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DeMarcus Cousins’ Decision To Join Golden State Has Officially Ruined The NBA

By Mark Nilon

NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 04: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts during the first half of a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center on December 4, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 04: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts during the first half of a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center on December 4, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Yesterday, the Basketball world went into complete shock after it was announced All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins had reached an agreement to join the Golden State Warriors. Because of this, the competitive league we once knew and loved is no longer in existence.

Two years ago, when Kevin Durant decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and join the already menacing Golden State Warriors, NBA fans went into an uproar. The idea of a team consisting of two former league MVP’s and four combined All-Star’s in the starting lineup seemed a bit unfair.

Since that fateful day, the Dubs have compiled a total of 125 regular season wins and are now coming off their second straight Finals victory. Though things seemed relatively bleak from a competitive standpoint, the belief was, it couldn’t get much worse than this. Well folks, we’ve got news for you; things have gotten worse….. much worse.

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Yesterday, at around 9:30 PM (ET), ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the big news that unrestricted free agent DeMarcus Cousins was headed to the Bay Area. The center reportedly agreed to a one year, $5.3 million contract. With this, the most talented team in NBA history has found a way to get even more talented.

Now look, I know Cousins suffered an Achilles tear last season that sidelined him for the remainder of the year. I know that these types of injuries are tricky and take a long time to heal. Is it a guarantee he’ll be as productive as he was prior to injury? No! But still, this Golden State team is already scary enough. Adding a guy of Boogies talent makes them even more terrifying.

The Golden State Warriors have won three of the last four NBA titles. To put things into perspective, lets look at the teams starting centers during each of their title runs, along with their statistical averages from the season.

  1. Andrew Bogut (6.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 BPG)
  2. Zaza Pachulia (6.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 BPG)
  3. JaVale McGee (4.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.9 BPG)

To be frank, it doesn’t take an expert to tell Golden State’s talent at the position over the years has been a bit lacking. Say Boogie only surmounts to 80% of the talent he has shown to be. By far he’d still be the best center the Bay Area has seen since Nate Thurmond back in the 1960’s.

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Through January, Cousins was having a career year. In 48 games the 27-year-old was posting averages of 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.6 BPG on his way to receiving his fourth All-Star nod. The probability of him recreating these statistics after sustaining such a gruesome injury is very unlikely.

Still, the man is a career 21.5 PPG, 11.0 RPG and 1.2 BPG player who shoots 46% from the floor and 34% from deep. Now, I know he may not even log a single minute played till possibly April. I get that it may take him a little while to get acclimated to the change of scenery. But are you seriously going to tell me he can’t, at least, average 15.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 1.0 BPG? With these “pedestrian” averages, the team would still see a massive improvement at the position.

Even if Boogie does miss more than half the season, he’d still be welcomed to the lineup with open arms come playoff time. The team’s starting five consists of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant and Draymond Green. Their a shoe-in for a postseason berth and, frankly, are already title favorites. Add in DeMarcus Cousins to the equation and you’ve got a team on the verge of dynasty status.

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The Dubs were already the best team, by far, in the NBA. Now, they’ve gotten even better. If you wish to see a competitive sport during the 2018-19 season, go look somewhere else! DeMarcus Cousins’ decision to join the Golden State Warriors has officially ruined the NBA.