DeMarcus Cousins on returning for Warriors in 2019 NBA Finals: ‘I had no business on the floor’

We spent considerable time discussing whether the Warriors mishandled Kevin Durant’s injury.

What about DeMarcus Cousins’?

Cousins tore his quad in the second game of the 2019 playoffs. Golden State coach Steve Kerr said Cousins would likely miss the rest of the postseason. Cousins – who’d spent most of the previous year rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered with the Pelicans – later revealed he was ready to quit.

But Cousins played and even started in the NBA Finals

Cousins on All The Smoke:

I was terrible in the Finals. One leg, was a one-legged bandit on the floor. But you know what I’m saying? I wanted to be a part of it. Not only that, this is – in the Finals, you play hurt. If you can go, you can go.

That’s where you lay your body on the line. So, I went out there and gave it what I had. I mean, the results were unfortunate.

I helped. I helped in spots.

I wasn’t supposed to be on the floor.

I rehabbed a torn quad in six weeks.

And came back and played.

I had no business on the floor. None whatsoever.

I just kept telling myself, “This is what I’ve played for my entire career, to be on this stage, to have this opportunity. Whatever I’ve got to do to be able to be a part of that, I’m going to do it.”

I don’t even know how I did it, honestly, through the rehab. I went in there – s—, the first week, I laid in an oxygen tank, the first week, for like four hours a day, just laid there, ears, brain feels like it’s about to explode, bro. But it was supposed to promote healing and all this. So, I did that the whole first week. After that, rehabbed every single day. Maybe twice a day.

So, just to be a part of that moment. And I got the chance. Do I regret it? Hell no. That’s what I hoop for. Win or loss, I was a part of that. I’m OK with the results. Guess what? I got a little taste of it. I want it again. So, it’s all good.

I appreciate Cousins acknowledging that he pushed himself harder because of the stakes. It’s always dangerous playing hurt. But the cost-benefit analysis changes in the NBA Finals. This is the time players preserve their health for – especially Cousins, who spent years toiling with the Kings. It’s the time to more aggressively risk aggravating an injury.

That said, there are still limits. Teams should be somewhat responsible for protecting players from themselves. After everything with Durant and Andre Iguodala saying he broke his leg but the Warriors called it just a bruise, this raises more questions about Golden State’s handling of injuries.

Cousins felt the consequences hard.

Durant still got a potentially max four-year contract. Cousins settled for just $3.5 million for one year. Then, he tore his ACL over the summer. I definitely can’t say that’s related to rushing back from the quad injury, but it’s at least reasonable to wonder whether these leg injuries are building on each other. The Lakers waived Cousins, and though they might re-sign him, that’d probably be for the minimum.

Cousins said he has no regrets, and we should salute his competitiveness. We can also feel sympathy for his predicament and question the Warriors for playing him. We don’t have to choose a single takeaway from a complex situation.