Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors’ DeMarcus Cousins Talks G League Assignment

December 10th, 2018 at 5:28pm CST by marksuleymanov

The latest step in DeMarcus Cousins‘ NBA comeback attempt was a G League assignment to the Warriors‘ affiliate in Santa Cruz. Cousins practiced with the team on Monday and came out of it without issues.

Cousins, 28, suffered a torn Achilles nearly a year ago when he was still a member of the Pelicans. Golden State inked the All-Star center with the hope he would be ready to play several months into the regular season. While today’s practice went well, Cousins noted that playing in an NBA game soon would not be easy.

“I mean if it was… I feel like if my life depended on it at the moment, yeah, I could go out and play a game,” Cousins told reporters, including ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I want to be 100% or as close to 100% as I can be when I do return. I want my body in tip-top shape. It is not even about the Achilles, it’s just about my other body parts and making sure everything is fine-tuned and in the best shape possible to go out and play a full game.”

The hope is that Cousins will be ready to play within the next three or four weeks, putting him on a track for a mid-January return. A healthy Cousins would give an already formidable lineup another elite, All-Star caliber talent. In 48 games before the injury, Cousins averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds in New Orleans.

The six-time All-Star noted it was his idea to join Santa Cruz as part of his rehab process.

“It was my idea, I want to come down,” he said. “Before I ever stepped on the floor, I wanted to get in some type of basketball rhythm. That’s something me and the trainers butted heads about, they have their idea of getting ready for a game and I have mine.”

It’s possible that Cousins plays in a G League game before his NBA return, but the center noted he had discussions with Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers and no decision has been made. Ultimately, his goal is to be as prepared as possible.

“It’s been extremely humbling,” Cousins said. “It’s really tested me as a person, as a man, as an athlete. I’ve had a lot of dark days, a lot of good days. I’ve questioned myself a lot. But I found a way to overcome all those bad feelings. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am extremely excited to get back on the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins To Practice In G League This Week

December 10th, 2018 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

Injured Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is expected to practice on Monday with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter links). According to Spears, Cousins will likely scrimmage with the NBAGL club and participate in every aspect of practice that he wants to.

Logan Murdock of The Bay Area News Group adds a little more detail on the Warriors’ plan for Cousins, who is coming back from an Achilles tear, writing that the big man will likely practice with Santa Cruz again on Wednesday.

Santa Cruz doesn’t have a game on its schedule until Friday, and it’s not clear if Cousins will play in that contest – or any others – with the G League squad. However, head coach Steve Kerr explained last week that the team wants the four-time All-Star to at least get in some practice time in the NBAGL.

“We don’t practice much just like any other NBA team since we have so many NBA games,” Kerr said. “He needs more intense and focused practice time. Hopefully, he can get some of that in Santa Cruz.”

There’s still no set timetable for Cousins’ return to the court for Golden State, but we heard a couple weeks ago that he and the team are targeting a post-Christmas return. The Warriors, who hold the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference despite Cousins, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green all missing time with injuries, won’t rush back their prized free agent signing.

Warriors Still Looking To Find Joy

December 9th, 2018 at 5:53pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

As the Warriors continue to fight through a season full of turmoil and injuries, Nick Friedell of ESPN writes that the team is still looking to find its joy, which is much harder to regain as it isn’t a tangible goal or accomplishment such as a championship ring or trophy.

Jason Terry Has Interest In Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks

December 9th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran guard Jason Terry considers himself retired unless he receives an offer from the Lakers, Warriors or Mavericks, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Terry made the comments as part of the Dallas broadcast of Saturday’s game, adding, “Then I’ll answer the phone.”

Terry, 41, played 19 NBA seasons, including the past two with Milwaukee. He averaged 3.3 PPG in 51 games last year and was hoping for another season with the Bucks, but the opportunity never came.

A career 38% shooter from 3-point range, Terry had his best years with the Hawks and Mavericks, winning a championship with Dallas in 2011. He signed with Boston in 2012 and entered a journeyman phase of his career, spending one season with the Celtics, another with the Nets and two with the Rockets before coming to Milwaukee.

There’s no indication that any of Terry’s preferences are considering giving him an opportunity. Golden State has a roster opening, but may not fill the spot all season to lessen its luxury tax. The Warriors are also waiting to see what happens with Patrick McCaw, who remains a restricted free agent.

The Lakers and Mavericks both have full 15-man rosters and would have to unload a guaranteed salary to add Terry.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Pacific Division

December 7th, 2018 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Pacific Division:

Jonas Jerebko, Warriors, PF, 31 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.18MM deal in 2018
Jerebko has bounced around the league the last few seasons but he always stays within his role and provides solid contributions wherever he lands. He’s averaging 7.2 PPG while shooting a career-high 48.9% from the field in 19.8 MPG. He’s also helped on the boards (5.5 RPG). An above-average 3-point shooter, Jerebko shouldn’t have too much trouble finding another contender to sign him as their backup stretch four next summer. It could be Golden State if he’s willing to settle for the veteran’s minimum again.

Tobias Harris, Clippers, 26, PF (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $64MM deal in 2015
When news leaked over the summer that Harris turned down an $80MM extension offer from the Clippers, many people wondered what Harris was thinking. He was willing to bet on himself that he could do even better as an unrestricted free agent and thus far, the odds have increased in his favor. Harris is posting career highs in several major categories, including scoring (21.0 PPG), shooting (50.8%) and rebounding (8.5 RPG) for one of the league’s surprise teams. When the superstars come off the board, Harris will be next in line for a big payday.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers, 25, SG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $12MM deal in 2018
The previous Pistons regime declined to give Caldwell-Pope a multi-year extension. He wound up signing a pair of generous one-year contracts with the Lakers but he’s been reduced to backup duty. Most of the shots he’s taken have come from beyond the arc and he’s not particularly good at it (33% this season, 34.4% for his career). Caldwell-Pope doesn’t appear to have a future with the Lakers beyond this season and will have to take a pay cut to find work elsewhere.

Dragan Bender, Suns, 21, PF (Down) — Signed to a three-year, $13.4MM deal in 2016
When the Suns drafted Bender No. 4 overall in 2016, then traded with Sacramento for No. 8 selection Marquese Chriss, they seemingly resolved their power forward spot for years to come. Instead, they wound up with two of the biggest busts in that draft. Chriss was traded away to Houston during training camp while Bender is barely seeing the court in Phoenix. He’s appeared in eight games while averaging just 5.5 MPG. Bender needs a change of scenery but he’ll have to settle for a modest deal next year until he proves he’s a genuine NBA player.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kings, 25, PF (Up)– Signed to a four-year, $15.35MM deal in 2015
The Kings have a lot of young bigs but Cauley-Stein has been a fixture in the lineup. He’s posting career highs at 14.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG while generally playing the same amount of minutes as last season. Cauley-Stein came into the league with a reputation of being a quality defender and he’s posted positive Defensive Box Plus/Minus ratings each season, according to Basketball-Reference. He’ll be a restricted free agent but might be one of the few who gets a substantial offer sheet, considering Sacramento will like choose to make Marvin Bagley III their main man in the middle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Rumors: Jones, Cousins, Green, Livingston

December 7th, 2018 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors provided a handful of injury updates on their big men today, starting with the official announcement that Damian Jones has undergone pectoral surgery. While Jones will be able to start rehabbing in six weeks, he’s likely to be sidelined for five or six months, head coach Steve Kerr said today (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN.com). That could put him on track to return during the postseason.

Meanwhile, DeMarcus Cousins is expected to head to Santa Cruz sometime this month to practice with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, according to Kerr (Twitter link via Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle). Cousins could even play in a couple games for the Santa Cruz Warriors before making his debut for Golden State, which is expected to happen after Christmas.

In the short term, Draymond Green went through shootaround and is pushing to play for the Warriors tonight against Milwaukee, per Kerr (Twitter link via Friedell). While they’ll see how he looks in warmups before making a decision, it sounds like the Dubs will continue playing it safe with Green, who is coming back from a toe injury. He’ll likely sit out at least one more game.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Kerr said today that the Warriors won’t use their open roster spot to add anyone for now, since they want to see how the club looks when healthy – Cousins included – before making any decisions (Twitter link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic).
Veteran guard Shaun Livingston isn’t sure exactly when he’ll call it a career, but tells Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders that his retirement probably isn’t too far down the road. “I mean, honestly who knows?” Livingston said. “A year, couple years? But I mean, it’s coming sooner than later. Handwriting is on the wall.” Andre Iguodala recently expressed a similar sentiment on his own career, though he’s nearly two years older than his longtime teammate.
In a conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, David West admitted that he has second-guessed his decision to retire once. It happened when he was watching Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have their shouting match at the end of that infamous game against the Clippers last month — West felt that his presence in that moment would have prevented the incident from escalating.
Speaking of the Green/Durant dynamic, Warriors general manager Bob Myers weighed in on that subject during a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game, as Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I really think it’s behind us. I really do,” Myers said of the friction between the two All-Stars. “You have to flush it out, you have to get it all out there — get all your emotions out. There’s a healing part of it — you don’t get over it in 30 seconds — but you do get over it. And I honestly think they have.”

Damian Jones Undergoes Pectoral Surgery

December 7th, 2018 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors center Damian Jones, who suffered a torn left pectoral muscle last weekend, has undergone surgery to repair the injury, the club announced today in a press release.

When Jones was first diagnosed, the Warriors indicated that he would be out indefinitely. There’s still no specific timetable for his return, but the team provided a little more clarity today, announcing that the 23-year-old will be able to begin his rehabilitation process in about six weeks. Golden State will have a better sense at that point of whether Jones will be able to get back on the court before the end of the season.

If Jones is ruled out for 2018/19, the Warriors could apply for a disabled player exception, but it wouldn’t do much for them, given Jones’ modest $1,544,951 salary. If granted, a DPE allows a club to sign a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, assuming that amount is below the value of the mid-level exception.

Jones, a first-round pick in 2016, earned starting duties at center for the Warriors this season, averaging 5.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 24 games (17.1 MPG) before he went down.

While the Warriors have an open spot on their 15-man roster and could make a move to add depth in their frontcourt, they’ve seemed content to let Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell handle the five for now. Draymond Green is expected to return to the lineup next week and can play center in some smaller lineups, as can Jonas Jerebko.

Of course, the Warriors are also preparing for one of the NBA’s very best centers to make his debut for the team within the next several weeks. DeMarcus Cousins, who signed with Golden State in the offseason, is reportedly targeting a post-Christmas return.

Jones' Injury Could Prompt Roster Move

December 3rd, 2018 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors dealt with a meningitis scare last March, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. An outside vendor who handled the team’s food on a daily basis contracted a contagious form of the disease. Extensive precautionary measures were taken to ensure the meningitis didn’t spread to the team, Amick continues. A majority of the Warriors’ players and some members of the basketball operations staff took vaccination shots and a team practice was relocated to Oracle Arena while the team’s practice facility in downtown Oakland was sanitized, Amick adds. The health scare appears to be what David West was referring to when he made cryptic comments in the spring about the private challenges the team had dealt with.
With Damian Jones likely out for the season, the Warriors are evaluating whether to make a roster move, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic details. Jones tore a pectoral muscle in Detroit on Saturday. Willie Reed, currently posting big numbers in the G League, could be a candidate. Robin Lopez and Enes Kanter could be options if they’re bought out after the trade deadline, Slater opines. But the Dubs have Marcus Derrickson on a two-way deal and DeMarcus Cousins should return soon from his Achilles injury, so they may elect to stand pat, Slater adds.

Pacific Notes: Green, Clippers, Beasley, Kings

December 2nd, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by JD Shaw

Draymond Green is gradually getting closer to returning after missing more than two weeks of action with a sprained toe, some positive news for Golden State after the team announced Damian Jones tore his pectoral muscle over the weekend.

Green was originally expected to return during the Warriors‘ current road trip, but plans have since changed, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link). The Warriors don’t return to Oracle Arena until they host the Timberwolves next Monday.

Green has made progress in the past two weeks and no longer feels pain in his toe, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link). He’s played a major role in the Warriors’ past three title teams and will provide a much-needed boost once he returns. The Warriors, who just got Stephen Curry back from injury, are 5-5 without Green this season.

“I just need to play,” Green said Saturday, according to Friedell. “I don’t really think practices are going to be it for me because practice ain’t really [hard]. Just got to get up and down some. It’s about building to that process too so we’ll see.”

There’s more out of the Pacific division today:

Despite the recent underwhelming play from the bench, the Clippers have continued putting forth a strong effort on both ends of the floor, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. Los Angeles has started the 2018/19 season with a 15-6 record, good for the top seed in the Western Conference.
Lakers forward Michael Beasley has accepted his role with the team this season despite not knowing when he’ll play, The Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner writes. Beasley was one of several veterans who joined the Lakers this past offseason after LeBron James made his decision. “I stayed engaged the same way you [in the media] stayed engaged as a fan,” Beasley said. “I enjoy the game. I enjoy my teammates. God has granted me serenity a long time ago.”
The Kings intend to use the same development plan with Marvin Bagley lll that they used with De’Aaron Fox, James Ham of NBC Sports writes. Sacramento drafted Fox fifth overall back in 2017, then used its No. 2 overall pick in June’s draft to select Bagley lll. “I feel like I’m getting better and better,” Bagley said. “It’s coming along. I just can’t wait to develop some more things to add to my game and one day be one of those guys in this league that people know and people look up to and want to be like.”

Warriors’ Damian Jones Suffers Torn Pectoral Muscle

December 2nd, 2018 at 1:13pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors center Damian Jones is out indefinitely after suffering a torn left pectoral muscle, the team announced on Sunday.

He sustained the injury Saturday night against the Pistons and will likely miss the rest of the season after surgery, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jones, 23, underwent an MRI in Detroit after the game that revealed the injury. He’ll visit a specialist in the coming days to determine whether he can return during the postseason or offseason.

Jones has averaged 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 17.1 minutes in 24 games with Golden State this season, starting in 22 contests. The Warriors drafted him with the No. 30 pick in 2016 after he spent three seasons at Vanderbilt.

In the wake of Jones’ injury, Golden State will likely bring up two-way forward Marcus Derrickson and could explore the free agent market for big men, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link).

“We’ll check on our options, see what we want to do,” coach Steve Kerr said, according to Slater.

The Warriors are 15-9 through their first 24 games and now have two healthy centers on the active roster. New acquisition DeMarcus Cousins continues to rehab from Achilles surgery and is expected to return at some point this season.