Getty DeMarcus Cousins walks across the court during week seven of the BIG3 three on three basketball league.
DeMarcus Cousins is reportedly sidelined with a torn ACL. Don’t expect Anthony Davis to pick up the slack if Cousins misses game action.
According to NBATV’s Jared Greenberg, a high ranking Lakers official shared with him that Anthony Davis will NOT play big minutes at the center position.
In the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins news a high ranking member of the Lakers tells me that they do not expect nor do they want Anthony Davis to play “big minutes” at center this season @NBATV
Makes sense.
At his introductory press conference Davis let that be known. “I like playing the four,” Davis said last month.
“I’m not even going to sugar coat it. If it comes down to it, coach, and you need me to play the five, I’ll play the five.”
DeMarcus Cousins’ injury could not come at a worse time for the Lakers and for Boogie.
As a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, two seasons ago, Cousins suffered a serious Achilles’ injury.
Boogie posted 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists for New Orleans before tearing his Achilles last January.
The four-time NBA All Star, who signed a one-year, $5.3 million deal to play for the Golden State Warriors last season, returned to the Warriors’ lineup in January and posted an impressive 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in 30 regular-season games.
“It’s a team full of high IQs,” Cousins told me in September.
“I believe everyone on our team has a very high IQ when it comes to the game of basketball. All of us know how to play the game of basketball.”
“We got guys with the same characteristics that– it’s like play-doh,” he told me.
“You can mold them into whatever you want them to be.”
Cousins had never appeared in the NBA Playoffs until this season. Despite injuring his quad and missing 14 NBA Playoff games, Boogie did return to the Warriors’ lineup in time for the NBA Finals.
It was believed at the start of NBA free agency, that Boogie had interest from the New York Knicks.
The Golden State Warriors entered NBA free agency able to sign DeMarcus Cousins on a one-year tender of $6.4 million.
That changed when the Warriors re-signed Kevon Looney and the Warriors completed a signe and trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets that brought D’Angelo Russell to the Warriors in exchange for All-Star, Kevin Durant.
The Miami Heat also had high interests in Cousins. “An in shape DeMarcus is a healthy DeMarcus,” a source shared with me in June.
“I hope he goes there.”
Boogie ultimately went to LA and joined the Lakers.
LA missed out on signing Kawhi Leonard this summer. But, six players returned from last season. That list includes LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso.
In addition to Cousins, Lakers newcomers include Anthony Davis, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Jared Dudley, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker.
The Lakers also have a new head coach in Frank Vogel and assistant coach in Jason Kidd.
LeBron James joined the Lakers last summer. Now entering year two, all eyes are set on LA LA land.
LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles wasn’t as prosperous as many imagined.
James injured his groin on Christmas Day and returned to the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup at the end of January after a very strenuous rehab process.
“I just [hope] for his sake if he wins here it’ll just add a couple extra shiny pages to his book,” Shaquille O’Neal told Scoop B Radio.
“The book is already done but if he can win here it’ll just put because just going into Staples Center and look at those people up there those are some very impressive names.”