dominance in workouts. Finally, after almost 12 months of rehab, Cousins looked self-assured as he leapt for rebounds and threw down dunks. Instead of worrying about his surgically repaired left Achilles tendon, the four-time All-Star was able to play on instinct.
Through a handful of phone calls, DeMarcus Cousins received a blueprint on how to overcome the biggest challenge of his nine-year NBA career. Well before he could even begin his rehab, Cousins contacted one of the NBA’s best dunkers (former Atlanta Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins), one of the league’s best scorers (former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant), a former teammate (San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay) and a dependable NBA role player (Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Mathews). Shortly after the Warriors signed Cousins to a one-year $5.3 million deal last July with their mid-level taxpayer exception, Cousins spoke with the Warriors’ other free agent acquisition (Jonas Jerebko).
“I wasn’t really looking for a specific answer to get through it,” Cousins said. “I wanted to see what each guy’s mindset was and compare it to my own.” Each players’ journey has been different. They mostly stressed similar messages, though. While Wilkins advised Cousins “not to listen to the critics,” Gay instructed Cousins, “don’t feel sorry for yourself.” A few months following Cousins’ surgery on Jan. 31, 2018, Mathews told him “to take his time.” Shortly after the two became teammates last summer, Jerebko argued the same thing.
That date is soon approaching. Then, Cousins hopes to write his comeback story. He already has learned plenty on how others wrote theirs. “It’s really tested me as a person, a man and an athlete,” Cousins said. “I had a lot of dark days and a lot of good days. I questioned myself a lot. But I found a way to overcome all of those bad feelings. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and extremely excited to be out on there on the floor.”
Cousins, who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors last summer, will make his long-awaited return to the floor after rehabbing a torn left Achilles tendon he suffered Jan. 26, 2018. “He’ll start,” Kerr said after Thursday’s practice. “I’ll start him. After that, everything’s on the table. We have to figure out what the rotations will look like, how many minutes he can play. We’ll have to play around with the minutes, the combinations, the sets. “We haven’t had a player like him here before. So it will be new; it won’t be as simple [as] plug him in and he’ll fit right in. We’re going to play through him some so there will be a period where we all have to adapt. Fortunately we’re halfway through the year, we have a lot of games to figure this out.”
Anthony Slater: Steve Kerr won’t commit to that DeMarcus Cousins Jan. 18th return for sure, but confirms team has recently agreed to timetable right around then pic.twitter.com/Drh648aort
Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is targeting the Jan. 18 game at the LA Clippers for his season debut, a source told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears. The four-time All-Star has not played since rupturing his left Achilles tendon as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 26, 2018, against the Houston Rockets.
Cousins was expected to sign a max extension last summer prior to the injury. He is hoping to show prospective teams that he is fully healthy in anticipation of landing a big extension this summer, all while potentially helping Golden State to a third straight title.
Marc J. Spears: Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he plans to incorporate DeMarcus Cousins over next 20 games although it sounds sooner rather than later. “It’s closer now. The conditioning has got over a barrier,” Kerr said. Kerr wouldn’t offer a date.
July 18, 2019 | 7:20 pm EDT Update
Cam Reynolds to Bucks
Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent F Cam Reynolds has agreed to a two-way deal with Milwaukee, agent @JamesDunleavy3 tells ESPN.
Andrew Greif: The Clippers’ signing of JaMychal Green is now official, per the team.
Anthony Slater: Klay Thompson, two weeks post left ACL surgery
The Washington Wizards’ sideline probably will look slightly different for the 2019-20 season, once the team makes intended internal coaching moves. The Wizards are in the preliminary stages of a shift that would promote Jarell Christian to an NBA assistant coach and have Ryan Richman take over the head coaching duties with their G League franchise, the Capital City Go-Go, according to several people with knowledge of the plans that have not yet been finalized.
The expected in-house moves reflect only minor alterations to Brooks’s staff, a unit that has remained relatively constant in his three seasons as Washington’s head coach. The staff also consists of veteran coach Tony Brown, former player Robert Pack, who coached the Wizards during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Mike Terpstra and Maz Trakh.
The Oakland Police Department has handed its investigation into Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri over to a district attorney, following a physical altercation last month between Mr. Ujiri and an unnamed sheriff’s deputy over access to the court following the NBA Finals. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley received the police report into the dispute this week, her office confirmed.
