DeMarcus Cousins rehabbed, trained and practiced so that he could chase a championship for the Golden State Warriors. That chase has been derailed. It remains to be seen if it will get back on the tracks in time for Boogie to author another comeback story.

Cousins, who escaped New Orleans and Sacramento, endured injuries, and took a pay cut to come to the Warriors, was ready to make a big imprint on this NBA postseason. His plans have been halted after suffering a quad injury early in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference first-round series between the Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cousins, Steve Kerr, and the rest of the Warriors will anxiously await an MRI on Tuesday. Regardless of the results of that MRI, Cousins will definitely not play in Game 3 of this series in Los Angeles, and almost surely not the rest of this series.

The Warriors — by losing Game 2 after leading by 31 points — can't even say they're certain to make the second round of the playoffs. If they do, Cousins' status is already in considerable doubt for a possible battle with the Houston Rockets, widely acknowledged as the Warriors' toughest foe in the West. Houston is viewed as the biggest roadblock on the Dubs' path to the NBA Finals.

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Though not a full solution to all of the Warriors' problems, DeMarcus Cousins provided a lot more offense than other Golden State frontcourt options did in last year's Western Conference Finals against the Rockets. Alternating Cousins (offense) and Andrew Bogut (defense) was supposed to give Golden State the versatility it needed to match up better with Houston. Not having Cousins won't hurt the Warriors on defense, but it will limit them on offense. Jordan Bell might have to play more minutes against the Rockets if that series does become reality and Cousins misses some or all games versus Houston. If that becomes the case, Bell's offense will be nonexistent. Bogut can defend Clint Capela, but the Warriors' offense could easily become 4-on-5 with Houston having to pay little attention to Bell.

The absence of DeMarcus Cousins will create a domino effect on the Warriors' roster and its player rotations. Dub Nation will soon find out how prolonged that absence will be.