Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is targeting a return sometime after Christmas and was previously hoping to join the lineup on the five-game road trip the Warriors will embark on this Thursday. This report comes from Logan Murdock of the Mercury News:
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is targeting a return from his torn Achilles sometime after Christmas, sources told the Bay Area News Group.
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According to those sources:
* The determination was made during a meeting on Friday between Cousins and Golden State’s training staff, including head trainer Rick Celebrini.
* Before the meeting, Cousins was hoping to join the lineup during the team’s upcoming five-game trip.
* There have been no setbacks in the recovery process and the decision to push back Cousins’ target date was made so he can regain his conditioning and enter the lineup at peak form.
* Cousins is expected to be re-evaluated on his progress Tuesday.
* Cousins — who signed a one-year, $5.2 million deal in July — participated in a scrimmage alongside Stephen Curry on Saturday before the Warriors’ 117-116 victory over Sacramento. According to a player in the scrimmage, Cousins looked “solid.” The scrimmages have been a part of Cousins’ new six-day-a-week regimen with the team in anticipation of his pending return.
Still, Cousins and the Warriors have yet to set an exact return date and have been hoping to see how Cousins responds to contact scrimmages. After Monday’s shootaround, Cousins participated in a scrimmage as coach Steve Kerr watched.
A return date soon following Christmas – let alone one during the team’s upcoming road trip – would be earlier than expected. The big man tore his Achilles in January when he was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Standing at 6 feet 11 inches and weighing 270 pounds, Cousins is one of the NBA’s most imposing big men – perhaps the most imposing – when healthy. In 48 games for the Pelicans last season, he averaged 25.2 points to go along with career-high per-game averages in rebounds (12.9) and assists (5.4).
