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After injuring himself in the first half of the Golden State Warriors opening series against the LA Clippers, DeMarcus Cousins was hoping to return to the hardwood in the Western Conference Finals.
However, a report from head coach Steve Kerr says otherwise and gives a reason to be concerned about Cousins return this postseason.
Kerr is preparing for life without Cousins for at least this current matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. He does give marginal hope of a return for the big man in the NBA Finals if the team reaches the NBA’s highest stage for the fifth-straight time.
Per CBS Sports, Kerr hasn’t seen Cousins involved in any live action since his injury, and it appears star forward Kevin Durant is also unlikely to play in this series.
“He (Durant) hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet ... DeMarcus is probably similar. He hasn’t had any live stuff on the court yet. He’s not that close either,” said Kerr. “Hopefully, another week goes by and he’ll get better and now we have a better prognosis, but at this point, we’re getting ready for this series without both of them.”
“I guess now that’ll be the headline: ‘Kerr says it’s unlikely DeMarcus will return.’ We evaluate week to week but if a guy hasn’t had any live action the day before the first game of a series it’s tough to see that turning around quickly.”
While the Warriors may not need him for the Western Conference Finals, Cousins’ return would be a welcome surprise in the following round when the Warriors may actually be challenged.
Cousins appeared in 30 regular season games and just two postseason games. Averaging 16.3 points per game, Cousins wasn’t the same type of dominant that fans had gotten used to over the course of his potentially Hall of Fame career.
The 6-11 big man played at the University of Kentucky alongside John Wall during the 2009-2010 season. Cousins was the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and was also named All-SEC first team during his lone year at UK.