The New Orleans Pelicans managed to squeeze out a 115-113 win over the mighty Houston Rockets, but the victory came at a huge cost. Towards the waning seconds of the matchup, All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins came down with a scary-looking injury off a rebound play.
Everyone's fears turned into reality as it was later reported that Cousins will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his Achilles in the said play. This development is huge for all parties involved — the Pelicans and Cousins himself.
New Orleans is involved in a tight battle for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, while Cousins is in the final year of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Cousins, despite having one the most efficient seasons of his career, loses plenty of leverage when it comes to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the NBA family has rallied behind one of the most dominant forces in the league today, who is now forced to put all his focus on returning to his not-so-old form.
https://twitter.com/DejounteMurray/status/957113167414530049
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 up for the homie @boogiecousins come back better than ever g!!!
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) January 27, 2018
Prayers going up for @boogiecousins, speedy and healthy recovery big fella!!!Never want to see that. 🙏🏾
— DeAndre Jordan 🐺 (@DeAndre) January 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas/status/957116042374991872
Prayers up to truly one of the realist and best we got in the association @boogiecousins
— 7even (@iAmSJ) January 27, 2018
Prayers up @boogiecousins 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
— Book (@DevinBook) January 27, 2018
Damn man . Prayers up cur cuz @boogiecousins 🙏🏽. Speedy recovery my G.
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) January 27, 2018
prayers up to @boogiecousins. hate to see that happen. come back stronger and better.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) January 27, 2018
Cousins' loss places a gargantuan amount of pressure on the notoriously brittle Anthony Davis. This is perhaps the biggest challenge of his career so far with the Pelicans still having a shot at a playoff spot. However, the onus isn't all on Davis. No one player can make up for the production that Cousins brings on a nightly basis.
The mental and emotional challenge will also be a crucial test for Cousins during this ordeal. But this could also be taken as a grand opportunity to prove his resolve to the Pelicans and other potential suitors.
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