Report: 'Faint Optimism' Injured DeMarcus Cousins Could Play in 2019 NBA Finals
Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is reportedly expected to miss the remainder of the 2019 NBA playoffs, though there's "faint optimism" he could return for the NBA Finals after getting injured in Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Cousins will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning to determine whether the Finals are a realistic target date for a potential return. If the test shows a torn quadriceps, however, he'll remain sidelined for the duration of the Dubs' postseason run.
The 28-year-old University of Kentucky product suffered the injury to his left leg during the first quarter of Monday's game. The Warriors went on to build a 31-point lead in the third quarter before the Clippers stormed back for a stunning 135-131 road victory to level the series at one game apiece.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr and superstar guard Stephen Curry both commented on the possibly season-ending injury after the loss, per Haynes.
"There's a pretty significant quad injury," Kerr said. "We'll get an MRI. But he's going to be out for … I'll just say a while because I think it's unclear right now how long he'll be out. It's significant."
Curry added:
"It's tough, for sure. You feel for him, considering what he's been through this last year. This is a big stage, the playoffs. He's been looking forward to this. I don't know the extent of the injury at this point. Hope he gets back sooner than later. Just man to man, in terms of him, what he's been through, it's tough for sure. There's no sugarcoating it at all. You hate seeing that opportunity again on this big stage taken away from him like that."
Cousins suffered a torn Achilles in January 2018 that forced him to miss the second half of the 2017-18 season with the New Orleans Pelicans. He became an unrestricted free agent last offseason and signed with the Warriors with hope of rebuilding his value during a potential championship run.
"This was my ace of spades," he told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated last July. "This was my chess move."
Cousins averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 blocks across 30 appearances for Golden State after making his season debut in mid-January. He posted nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out in Game 1 against the Clippers, a 121-104 Golden State win.
The Warriors will hold out hope the MRI results show a less serious quad injury that could at least give him an outside chance to return if they make a fifth straight Finals appearance.
Meanwhile, Golden State is going to lean heavily on Kevon Looney and Andrew Bogut to fill the frontcourt void for the two-time defending NBA champions.
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