Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, the former head coach for Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins, was devastated when he heard about his knee injury.
The Los Angeles Lakers had big plans for center DeMarcus Cousins after signing the former All-Star center in free agency in July. Cousins signed for a little over the minimum, giving the Lakers a potentially game-breaking player on a team-friendly contract.
Cousins was facing some adversity coming into this season. He was looking to get his career back on track after a torn Achilles suffered in Jan. 2018 while with the New Orleans Pelicans. He began that career rehabilitation with the Golden State Warriors last season.
Cousins showed flashes during the regular season after returning in mid-January. He had some big performances and was turning the Warriors into what looked like a shoo-in for the NBA Championship. However, injuries would derail the Warriors and Cousins once again.
Cousins tore his quad in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Clippers. He would return for the NBA Finals but was clearly not 100 percent healthy. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson would also suffer injuries, ending the Warriors’ title hopes.
Cousins looked like he was putting in a lot of work to get back into great shape. During press conferences after signing with the Lakers, Cousins looked to be as slim as he has been since entering the NBA. Unfortunately, all of that hard work has resulted in yet another catastrophic injury.
While working out this past week, Cousins tore his ACL. It is the third major injury he has in about 19 months. That is difficult for anyone to overcome, and people he has worked along with recently have given their thoughts on it.
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His former teammate, Draymond Green, couldn’t even come up with words when he heard about it. Green does believe if anyone can overcome these injuries, it is Cousins. His head coach with the Warriors, Steve Kerr, was devastated when he heard the news.
"“I’m devastated for DeMarcus,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who is an assistant for Team USA and coached Cousins last season with Golden State. “It’s been a couple of years of hell for DeMarcus. … We are all crushed for him.”“Injuries are a part of the game,” Kerr later added. “But when you are talking about a player who has now dealt with the two most feared injuries for NBA players — the Achilles and the ACL — each basically knocking you out for an entire season … to deal with that over a two-and-a-half-, three-year span, it’s unheard of. What a blow for him, for the Lakers. He is going to have to process it all, start all over again.”"
Kerr saw first hand how hard Cousins worked to get back on the court with the Warriors after he signed there last season. He was dedicated to it then and will be dedicated to it once again.
It will be a long road of recovery for Cousins, one he has become much too accustomed to these last few months. Hopefully, he is able to return and help the Lakers win some games this season while also finally getting his career back on track.