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Cousins enjoying the company of his new teammates Steph Curry and Draymond Green at the time of the event. a match of the stars. Bruce Yeung / Getty Images
Unlike Little Chicken, the NBA has not ceased to exist when DeMarcus Cousins, an All-Star four times, signed with the mighty Golden State Warriors for a pittance of $ 5.3 million. [19659005Biensûrtouteschosesétantégalesparailleursilyavaitunélémentd'injusticedansl'ententeconcluelundientrelesdeuxchampionsentitreetCousinsquiestaussimembredel'équipedesÉtats-UnisetdeuxfoismembredelaNBA19659005] But when it comes to Cousins miraculously available for the exception of mid-level taxpayers to the team that has won three of the last four championships, all things n? were not equal. It was not the DMC that ran on the field with Anthony Davis in New Orleans last season, waiting for the moment when the inevitable max bids came in free agency. It was the rupture of the Cousins tendon after the Achilles tendon, with all the risks and uncertainties that accompany this particular injury, even for an athlete who is not yet 28 years old.
So let's be clear: Cousins' signature is not the root of the problem of the NBA's competitive equilibrium. That's just another symptom
"Time will tell," said an East Conference official at Bleacher Report. "If anything, it emboldens everyone to get better."
On paper, it is unfair. Whenever Cousins is available to return to the field, Warrior coach Steve Kerr can line up a team with five All-Stars, all of which were all-NBA's first, second or third team as well. recently as 2015-16. 19659005] But there are several problems with the assertion that Cousins joining the Warriors proves that the NBA is broken.
Cousins have reasons to smile as Layne Murdoch / Getty Images
When Cousins comes back, there is no guarantee that he will be the same player as he is. he was before the injury. There is no guarantee that it will begin, or that it will even go with the rhythm and space style of the Warriors.
There are reasons why the Pelicans did not stand at the Cousins' door at 12:01 pm ET on July 1st with a max bid, and not all of them are financial. It was obvious to all those who watched the pelicans at the end of the season, including the Warriors, who beat them in the second round of the playoffs, that Alvin Gentry's three-point shooting system worked quite well with Davis. and Nikola Mirotic playing side by side. Cousins - an old-school and hard-working post-up player with a history of stamina and conditioning problems (not to mention his short fuse and his brooding personality) – is less worthy of being. an adjustment.
dates back to February 2015, when the National Basketball Players Association rejected the NBA's proposal to smooth a massive influx of broadcast revenues into the players' compensation pool, which would have prevented a 22 million-plus rise dollars from the salary cap in 2016-17.
By marrying a peak so significant in a year in the ceiling and the luxury tax, the players paved the way for Kevin Durant to sign with the Warriors in July 2016 (and lead them to two more championships until the end of the season). right here). If only LeBron James, a senior member of the NBPA's executive committee, had anticipated that the peak would eventually jeopardize his pursuit for the championships. After defeating Golden State in 2016, LeBron lost the last two finals against Durant's Warriors, winning just one game.
"The peak should never have happened," said a league agent to B / R. "Essentially, he ruined the back half of LeBron James' career."
Oddly enough, James's decision to sign with the Lakers played a role in the Warriors getting Cousins. In order to free some flexibility to add pieces around James, the Lakers relinquished their rights to Julius Randle. The Pelicans picked up Randle, the No. 7 pick in the 2014 draft, paving the way for Cousins
The market for Cousins was virtually non-existent, league sources told B / R, offering another stroke of luck to the Warriors. In their attempt to transform the NBA into NASCAR, two dozen slow cars wander around the track and take turns and burn in turns while the three or four fast cars overtake them
James spoke during the final of the embarrassment of wealth on the Warriors list, but he does not seem to complain as much these days. James, he's just donning the gold and purple medal in Los Angeles and carving the next – and perhaps the last – chapter of his Laker career
James believes that he can earn there In a recent interview with Paul Flannery of SB Nation, Michele Roberts, executive director of the NBPA, called the 2015 smoothing proposal the league's "shameful demand". Maybe she should try to lead one of the other 29 teams that eat the dust of the Warriors.
"We all knew that [the spike] was going to be a problem," said a West Conference general manager at B / R. "She did not care, and unfortunately we did not fight hard enough to prevent it. "
Other team leaders in the league are not exactly in the camp of the sky that falls on Cousins' signature; You must admire their optimism. One of the leaders of the Eastern Conference pointed out that if Trevor Ariza had not shot 0 out of 12 of the field and 0 out of 9 at three points in the 7th match of the Western Conference final, the Warriors may not have been there yet. The Finals
The other big red flag of Cousins is his attitude.
"As with any team, injuries and" disease of me "will strike," said the East Conference Executive. "They are a strong group, however, so it will be fascinating to see the plot unfold."
Still, the fact remains that the two defending champions have just added a fifth All-Star to their list while the rest of the league sucks the wind. As one agent said, even though Cousins only returns to 70% of his former self, this "is still 10 times better than JaVale McGee."
It's nice to look at it well, and it's good to lament. . Do not forget who caused the problem in the first place
If the NBA's competitive balance is inexorably broken, it's not the fault of DeMarcus Cousins or the Warriors.
Ken Berger covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @KBergNBA .
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