The Golden State Warriors And DeMarcus Cousins Are Not To Blame
What exactly did the Golden State Warriors and DeMarcus Cousins do wrong? Was Cousins not free to sign with whoever he wanted? Are the Warriors not allowed to sign any player they want? So why all the hate? This is the free agency period where many EXPECT mind-blowing deals. Just so happens, the Warriors pulled off another great feat for the second time in three years.
With DeMarcus Cousins heading to the Bay Area, fans of the league are in an outrage. But why? Just a few hours before they were praising the Los Angeles Lakers for their offseason moves of LeBron James, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo. The same fans cheering were also the ones hoping Magic Johnson could pull off the Kawhi Leonard deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Here’s what has me so pissed.
I’m not a fan of the Golden State Warriors but why hate on what they did? All they did was grab one of the best players in the NBA and add him to a team that has won the NBA title in three of the last four years. But still, didn’t every other team in the league have a shot at Boogie? Didn’t the New Orleans Pelicans have the first crack at him dating back to last season when he first arrived? Didn’t they have a chance to sign him before the start of this season? Was he not right there with the team as they blew past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs?
So why be mad at the Warriors? All they did was do what your favorite teams’ General Manager was supposed to do–get the deal done. Now, a few days after, there are reports that the Pelicans offered Cousins 2-year $40 million deal at the end of the season. Ok, so why not report that then? Why wait until he went elsewhere? This was a move to try to further put his name in the mud and this is one of the reasons he decided to do what he did.
DeMarcus Cousins Had Every Right To Sign With Golden State Warriors
But no, everyone wanted to talk about the old Boogie. The player who caused issues at Kentucky. Maybe they looked at his bizarre behavior while with the Sacramento Kings. But what about his play and maturity while with the Pelicans? How could GMs forget that? Oh well, this is what makes the Warriors so hated and loved at the same time. This is a business and the ones willing to take those risk and put it all on the table are normally the ones left holding the trophy in June.
But then you look at the decision that Cousins made. What else was he supposed to do? Even with his injury, many figured Cousins would still be able to get a one-year max deal out of a team. That was the thought going around the league. But when it came time for teams to pony up, everyone backed off. Frustrated, Cousins picked the phone up, called the olden State Warriors and gave his price–$5.3 million. The internet went crazy. Once again, what did he do wrong?
With that deal, Cousins is betting on himself for the future. If he can recover and become the old DeMarcus who averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds in 2017 then he wins. So, who really cares if he went to a stacked team or not? The Wizards, Nets, Hornets, Suns, and every other team did not reach out. Cousins wanted to play but no one wanted him to play for them is what it boils down to. He wanted more than what they were willing to offer and he made a move and told the league to kiss his a** in the process. How can you hate that?
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
