The New Orleans Pelicans were the talk of the league during All-Star weekend because of their acquisition of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins from the Sacremento Kings. Their ability to pair DeMarcus Cousins alongside Anthony Davis instantly made them the best front-court in the league.
However, there has been an obvious adjustment period for the two All-Star’s and their record of 3-6 since the All-Star break has been indicative of that. For example, in Saturday night’s 125-122 victory against the Charlotte Hornets, Davis posted a monstrous 46 points and 21 rebounds, but late in the game Cousins was benched. Although the Pelicans won Cousins’ benching was the talking point and he fielded questions about it today.
Following from Justin Verrier of ESPN.
“The team was in a good rhythm,” Cousins said Monday. “They were playing a good stretch of basketball. I wasn’t mad at all. We pulled out a good win. I’m not mad at all.”
“It’s just how it played out,” Cousins said. “Coach made a decision. It is what it is. My job is just to go out there when my name is called. It wasn’t, so I was a cheerleader from the bench.”
Head coach Alvin Gentry was also asked about Cousins’ benching and he, like Cousins, downplayed the whole situation.
“It was just simply a situation where they had a small team out there, they had a tough matchup with AD, we were creating space, guys were making a few shots. So we just decided to go with that group,” Gentry said. “That’s all it was. It wasn’t anything deep or thoughtful, or anything about it. It was just how the game had gone.”
As the season winds down, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis will continue to adjust and hopefully become a formidable duo in the near future.
