The NBA has been somewhat of a mess for the past few years, featuring dominant rival teams in the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, as of last summer, the Cavaliers lost star player LeBron James, and the Warriors added superstar DeMarcus Cousins. Now, the scale is tipped towards the West Coast as potentially the best team in NBA history enters the season with a 63% chance to win the championship for the third time in four years. No other team in the league stacks up like the Warriors do, and nobody wants to be on the other end of a Splash Brothers beat down.
DeMarcus Cousins is a bonafide star in the NBA. He averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, and just over 5 assists per game last season. Add that on to the impressive resume of the Golden State Warriors, and you’ve got yourself a “super team.” Author Neil Greenberg explores the potential dominance of Golden State in “DeMarcus Cousins will make the Warriors the most super ‘super team’ ever.” Greenberg explains that the Warriors lineup was the best in the business already. Point Guard Stephen Curry is a 5 time All-Star, 3 time scoring champion, and back to back MVP in 2015 and 2016. Small Forward Kevin Durant won the 2014 MVP, is a 4 time scoring champion, and has been named to 8 All-NBA teams. Power Forward Draymond Green won 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, is a 4 time All-Star, and has been on the All-Defense team 4 times. And Shooting Guard Klay Thompson, the least decorated of the bunch, is a 4 time All-Star, and has been named to 2 All-NBA teams.
Adding Cousins to these stars will mark the first time that an NBA team has started 5 All-Stars since the Celtics in the 1975 season. Greenberg also informs readers that there are cons to Cousins’ trip out West. For example, the big man will have to share the ball more than he has in the past, as well as moving towards the hoop more often instead of camping outside the three-point line. The team is expected to have no issues however.
Greenberg’s article goes in depth on how dominant the Warriors will likely be. On paper, he is 100% correct. Golden State should be purely unstoppable. However, team functionality relies on more than just pure skill. Players have to be fluid and have chemistry with each other. There cannot be arguments amogst each other or disruptions to the flow of play. Unfortunately, the Warriors currently harbor two of the NBA’s biggest trouble-makers in Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins. Both players often finish first and second in the league in flagrant fouls and ejections, and this unpredictability could endanger a fourth consecutive championship appearance for the Warriors.
Cousins will also have to share the ball with his fellow stars, and he may not like that change in his usual play style. He often dominates games and has the ball in his hands for a majority of them. “Not only will Cousins likely have the ball less, he likely has to get used to cutting to the rim,” something he is not used to as he often plays outside the key and drives to the basket or shoots. I know from my experience in sports, that a team glued together with friendship is much stronger than one functioning purely for victories.
The Warriors have been the most dominant team in the league for years now, and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon. The addition of DeMarcus Cousins makes the Warriors the most dangerous team in history with the star power to likely beat an All-Star team. But, just like an All-Star team, good players often want to score, and when you add too many good players, they get frustrated with their time of possession. This could happen to the Warriors. All it takes for tempers to fly and grudges to form for this Olympic team to crumble. I don’t predict that it will happen, simply that it is possible.
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