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OAKLAND – DeMarcus Cousins is trying to adjust to agreeing to be inferior to what he has always been and there are times, like Saturday, when he obviously hates the limitations in the framework of a safe and long process.
"It's frustrating, heck," Cousins said Saturday after a lethargic effort by the Warriors in a 118-112 loss to the Rockets.
"It's difficult," he added. "I'm in a gray area, trying to get back on my own and just knowing that guys are targeting me. Nobody in this league is going to feel sorry for me and I know it. "
Using its usual heavy offensive, Houston has attacked the Cousins' defense and has achieved some success. In simple terms, it has often happened that the center has not been able to move its body 6 feet 11 inches and 270 pounds fast enough.
"We thought about it," said Clint Capela, Rockets center. "Wherever we see weakness, we try to go there. We made the right decision. "
Capela is unique in that he is a fabulous athlete, quite long and strong enough (6-10, 245) to play center, but is perhaps also the fastest tall man in the league. It is perfect for the role of giving seizures to Cousins.
"Houston, and the way they play, there's obviously a lot of talk around the game. . . but we understand who we are and where we work, "Stephen Curry said. "DeMarcus, in particular, is grinding his body and bringing it to where he wants it. He finds his rhythm and rhythm. "
But the Cousins' struggles were not limited to this game, nor to one or two others. He finds out the hard way that he can not go back to his previous All-Star level just because he's so keen on it.
The result is too many mistakes, too many misses in the paint and the Warriors are out of balance in attack and defense. Cousins learns both while trying to get used to his new obstacles, and warriors pay the price. Their defense improves significantly when he is on the bench.
"The guys are attacking me in the pick-and-roll and that's obvious," said Cousins, who lost 17 points in 27 minutes against Houston. "I just have to be ready for it, be prepared for it and stay out of any problem (insulting). Jesus Christ. "
Thirteen games after his return, the Cousins failed once (in 15 minutes), committed five fouls twice, four to four times and three to five times. He commits an offense on average every 6.1 minutes.
Which, therefore, means that Boogie's expression of discontent, familiar and painfully monumental, has become a frequent sight. He is angry with the officials, but perhaps more against himself.
"It's the confidence," said Cousins. "It's trusting me in these (defensive) situations, trusting me to shoot the ball, all that. Confidence is not there, of course.
"But I will continue to work and finally it will come."
Rick Celebrini, the team's director of sports medicine, warned the cousins at his meeting last summer that this process would put his soul to the test, because he would be filled with more despair than joy. .
"Rick has been preaching this since the moment I set foot here," said Cousins. "There will be good days and many bad days. So obviously, I'm in the bad days right now.
"But with every storm, there is sun at the end."
Warriors are in no hurry as long as they see progress. There has been some, especially with regard to the rebound. Cousins posted double-digit totals in three straight games, recording a high of 14 in high season on Saturday.
The cousins also slowly find their agility. "Slow" is the part he finds annoying.
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"My basic rotational movement is one of my favorite moves," he said. "I remember trying to do it earlier in the season and I could not even get past the guy. I was able to do it tonight and overtake the guy but could not finish as I wanted.
"Some things come back slowly. They are happening to me. It's just a matter of time. "
The warriors say that they can wait. They have seven weeks and 23 games left before the playoffs. Cousins will have plenty of time to be more efficient, provided it can be less effective sometimes.
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