DeMarcus Cousins isn’t concerned about what others might think about him. Yes, he’s stubborn, he admits, and he’ll be even more so when he returns to the court Friday night with the Warriors.
“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Cousins told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in a sit-down interview this week.
The six-time All-Star center’s recovery from his Achilles injury has taken a year, and when he steps on the court at Staples Center against the Clippers, the Warriors hope he’ll solve their riddle in the middle. Whether or not he can perform at the expected level depends on how his Achilles holds up, so Cousins sought counsel from Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who suffered a similar injury during his storied career.
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“He just basically tells me to attack it,” Cousins said. “Once you realize you are healed, like, don't think about it. Just go forward. …
“One thing that Dominique also spoke on is -- they don't know your heart, and they don't know your drive. So you know, the people that do know me, they know I can be very stubborn. I don't like to be proved wrong.”
[RELATED: Why Boogie believes Warriors are most hated team in sports]
Cousins, however, hopes to prove people wrong, even if he can’t change their minds about who he is, with his history of outburst and technical fouls mixed with prolific scoring and routine double-doubles.
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"I can't live worrying about what the next man thinks,” Cousins said. “I know who I am as a person. And the people that matter around me know who I am. So, it is what it is.”
Let the fun begin …