DeMarcus Cousins' signing with the Golden State Warriors was just as surprising for the players in the roster as it was for most NBA fans — a shocking chain of events that led a max-level player to gamble on his own future in hopes his big payday would soon come.
Kevin Durant, who made a comparable surprising move in 2016, was equally shocked, now finally detailing how he first heard of the news.
“I was like, ‘No way,’ ” Kevin Durant told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. “Then I went to the movies throughout the day and I got like three or four calls in the movies I had to ignore, and when I got out it said it was finalized, and I FaceTimed DeMarcus and called Bob and was so excited because I knew how important this time was for DeMarcus to find a team, find somebody that was gonna help him kind of get through this injury first then play his best basketball, so I think it’s gonna be perfect for both spots, for him and for us.”
The Warriors haven't needed any help the past two seasons, smoking through the competition at the tune of 32-6 during the past two playoffs — but they won't turn down help when it comes so willingly, further enforcing the upgrades in a maniacally competitive Western Conference.
Durant noted Cousins' skillset will help the Warriors in a vast variety of ways, but also require plenty of adjustments before the finished product can be seen on the court.
“It gives us somebody that can score in the low post, that can demand a double-team and you can’t switch on him,” Durant said. “That gives us a different look. I feel like a lot of teams felt like they could switch their smalls onto our bigs, but you can’t do that with DeMarcus.
“But we’re not used to playing that way either. We’re playing with a scoring big [man] down low. So, it’s going to be an adjustment, but I’m looking forward to it, should be fun, should be a new injection of energy for us.”
Cousins' venture should prove an interesting one — bombastic if gone wrong, but ultimately unstoppable if head coach Steve Kerr can connect the right wires that will make this Warriors team into the machine so many expect them to be this upcoming season.
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