The clock is ticking on DeMarcus Cousins' awaited return to the court, with the date of Jan. 18 now merely hours away. It is Friday that will mark the NBA's apocalypse, the date when basketball meets its end, the day the Golden State Warriors go from ruining the game, to flat out obliterating it.
But it won't be that easy.
Cousins' return symbolizes something not seen in the NBA since the 1975-76 season, when the Boston Celtics fielded five All-Star players in one starting lineup with Jo Jo White, Charlie Scott, Dave Cowens, Paul Silas and John Havlicek.
Boogie taking the floor is the equivalent of Yoda pulling out his lightsaber and joining Jedis in the fight against the Galactic Empire or Professor X getting out of his wheelchair and joining the X-Men to fight off Magneto — a dormant being that has now awaken and has the power to raise the scales of the NBA universe.
Yet Cousins must answer a few vital questions if this Warriors team is to really threaten to become the first to three-peat since the 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers.
5. Does winning a championship matter more than his next contract?
Let's remember why Cousins signed with the Warriors. He gave two reasons upon his introductory press conference — one was that it was his ace of spades, given how the market had deteriorated his value after a grave Achilles tear, making Golden State the only team that could allow him to heal with no impending pressure to return at anything less than 100 percent.
The other was to make the playoffs, win a title and set himself up for his next contract.
Now everyone that has seen Cousins on the bench for the first three months of the season can attest to the camaraderie he's developed with this group, but let's face it — friendship — in today's NBA, is not a solid basis of trust.
Just ask Russell Westbrook, Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan and all the different stars that believed in the power of friendship and were left dry in their wake.
Common goals, now that is a solid basis for a partnership, as both people benefit from chasing the same ideal.
Cousins will have to make sacrifices, as the double-double monster that once terrorized the West alongside Anthony Davis simply has no place in an All-Star studded roster with two of the NBA's elite scorers in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
The 6-foot-11 center is hoping a successful stint in Golden State can bring along the mega-contract he missed out on this past offseason, having rebounded from a year-long injury and boasting important jewelry to boot. But in order to get to that stage, Cousins will have to make concessions — from taking fewer shots to committing to defense and making the most of his new teammates.
If the Warriors can bank on Cousins' mind being on a championship run more than making his short tenure with the Warriors a vehicle of exhibiting his talents post-surgery, Golden State will be the Goliath terrorizing the rest of the NBA once the playoffs get started.
4. Can he be the Icy-Hot the Warriors need?
Cousins has been known to pop his lid a few times during his eight-year career. That fire has made him a load to battle against and also an unbelievable headache when he engages in altercations with the officials, opponents, and at times, the media.
The Warriors will need Boogie's inner fire after sleepwalking their way through the first half of the season and still mustering the first seed in a Western Conference that is more competitive than ever.
While the big man can be that scalding-hot presence to help jumpstart a lethargic team, he can also be the cool presence to relax it away, much like the aforementioned rec league's favorite ointment.
Golden State will need his cool head, his humor and camaraderie as much as his inner fire to succeed. But they will need it in the right dose, as an overly-fiery Cousins can be destructive and alienating.
Channeling that balance will prove a test, but also the key to making this new partnership work.
3. What happens when things don't go as planned?
Cousins will come into Friday's contest against the L.A. Clippers almost certainly under a minutes restriction, but the Warriors' training staff could err in the side of caution and only bump that restriction in small increments, hoping to ensure his full recovery.
The Kentucky product has been away from the game of basketball for nearly a full calendar year and is itching to see action — dealing with the slow progression of his reincorporation into his full allotment of minutes could prove difficult to handle, and he will have to prove to his teammates and himself that he won't lash out at coach Steve Kerr, the trainers or the media when his return doesn't go as planned. A.k.a. don't be that Dion Waiters.
The Warriors will lose games, they will face impasses with Cousins on the floor. Some days he'll have 15 shots to work with and other days he will have seven — he will need to understand that his turn will come, whether it is next game or next week.
Patience is a difficult virtue to master, but if he can at least stay within himself while the rest of the regular season rolls along, the Warriors will be all the better for it, slowly acclimating him into playoff form.
2. How unselfish is he willing to be?
For once in his eight-year playing career, DeMarcus Cousins won't have the offense tailored around him. During his six-plus seasons with the Sacramento Kings, the 28-year-old center saw his shot attempts increase after every season, posting 20-plus points in each of his last four seasons with the franchise.
Sharing the spotlight with Anthony Davis in New Orleans didn't change matters much, as Cousins was able to operate as usual, dominating on the block as well bombing away from deep.
Playing alongside four other All-Stars, however, should prove a different challenge. The Warriors big man will have to adjust to be willing to give up a good shot for a great one, sometimes even giving up a mismatch on the block for a hot-handed Klay Thompson or an open Stephen Curry running off the screen, darting into the corner for a wide-open trey.
Cousins is a willing and capable passer, but it could be a much different story if he is tasked to make the most of his playmaking abilities while getting fewer shot attempts and liberties than he's been used to throughout his career.
1. Will he buy completely into this system?
Cousins' signing for the mid-level exception was met with some level of trepidation due to his reputation as a disruptor during his time with Sacramento. Yet his teammates in New Orleans raved about him, though the sample size was much smaller (a year-and-a-half with the Pelicans vs. six-and-change with the Kings).
Joining the Warriors represents another layer of commitment, a championship-level organization that has built a culture around unselfishness, precision and accountability.
It won't be long before Cousins misses a defensive assignment, fails to box out or forgets to set the prompt screen and gets the proverbial Draymond Green yeller. Part of his rite of passage is being able to withstand those situations and take them in stride. Failure to do so would potentially result on internal combustion — two hot-heads colliding and possibly creating friction that lingers for longer than a game.
Green is the team's point guard on offense and their true stopper on defense, so it's likely that Cousins will answer to him for any mistakes at either end of the floor. It will be up to him to handle that criticism and harness it in a positive way, as the rest of his teammates will try their best to allow him to flourish in this system.
The Warriors have prepared for his inclusion in the last few games, settling Stephen Curry into his old minute distribution and setting the stage for Cousins to be the featured player at the start of second and fourth quarters with most of the second unit. He's expected to operate much less on the block and more in a David West-like way, with the benefit of boasting the range to stretch opponents into the 3-point line, creating that much more driving space as a long-range threat.
Cousins' fit into this offense and his willingness to buy in will ultimately determine if this Warriors team struggles to make the adjustment or if they challenge history with otherworldly levels of dominance. If it all goes according to the front office's plan, this team won't just ruin the league, but re-write the meaning of what it means to be a dynasty and put the final stamp in what can be considered the most talented lineup to ever see the NBA hardwood.
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