It was reported on Monday that DeMarcus Cousins narrowed his choices down to the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics before choosing the Warriors.
Just when you thought the Golden State Warriors couldn’t get any better, they just did. Already favored to win next year’s NBA title, the Dubs went out and added DeMarcus Cousins, who nearly boogied his way to the Boston Celtics.
On Monday, the back-to-back defending champions reportedly agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the All-Star center. It is unknown when Cousins will be able to make his debut for the Warriors, as he is coming off a torn Achilles injury that he suffered in January.
The Warriors were already considered by many as one of the greatest teams ever. Now, they added arguably the best center in the league. Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 48 games last season for the New Orleans Pelicans before getting injured.
This is obviously not good news for the Celtics. The Warriors already would have been tough to beat as it was before they added “Boogie”. Now, if the Celtics meet the Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals as most expect they will, it will take a miracle to pull off the upset.
To make it sting a little more for Celtics fans, it was reported that Cousins had narrowed his choices down to the Warriors and Celtics before settling on the Warriors.
ESPN Sources: DeMarcus Cousins had narrowed his choices down to Golden State and Boston.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 3, 2018
This news was unexpected, as there were no prior reports of Cousins and the Celtics ever showing mutual interest. It came one day after the Celtics re-signed Aron Baynes to a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option for the second year.
Although he will get plenty of hate, this deal makes sense on Cousins’ end. Cousins will take a year to play on a contender while he rehabs from his injury. He will have another chance to get a max-deal next offseason with more money.
With DeMarcus Cousins, the Boston Celtics would have beaten the WarriorsD
DeMarcus Cousins clearly wanted to join a title contender on a cheap one-year deal, but it is a shame he chose the Warriors. Ever since adding Kevin Durant, the Warriors have dominated the NBA. This season, if all five starters stay healthy, it will be much worse. They basically traded JaVale McGee for Cousins.
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The Celtics are coming off a postseason where they surpassed all expectations. After losing Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving due to injuries, most didn’t see the Celtics making it past the second round. However, they made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When you add Irving and Hayward back to the lineup this team becomes an instant title contender. A lineup of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford is very scary. That includes solid role players such as Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and likely Marcus Smart coming off the bench.
If you add “Boogie” to that mix, they become title favorites. That would have put Jaylen Brown on the bench and give the Celtics the most complete roster in the NBA.
Not only is Cousins a terrific low-post scorer and rebounder, but he is also a tremendous passer for his size. Cousins always looks to make the right play on the offensive end. This would have worked perfectly with the Boston Celtics as they have a lot of shooters who would work well with Cousins, unlike the Pelicans and Kings.
This team would have given the Warriors fits. This would be a nightmare matchup for them defensively, as Curry would be forced to guard Irving and they would not have the size to matchup with Horford and Cousins.
Do the Celtics have a chance against the Warriors?
Adding DeMarcus Cousins gives the Warriors a starting lineup with five all-stars. That is absurd. Their starting lineup might be better than the Eastern Conference All-Stars starting lineup.
Coming off two titles, it will be even tougher to beat the Warriors this year after adding a player as talented as DeMarcus Cousins. They arguably have three of the best ten players in the league and five of the best 25 players in the league.
However, the Celtics should not be counted out. As of right now, they probably have the best chance to take down the Warriors. It is highly unlikely that they could beat the Warriors, but they would probably give the Warriors their hardest series. The Celtics have a complete lineup as well, but the Warriors are just more talented from top to bottom.
It must be frustrating for all NBA teams that the Warriors keep getting better. Danny Ainge has done a terrific job constructing this roster but it might not lead to a ring just yet. It’s just tough when two of the best players in the league (Durant and Cousins) decide to sign with a team that was already considered to be one of the best ever.
However, the Celtics should stay patient. Even if they don’t win a championship this year, the Celtics should not panic and keep their core. It is unlikely that Cousins will resign with the Warriors on another cheap deal. The Warriors dynasty will not last forever.
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The Boston Celtics are still a young team and have a chance to win multiple championships in the coming years. As long as both the players and staff stay patient, it will not be too long before we see yet another banner raised in Boston.