The Golden State Warriors have yet to share the court with DeMarcus Cousins, but there’s a reason why he is a perfect match for Golden State, and it should lead to great expectations this coming season.
When the Golden State Warriors set the NBA world on fire by signing All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, analysis immediately shifted to whether or not the Warriors and Cousins would be an ideal fit.
Would his addition create the greatest starting five in the history of the sport? Or could that potential be spoiled by his noted history in the locker room?
The former is easily answered: Cousins fills a need that the Warriors have long been searching for (an all-around athletic big that can dominate the paint by himself.)
It’s the latter that will remain to be seen, but this is the exact reason why Boogie is in great hands in the Bay. Yes, DeMarcus has a track record of locker room and teammate issues, but unlike other known cancerous NBA players, the root of Boogie’s frustrations has always been a hunger for winning.
With only a short stint in New Orleans, it’s no coincidence that Boogie’s most notable moments of locker room troubles have been with the Sacramento Kings, perhaps the league’s most unstable and disorganized franchise.
With a carousel of head coaches and a plethora of general managers that failed to develop fellow lottery picks, Boogie never had a solid foundation around him. And when it looked like he did, poor front office management made sure to impede on any hope of changing that narrative (e.g. firing Mike Malone early in the season).
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Simply put, that isn’t the case here in Golden State.
Clearly, the state of the roster is different from the many variations he was part of in Sacramento, but ultimately from the top of the front office all the way down to the players on the court, this organization values one thing above all: winning.
It’s the reason why Kevin Durant joined Golden State two years ago when he saw that this core group of players valued collectively winning a championship over personal accolades and egos. It’s the reason why Stephen Curry remains unfazed by critics who are addicted to pointing out that he has yet to claim a Finals MVP award.
He knows that his three championship rings (and counting) can never be taken away. It’s the reason why Draymond Green doesn’t take pride in points per game, but doing the nitty-gritty to get the win, and its the same reason why Klay Thompson isn’t attracted to the spotlight, rather being attracted to the face of contending for a championship every year come in June.
The commitment to putting this team in the best position to succeed is why the Warriors are the perfect match for Cousins’ hunger for success. When Bob Myers realized the possibility of bringing Boogie on board, the Warriors core gave their seal of approval, knowing that this would put them in a better position to succeed and defend their championship.
DeMarcus Cousins never had that type of foundation before in his career, but he has it now in Golden State, and it’s going to lead to an exciting 2018 season.