Subscribe
Follow Us
Draymond Green left the Golden State Warriors' 118-112 loss to the Houston Rockets midway through the third quarter with a left ankle injury but reportedly is likely have avoided serious injury. DeMarcus Cousins left his team's game early, too, but only because Steve Kerr made the decision to sit him for its final six minutes.
Perhaps sensing that Golden State's bad night seemed destined to become disastrous, Kerr got ahead of any potential friction regarding his All-Star big man's frustration after the game by addressing it head-on.
Article Continues Below“You think about what DeMarcus has been through, you know, with the year-long injury, frustrating free agency,” he said of Cousins, per Mark Medina of The Mercury News. “So it's not an easy thing – very difficult injury to come back from. After the first couple weeks, the excitement, the adrenaline, you know, the wear and tear begins, and that's where you really gotta be able to rely on execution. So we'll work with him and he can do better, he knows that. He's definitely frustrated, but he cares. He's an emotional guy, and he wants nothing more than to win and compete.”
Cousins, to be clear, didn't directly express dismay with his crunch-time benching. He seemed far more concerned with his ongoing acclimation to both the league and the Warriors than any perceived lack of playing time he deserved.
But Kerr is a players' coach first and foremost, by both nature and nurture. As a five-time member of champion locker rooms, he understands the need for an underachieving marquee player, especially a non-incumbent, to believe his new team has his back through thick and thin. With the honeymoon phase of Cousins' tenure with the Warriors long over, Kerr is ensuring a potentially fraught situation is dealt with before it ever comes to fruition.
Golden State will only keep itself from winning an unprecedented fourth championship in five seasons. And make no mistake: They need both a healthy roster and an effective Cousins to win another title.
