Steve Kerr Consulted Alvin Gentry Before DeMarcus Cousins Signed with Warriors

Before the Golden State Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins, head coach Steve Kerr did his homework to make sure he knew what he would be getting himself into.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told the Mercury News he talked to Kerr about Cousins: 

"I just said you have to be straight up with him. I enjoyed coaching DeMarcus. I think he is a talent and I think he wants to win. I think that if you got those two things right there, you have an opportunity to have some success. We had success with him. I wish him nothing but the best."

Gentry, of course, was a part of Kerr's coaching staff in Golden State. He served as an assistant in 2014-15 and was a part of the franchise's first championship team in four decades.

That's why it should come as no surprise that the two had a conversation about Cousins. Kerr was apparently quickly sold because he revealed during a summer league game over the weekend that the signing came together rather quickly:

With Cousins in the mix, Elias Sports (h/t the New York Times' Marc Stein) notes that Golden State is poised to become the first team since the 1975-76 Boston Celtics to have a starting lineup made up of five All-Stars from the previous season. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were already on the roster.

As talented as the Warriors may be, center is the one position that they could have used an upgrade for. Last season, they relied on big men like JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia for size. Their best lineup, known as the "Hamptons Five," is when they go small and have Andre Iguodala on the floor as well. 

With all due respect to McGee and Pachulia, they are no Cousins.

"He’s a great talent. That’s a position they were the weakest on the team,” Gentry told the Mercury News. “If he’s healthy, he’s the best player in the [center] position in the league."

Some wonder how Boogie's personality will play in the locker room or if he is willing to accept a reduced role. That's not a concern for his former coach.

"He’s going to be fine. He’s playing on a great team with great guys," Gentry said, via the Mercury News. "He just has to get himself healthy. If he gets himself healthy, it was a no-brainer, anyway."

Cousins is currently rehabbing from a torn Achilles suffered six months ago. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the center could make his Warriors debut in December or January.