Golden State Warriors: Assessing how Cousins fits into an All-Star lineup

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to a one-year deal with four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins — but, how does he fit into their lineup?

Using their taxpayer mid-level exception, the Golden State Warriors were able to scoop up DeMarcus Cousins on a $5.3 million contract.

A shockingly low figure for such a talented NBA center, Cousins has had trouble finding his lane in the league over the last few years.

An All-Star break trade in 2017 shipped the big man from Sacramento to New Orleans, where he appeared in just 65 games over two seasons.

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But with a fiery and sometimes unpredictable on-court persona, and a heartbreaking Achilles injury in late January that put him out for the season, there was certain speculation around Cousins’ name and his ability to return as the same player he’d been headed into this year’s free agent frenzy.

So much so, that Cousins didn’t receive an offer from the Pelicans who many expected, before the injury, to sign him to a multi-year deal worth north of $170 million.

In fact, the questions about his health were so persistent, he reportedly didn’t even receive any serious offers from any other NBA team.

Here is where we find  Cousins – one of the best, if not the best, centers in the league – walking around free agency with an empty voicemail box.

It must have been an eerie feeling to wake up to on the second day of free agency for a perennial All-Star.

So, Cousins pulled out his “Ace of Spades,” as he put it, made a call to his agent, and to Warriors GM Bob Myers, and possibly to Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.

And ten hours later was officially a Golden State Warrior. Just like that.

Which, if you are at all tuned in to NBA basketball, now makes the Warriors starting five even more deadly and even more luxurious than they were when they left the visitors locker room at Quicken Loans arena smelling like champagne just three and a half weeks ago.

Five starters. Five All-Stars.

The NBA world beyond the Bay Area is in shambles. But in case you have forgotten, they are here to remind you: there is still only one basketball.

And the question is therefore inevitable: where does DeMarcus Cousins really fit in with the Warriors?

We can break this question down into two simple parts. Where does DeMarcus Cousins, the player, fit with the Warriors? And where does DeMarcus Cousins, the person, fit with the Warriors?

The beauty of the Warriors is that these two questions are so often intertwined that it makes for a more cohesive unit. A player’s talent very rarely supersedes his character. The two work in tandem and are a large part of what make the Warriors such an attractive organization.

Because it’s more than just basketball. It’s always more than just basketball.

The Warriors’ beloved ex-sideline reporter, Ros Gold-Onwude, captured the essence of the Warriors chemistry and the delicate balance in which it exists in a tweet last week.

The Warriors have cultivated a culture that breathes on open communication and freedom of expression. An opportunity to play basketball for a great team and be who you are at the same time is what attracted Kevin Durant two years ago. It’s likely a lot of what attracted Cousins this offseason.

Which brings us back to the initial questions.

DeMarcus Cousins is a large human. At six-foot-eleven, 270 pounds, Cousins is a presence on the floor. A 2018 hybrid of the game’s dying big men, he can get in there and bruise with the best of them.

Golden State Warriors

Though Cousins only played 48 games in 2018, he was on pace to finish third in rebounds (12.9 per game) and sixth in blocks (1.6 per game).

And he’s an offensive juggernaut. Cousins’ shooting ability will allow the Warriors to stick to their Spurs-ian way of spreading the floor and moving the ball (Cousins was on pace to finish tied with Durant for assists per game at 5.4). Not to mention the pick and roll options that his size and quickness afford the Warriors during their sets.

Combine what Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee offered the Warriors and multiply it by two and you’ll get a fraction of what Cousins can do for them.

DeMarcus Cousins, the player, won’t be a problem. It’s DeMarcus Cousins, the person, that worries people about his fit in Golden State.

Cousins has earned a league-leading 115 technical fouls since he entered the league in 2010. Shoving matches, ejections, tantrums, meltdowns – he’s done it all. The Warriors saw it first-hand on multiple occasions, too. Most recently when he and Durant got into it late in a game last season.

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Both were ejected, and the night ended with Cousins being physically restrained by Pelicans personnel from barging into the Warriors visiting locker room.

It’s no secret Boogie has an attitude. But if there’s a fan base that understands the nuances and upside to that attitude, it’s the Warriors. It’s what Ros alluded to in her tweet. “Chill” works for a while, but eventually that fire needs to come alive, and that’s what Green brings with his tenacity and grit.

That’s the glass-half-full approach to the technicals and the ejections.

But plunging Cousins and Green (and the newly spicy Durant) into the fray at the same time might be a risky endeavor – something a few preseason games won’t work out. Which is where Cousins’ Achilles injury becomes a sort of blessing in disguise for him and the Warriors.

As Cousins rehabs his injury, the time he will spend around the team, soaking up their contagious energy, will give him the opportunity to build relationships, trust and chemistry with his teammates and coaches.

And the time away from the direct spotlight – something he certainly hasn’t yet had in his career – will allow him to find his role and blend into the team.

The Warriors have a magical way of bringing in players with a struggling career or image and revitalizing them towards newness, happiness and success. Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush, Nick Young, McGee are only a few examples.

Next: Entertaining Matchups With The Lakers Ahead

To say Cousins is some struggling player would be a stretch. His injury and ego pose a degree of uncertainty for the Warriors, but DeMarcus Cousins is unquestionably a risk worth taking.

Because in Golden State, those perceptions tend to fly right out the window. It’s an opportunity for a fresh start, to be yourself and to be a part of something historic in the process.

There must be somethin’ in that Bay water…