The Charlotte Hornets are no strangers to taking on aging veterans or maligned journeymen. DeMarcus Cousins isn’t exactly either of those, but could the team take a chance on the oft-injured big-man?
In an ideal world, injuries would never happen. They’ve destroyed many a promising career and this includes those players who’ve donned a Charlotte Hornets jersey. Some players are able to overcome those injuries, even if they’ve fallen prey to them numerous times.
DeMarcus Cousins is one such player and if anyone in the modern NBA exemplifies a soul tortured by injuries, it’s the 30-year old former Kentucky Wildcat. Plagued by a torn Achilles in 2018 and a torn ACL in 2019, along with several other nagging injuries, Cousins’ talent and physical prowess have literally been cut off at the knee for the past few seasons.
Before that, though, he was one of the most dominant inside forces in recent years, even putting up a staggering 25 points and 13 boards a night alongside All-World big-man, Anthony Davis, just two seasons ago.
Despite aging and battling back from terrible injuries, the Charlotte Hornets may want to take a shot on the six-time All-Star.
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His best days may be behind him as Achilles injuries are especially hard to come back from, and for a player Cousins’ size, it’s even more difficult. The 6’10, 270-pound center has never been a particularly agile guy, even for a big, but after an Achilles injury, a player’s mobility is severely hampered.
This was made evident in the last NBA FInals as Cousins, try as he might, was the victim of the Toronto Raptors, with the eventual NBA Champions straight up abusing him off of screen and rolls. Cousins was never really a great defender anyway, and with a surgically repaired Achilles, he could be a straight-up liability.
On a team that was already very poor in terms of interior defense, the Charlotte Hornets signing Cousins would potentially exacerbate that issue. If he can continue to be an offensive force, however, then he might be worth a look, especially given the price.
Last season, the Golden State Warriors got him on a relatively cheap contract, just one year for $3.5 million. That’s a borderline steal, even with his history of injuries. If the Hornets could get him for a similar salary, or even cheaper, having a center who has career numbers of 21 and 11 and is still fairly young could be worth it.
It wasn’t that long ago that the then Bobcats took a shot on a prolific big entering his 30’s by the name of Al Jefferson and that worked out well, at least for a few seasons. The tandem of Big Al and Kemba Walker proved to be a potent one, and with two talented young guards on the roster now, Charlotte might be able to repeat that type of success.
Of course, with his history, there’s always the chance he re-injures himself and then Charlotte is paying a few million for nothing. It’s admittedly a small risk given the low cost, but it’s something for the front office to consider.
Then again, Cousins—entering what may be the twilight of his career—could altogether rule out a team like the Hornets, only wanting to play for a team that is worthy of an NBA title. That wouldn’t be too much of a surprise, but if there’s even a small possibility he might want to play in Charlotte, it’s worth entertaining the option.
Assuming one of the teams soon to be competing in Orlando doesn’t take an interest in Cousins, that might be a benefit, allowing him to continue to heal. If so, he may be ripe for the picking for the Charlotte Hornets.