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FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2018 file photo, Golden State Warriors' DeMarcus Cousins poses for photos during media day at the NBA basketball team's practice facility in Oakland, Calif. Cousins will start immediately for coach Steve Kerr when the All-Star center makes his long-awaited Warriors debut in about a week following his lengthy recovery from surgery on a torn left Achilles tendon. Cousins has targeted a game Jan. 18, 2019, at the Clippers as his return date and first game of the season, though Kerr said it could even be sooner if all continues going well.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Doc Rivers Explains Mixed Feelings on DeMarcus Cousins Signing with Warriors

Tim DanielsJan 18, 2019

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers had mixed feelings about DeMarcus Cousins' choice to sign with the star-studded Golden State Warriors in free agency.

Ben Golliver of the Washington Post provided Rivers' comments ahead of Cousins' 2018-19 season debut Friday night against the Clippers at Staples Center:

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The 28-year-old University of Kentucky product, who's been sidelined since last January because of a torn Achilles, signed a one-year, $5.3 million contract with the Dubs in July.

"This was my ace of spades," Cousins told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated at the time. "This was my chess move."

He'll join Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green to form one of the most talented, decorated starting lineups in NBA history.

If Cousins returns to top form—he ranked 22nd among all players in player efficiency rating last season, per ESPN.com—Golden State will likely be virtually impossible to beat come playoff time, barring a rash of injuries elsewhere on the loaded roster.

That's bad news for Rivers and the Clippers—who own a 24-20 record heading into Friday's clash—and the rest of the Western Conference.