Warriors Redefine the Superteam Again with DeMarcus Cousins Signing

Apparently, the Golden State Warriors weren’t already good enough.

After using four All-Stars to win a third title in the last four years by sweeping LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, they made yet another power play in free agency to steal the spotlight away from a certain four-time MVP and his new fit with the Los Angeles Lakers. DeMarcus Cousins is now aboard on a one-year deal worth $5.3 million, as first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania, to give the team an All-Star at every one of the five traditional positions.

Yes, that means the Warriors essentially upgraded from JaVale McGee to Cousins. Yes, that means they used the mid-level exception to add Cousins shortly after the Lakers built around James by using the MLE on Lance Stephenson. Yes, that means the league’s pre-eminent superteam is getting even more super.

From a skill perspective, this is obviously great news for the Warriors. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green already made for an unfair collection of talent capable of storming past anyone and everything thrown at them by the NBA. But Cousins, when healthy, is one of the game’s premier bigs, and he plays a style that should fit nicely with the system deployed by head coach Steve Kerr. authentic nfl jerseys cheap

As Marcus Thompson of The Athletic tweeted, the Warriors had been coveting a scoring big:

Well, they found one. nfl jerseys for cheap

Cousins is a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA representative coming off a season with the New Orleans Pelicans in which he averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks. That was the fewest points per game he’s posted since his 2014-15 efforts for the Sacramento Kings, but he made up for the slightly diminished volume by slashing 47.0/35.4/74.6—the middle number coming on a whopping 6.1 three-point attempts per contest.

Oh, and Cousins was also playing some of the best defense of his professional tenure before suffering the Achilles injury that allowed him to come aboard on a one-year deal. His effort levels sometimes lapsed, but he was figuring out how to leverage his physicality and surprising quickness alongside Anthony Davis en route to posting a career-best 3.6 defensive box plus/minus.

Cousins likely won’t make his debut in the Bay Area until late December or early January, given the typical recovery length of an Achilles rupture, though he told The Undefeated Marc J. Spears that he’s targeting a training camp return. It’s not like the Warriors need to rush him, either; they’re not exactly lacking for talent in his absence. But when he returns, he’ll still be attempting to fight his way past a malady that has severely affected the careers of many before him—a far more difficult task than returning from an ACL tear. cheap nfl jerseys

Still, if he’s able to serve as a convincing simulacrum of his pre-injury self, he’ll turn the Warriors juggernaut into a superuberjuggernaut. You almost have to send doubles to help against Cousins when he’s playing bully-ball from the post…except you can’t do that against a Golden State lineup featuring three of the deadliest shooters in NBA history on the perimeter. And if he’s hitting threes, it’s game over.

That’s still not the best news, because the risks here are so ridiculously minimal. nfl jersey cheap

What if Cousins doesn’t return to form? Well, it’s not like he needs to occupy a role bigger than the one McGee filled during the last title run. What if he gets disgruntled and starts demanding more touches? Just ship him off for a second-round pick, since he’s only coming aboard on a one-year deal.cheap nfl jersey

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