DeMarcus Cousins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Cousins, Grizzlies, Divac, Griffin

April 15th, 2019 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMarcus Cousins suffered a left quad injury during the first quarter of the Warriors’ game against the Clippers on Monday night will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Cousins suffered the non-contact injury while making a steal. If the injury is serious, it would naturally be a major blow to Golden State’s quest for a third straight championship. The Warriors signed Andrew Bogut late in the season and his role would grow if Cousins misses significant time.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Grizzlies may be more focused on front office hires than filling their head coaching vacancy, David Cobb of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. J.B. Bickerstaff was fired and head of basketball operations Chris Wallace was re-assigned to a scouting position last week. Jason Wexler was promoted to team president and Zach Kleiman was named executive VP of basketball operations. “Trending that way,” Wexler told Cobb about the need to fill out the front office before hiring a coach. “But at the same time, I’m not definitely saying that we’ll have a full front office as we move through the coaching search. There will be a little bit of dual-tracking, but focusing a little bit more heavily on the front office out of the gate.” There’s been no talk yet about potential candidates, as we detail in our Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Kings GM Vlade Divac hinted at a disconnect between himself and former coach Dave Joerger during Luke Walton‘s introductory press conference on Monday. Divac, who played with Walton on the Lakers 14 seasons ago, commented that he hired someone who was “on the same page” with him. “I think coaching is the toughest job in the NBA,” he told Noel Harris of the Sacramento Bee and other media members. “Having somebody who is behind you to work together, be on the same page and share the same philosophy about the game is definitely going to help both of us.”
David Griffin, who was hired over the weekend to run the Pelicans’ front office, received assurances from the franchise that it would bring in reinforcements to its basketball staff, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate reports. The front office, including the scouting department, executive staff and developmental arm, will be expanded. Griffin might still hire a GM and several assistant GM to work beneath him, though he will be the ultimate decision-maker on basketball moves, Kushner adds.

Warriors Notes: Green, Kobe, Cousins, Myers

April 13th, 2019 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

A preseason encounter with Kobe Bryant helped Draymond Green prepare for the end of the Warriors‘ dynasty whenever it occurs, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Green had expected Bryant to be missing the game when they talked, but the former Lakers star was at peace with retirement and has moved on to the next chapter of his life.

“[Kobe is] not sitting in retirement like, ‘Man, I wish I can go be out there.’ No, he’s on to the next thing because [he] gave that one thing everything [he] had,” Green recounted. “And I think it will be very similar with this team. Whenever that point comes, we’re going to know that we gave it everything we got and you move on. But you feel good about moving on. You’re not sick about moving on.”

Golden State has faced more challenges than usual on its way to the top seed in the West. An early-season altercation between Green and Kevin Durant led to speculation that the Warriors would splinter apart, and the upcoming free agency for Durant, Klay Thompson and others threatens to break up a successful core.

“Whether it ends while we’re all together, whether it ends when everyone separates, it’s going to end at some point,” Green said. “That’s the nature of the game we play. The fact of the matter is whenever it ends, I think we maximized. Like, we’re going to have a feeling of we maximized what we could do.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Golden State’s five-year run of success can be traced back to a playoff loss to the Clippers in 2014, notes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. After that series, the Warriors decided to fire Mark Jackson and replace him with Steve Kerr. Their young stars learned what it takes to succeed in the postseason, and former All-Star Andre Iguodala agreed to accept a role off the bench.
While his two former teams are making significant changes, DeMarcus Cousins is enjoying the first playoff series, Medina observes in a separate story. After 7 1/2 years of dysfunction in Sacramento and a poorly timed injury in New Orleans, Cousins is savoring the postseason experience, even though he hasn’t fully recovered from last year’s Achilles injury. “I’m not in tip-top shape where I’ve been at in my career. But I’m definitely headed in the right direction,” Cousins said. “I’m confident in my body. I’m confident with my movements. Obviously it’s not as crisp as I would like it to be. But everything is on the right path.”
Warriors president and GM Bob Myers laughs off rumors that he might be headed to L.A. to take over the Lakers, relays Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Warriors Notes: Durant, Kerr, Cousins, Curry

April 3rd, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant is one technical foul away from a one-game suspension after picking up a pair in last night’s win over the Nuggets, writes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. The Warriors held a 21-point lead in the third quarter when Durant became upset that no foul was called on a 3-point attempt. He screamed repeatedly at official Zach Zarba, who T’d him up twice and ejected him.

It’s an ongoing problem for a team that has 60 technicals and six ejections on the season. Durant ($15,000), Stephen Curry ($25,000) and Draymond Green ($35,000) were all fined for criticizing the officiating against the Timberwolves last week.

“We can be better in terms of keeping (our) poise, myself included,” said coach Steve Kerr, who has collected six technicals. “You go into each game. You’re excited. But you’re going to yell at the refs. Both teams are, but you have to keep your poise and we’ll have to do a better job in the postseason.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

DeMarcus Cousins offered a reminder that he’s still among the NBA’s elite big men in the win over Denver, Medina notes in a separate story. In a matchup with All-Star center Nikola Jokic, Cousins posted 28 points, 12 rebounds and five assists as the Warriors pulled away in a battle of the top two teams in the West. “He kind of goes at every guy that since his injury a lot of people have tried to put some guys before him,” Green said. “He goes at every one of them. It’s personal for him. When you can back that up with the talent that he has, it’s special to watch.”
Curry doesn’t have any plans to leave a good situation, relays Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area. Asked on a “Today Show” appearance this morning where he sees himself in five years, Curry responded, “Still playing for the Warriors and still hopefully winning championships.” Curry’s current contract expires in 2022, so he would have to re-sign with Golden State to make that happen.
Curry credits new contact lenses for his improved shooting of late, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry revealed that he’s had vision issues throughout his life, dealing with Keratoconus, which has produced an astigmatism that can lead to blurred vision. “It’s like the whole world has opened up,” he said.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Fredette, Kokoskov, McGee

March 24th, 2019 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors won’t use center DeMarcus Cousins in back-to-back games for the rest of the season, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Cousins returned to action in mid-January after a severe Achilles injury last season and has expressed frustration over the slow progress of his recovery. The Warriors have two back-to-backs left on the schedule.

Coach Steve Kerr told reporters tonight that the team will prioritize having a healthy roster heading into the playoffs over trying to capture the top seed in the West. Kerr talked with Rick Celebrini, the team’s director of sports medicine and performance, about the need to rest several players over the final two and a half weeks.

“With DeMarcus, we made the decision based on Rick’s assessment [that] he should just not play back-to-backs this season, so he’s not going to,” Kerr said. “Andre [Iguodala] and Shaun [Livingston], both periodically we’ve been given rest to the last several years, based on the age and wear and tear. Every once in a while, it’ll just come up that Rick will recommend let’s give somebody a rest. Last night it was [Stephen Curry]. He’s been going a couple months straight. Has looked a little tired the last couple of weeks, so it made perfect sense. I think we’ll be better for it in the long run.”

There’s more tonight from the Pacific Division:

Jimmer Fredette played four minutes and went scoreless in his return to the NBA last night and said he’s thankful to the Suns for giving him a chance, relays Cody Cunningham of NBA.com. “I was just excited to get back out there and try to help the team in any way that I can,” Fredette said. “Obviously, it’s towards the end of the year. My job is to come in and try to keep these guys positive, be a veteran guy and go in there and try to be aggressive.”
First-year Suns coach Igor Kokoskov is staying focused on the end of the season instead of his shaky future with the team, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Despite having a three-year contract, Kokoskov isn’t certain to return after leading Phoenix to the worst record in the West.
Although the Lakers are out of the running for the playoffs, JaVale McGee had the best night of his 11-year career on Friday, notes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. McGee, who will be a free agent again this summer, lit up the scoreboard with 33 points and 20 rebounds in a win over the Nets. “Get wins and play hard,” he said of his philosophy for the rest of the season. “That’s what our mentality is. There is no slacking. As a team that’s not making the playoffs, I’m planning on playing teams that are supposed to make the playoffs and knocking them out too. Might as well.”

Bogut Joins Warriors, Cousins Day-To-Day

March 18th, 2019 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

3:25pm: The Warriors have announced that Cousins’ MRI came back clean. He’s being listed as day-to-day, though he has been ruled out for tonight’s game vs. the Spurs and Medina wouldn’t be surprised if he missed Tuesday’s contest vs. the Wolves as well (Twitter link).

In Cousins’ absence, Bogut will play tonight for Golden State, Kerr confirmed earlier today (link via Medina).

8:48am: With Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins set to undergo an MRI on his sore right foot on Monday, newly-added big man Andrew Bogut will join the club earlier than expected, as Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News outlines.

After flying to the Bay Area from Australia, Bogut was initially expected to get settled in – and recover from jet lag – before meeting up with the Warriors when they return from their current road trip later this week. However, with Cousins at risk of missing a game or two, Bogut will be available for Monday’s game in San Antonio, writes Medina.

It’s not clear whether Bogut will immediately play a major role for the Warriors, but if Cousins is unable to suit up on Monday vs. the Spurs and Tuesday in Minnesota, the former No. 1 overall pick could be asked to step in right away.

Nick Friedell of ESPN.com notes that head coach Steve Kerr didn’t sound too concerned about Cousins’ injured foot over the weekend, so the MRI may just be precautionary. The Warriors have played it safe with minor ailments lately, sitting Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant for a couple games apiece after their MRIs came back clean. I’d expect the club to be even more cautious with Cousins, who returned from an Achilles tear earlier this year.

Durant, meanwhile, is expected to return to the Warriors’ lineup on Monday after missing the last two games, Friedell adds.

Warriors Notes: Bogut, Jones, Looney, Cousins

March 8th, 2019 at 1:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andrew Bogut could return to the Warriors for their March 16 game at Oklahoma City, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Circumstances are setting up for Bogut to make his debut in an ABC prime time game against one of Golden State’s top challengers, featuring a matchup against New Zealand rival Steven Adams.

After receiving clearance from his Australian team to rejoin the NBA, the next step for Bogut is to obtain a U.S. work visa, Medina continues. Bogut must decide whether to have a visa sent to the American consulate in Sydney or to obtain a tourist visa that would enable him to travel to Oakland. If he picks the second option, he will have to fly to Vancouver during the week to obtain a work visa.

“Maybe at the end of next week would be the hope,” Warriors GM Bob Myers said yesterday in his weekly interview on 95.7 The Game.

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Coach Steve Kerr hasn’t given up on the possibility that Damian Jones might return for the playoffs, even though it appears unlikely, Medina adds in the same piece. Jones hasn’t played since undergoing surgery in December on a torn left pectoral muscle. Kerr said the third-year center has done on-court work “in the last week or two,” but still hasn’t participated in “anything live,” such as a full-court scrimmage. The Warriors are already well stocked at center, with Bogut joining DeMarcus Cousins, Kevon Looney, Jordan Bell and Jonas Jerebko. Golden State has Jones under contract for $2.3MM next season.
The right pelvic soreness that Looney has been experiencing isn’t related to hip injuries that limited him to 58 games over his first two seasons, Medina relays in a separate story. Looney has missed the past two games and said the training staff told him to rest until the problem was resolved. “I know what real pain feels like. I know when it’s really serious,” he said. “I feel all ends of the injuries in that area. I knew it wasn’t serious and knew I could clean it up in a couple of days. It was best for me to take care of it now.”
Cousins credits assistant coach Jarron Collins for making his comeback from a ruptured Achilles successful, Medina writes in another piece. Cousins calls the 10-year NBA veteran and fifth-year coach “the biggest help for me this entire season.”

Warriors Notes: Durant, Jones, Cousins, Bogut

March 7th, 2019 at 6:02pm CST by JD Shaw

Some members of the Warriors organization are concerned that Kevin Durant‘s recent behavior could be a sign that he already has one foot out the door, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Warriors are coming off a deflating 128-95 home loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, with several figures around the team expressing their displeasure after the game. Among them was Durant, who appeared to be ticked off from the start of his postgame presser, Haynes notes.

“It starts with a passion, and an anger and an intensity, and it wasn’t there tonight,” head coach Steve Kerr said.

Durant was quick to disagree with this when a media member informed him of Kerr’s comment, curiously about his coach’s declaration.

“I thought we move off of joy?” Durant asked, fully knowing “joy” is a phrase Kerr often uses when discussing their style of play. “Now it’s anger? OK. I disagree with that one. I think all around, top to bottom, coaches, players, we just gotta be better.”

Durant tallied 18 points on just 5-of-16 shooting on Tuesday, also recording five turnovers with a minus-20 net rating. Haynes also noted in the same story how some members of the Warriors are not concerned with Durant’s behavior, labeling it as just a common rigor of the regular season.

Durant, a consensus top-three player in the NBA, has the option to decline a $31.5MM player option and become a free agent on July 1.

There’s more out of Golden State today:

Damian Jones is unlikely to return this season or during the playoffs despite conducting an on-court workout Thursday, Steve Kerr said, as relayed by Anthony Slater of the The Athletic (Twitter link). Jones underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle in December.
Draymond Green defended DeMarcus Cousins after the loss to Boston, explaining why fans shouldn’t blame Cousins for the team’s defensive woes in recent weeks. “I think so many people are kind of looking at the starting lineup and saying, ‘Oh, DeMarcus is in there and the defense is worse,'” Green said, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “But our defense has been horses— no matter who’s in there. It’s easy to look at the numbers and think the numbers tell a story, but the fact of the matter is we haven’t been competing.”
Kerr discussed the team’s decision to sign Andrew Bogut on a rest-of-season contract, as relayed by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “We looked at this as an insurance policy in the frontcourt,” Kerr said. “A guy who obviously knows our system, knows our players. He’s great for our offense — his dribble hand-offs, passing ability, lob threat — and defensively he’s been one of the best in the game for a long time. He had a great season in Sydney. He’s healthy, he’s fresh. He was the best player available for us. We have to look ahead to the playoffs for different match-ups, and we felt vulnerable particularly in case of injury and against certain match-ups.” Bogut isn’t expected to make his debut with the team for at least another week.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Pacific Division

March 3rd, 2019 at 8:15pm 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:

D eMarcus Cousins, Warriors, 28, C (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $5.3MM deal in 2018
Everyone was curious to see how healthy Cousins would look after returning from the Achilles injury and whether he’d fit in with the star-laden Warriors. So far, so good. Other than getting a couple nights off on back-to-backs, Cousins hasn’t had any physical setbacks. He’s settling in as a third or fourth option in the attack, averaging 23.3 PPG over the last three games. He’s also given the Dubs a defensive presence in the middle. Cousins may not find a max deal this summer but he’ll get something close to it from one of the teams with ample cap space.

Garrett Temple, Clippers, 32, SG (Down) – Signed to a three-year, $24MM deal in 2016
The defensive specialist didn’t move the needle as a starter with the Grizzlies and he was dealt to the Clippers just before the trade deadline. Temple is the No. 5 option when he’s on the court but he hasn’t made the most of his limited opportunities, shooting 33.9% from deep after knocking down a career-high 39.2% of his long-distance shots last season in Sacramento. Temple’s age will work against him in the open market. Forget about an $8MM average in his next contract. He’ll be shopping for the veteran’s minimum this time around.

Rajon Rondo, Lakers, 33, PG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $9MM deal in 2018
A strong argument can be made that Rondo’s decision to sign with the Lakers ruined the season for two franchises. With Rondo at the point, the Pelicans reached the second round of the Western Conference playoffs last season. They wanted him back but he jilted them to join Los Angeles. New Orleans’ season went sour, leading to Anthony Davis‘ trade demand. Rondo has been a poor fit with the Lakers and his PER is a well-below-average 11.7. He’s played heavy minutes during the Lakers’ recent slide, including a 1-for-10, four-assists, two-turnover stinker against Phoenix on Saturday.

Troy Daniels, Suns, 27, SG (Down) — Signed to a three-year, $10MM deal in 2016
Daniels is essentially a one-trick pony and he hasn’t been allowed to perform it as often as he did last season. Daniels, who is playing for his fifth team, has seen his minutes drop to an average of 13.3 per game under first-year coach Igor Kokoskov with quite a few DNPs mixed in. His 3-point shooting hasn’t suffered — his 40% average mirrors what he did last season when he appeared in 79 games and averaged 20.5 MPG. Daniels’ shooting ability should keep him in the league a few more years but he may have to settle for one-year deal or a partially guaranteed two-year contract this summer.

Alec Burks, Kings, 27, SG (Down)– Signed to a four-year, $42MM deal in 2015
Burks was better off playing regularly on a bad team than spot minutes on an improving club in the playoff hunt. Burks flourished with Cleveland after getting dealt by Utah early in the season. He posted averages of 11.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG and 2.9 APG in 28.8 MPG with the Cavs, who then shipped him to the West Coast in a three-team swap. Burks has done next to nothing with Sacramento, scoring 2.6 PPG in 12.1 MPG through seven games. Burks has only attempted five 3-pointers since the deal and missed all of them. Burks needs a strong finish to reestablish his value in unrestricted free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Crawford, Johnson

February 26th, 2019 at 7:12pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA has rescinded DeMarcus Cousins‘ technical foul for tossing Jeremy Lamb‘s shoe during Monday’s game against the Hornets, a source tells Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Cousins tossed the shoe out of bounds and was upset with the referee calling the technical.

“Next time I’ll just step on the shoe and roll my ankle, break it, tear an Achilles,” Cousins said after the game. “Just leave it out there next time. I guess that’s what they want. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Cousins missed nearly a year while rehabbing from an Achilles injury. He’s appeared in 14 games for the Warriors so far this year and he’s been called for five technical fouls outside of the shoe-tossing experience. In his career, Cousins has received 123 technical fouls and has been ejected on 13 of those occasions.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Jamal Crawford doesn’t necessarily feel like this will be his final season in the league, as he tells Sekou Smith of NBA.com. “I can keep going and going. And I will, as long as someone feels like I can bring something to the table, I’ll be here. No limits,” Crawford said.
Crawford added (in the same piece) that he is enjoying his role as a veteran on the Suns despite not receiving the same type of opportunity that he’s been accustomed to. “I know I can still play at a high level, and can do much more then I am on the court,” he said. “But this particular role at this time has turned into me trying to help others grow their game, and not about my own personal whatever … and there is a beauty in that as well.”
Tyler Johnson is still getting adjusted to life on the Suns, but he’s embracing the challenges of learning a new system, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “Just like any big transition in your life, it’s going to take a minute to get settled,” Johnson said. “But I think it’s just how you approach it. You can look at things as a negative…or you know, you can embrace it. And that’s what I’ve chosen to do, is just embrace it and I know good things will come from it.”

DeMarcus Cousins Frustrated Over Recovery Process

February 24th, 2019 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

With seven weeks to go before the playoffs, everything isn’t as smooth for the Warriors as their 42-17 record might indicate. Of particular concern is center DeMarcus Cousins, who told Nick Friedell of ESPN that he is frustrated over his current condition as he tries to shake off the effects of last year’s Achilles tendon tear.

“Obviously, I’m in like a gray area when it comes to that, trying to get back to being myself and also knowing guys are coming at me,” Cousins said after Saturday’s loss to the Rockets. “Nobody in this league is going to feel sorry for me and I know that, so I’m going to go out and battle as much as I can and do what I can. But it still is a process for me; it’s no excuse.”

The Warriors knew Cousins wouldn’t be able to contribute right away when they used their $5.3MM mid-level exception to sign him last summer. Their starting lineup with five All-Stars didn’t fully take shape until Cousins was cleared to play in mid-January, and it hasn’t worked out as planned. Even though the Warriors have been winning, Friedell notes that they have been outscored when the starters are on the court together.

Cousins has averaged 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in 13 games since returning, but those numbers have fallen to 9.8 and 7.4 in his last four games. He had a minutes restriction lifted after the All-Star break, but is still struggling to find his rhythm.

“Sure, he’s frustrated,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Think about what DeMarcus has been through with the yearlong injury and the frustrating free agency. So, it’s not an easy thing, a very difficult injury to come back from. After the first couple weeks, the excitement, the adrenaline, the wear and tear begins, and that’s where you really got to be able to rely on execution. So, we’ll work with him. He can do better; he knows that.”

Cousins acknowledges that he is being attacked on defense, especially on the pick and roll. He can’t move laterally or jump as high as he used to before the injury and is still getting used to his limitations. He credits Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance, with helping him work through the adjustments.

“He’s preached this to me since the time I stepped foot here,” Cousins said. “There’s gonna be good days, and it’s going to be a lot of bad days through this process. Obviously, I’m in the bad days right now. With every storm, the sun shines at the end.”