The Lakers are playing to win the NBA title this season and the team could use all the help available to them. And one reinforcement that Los Angeles can bring in is DeMarcus Cousins. The big man was cut earlier this year but Purple & Gold heading to the playoffs could choose to add Boogie on the roster, and it seemed to be a non-issue.
Cousins is regarded as the best man right now in the open market pool and the Lakers re-signing him certainly makes sense. The All-Star, when is healthy, can deliver the points and willing to take on a role assigned to him. It's easy to see that he is an asset to any team he joins up with.
So is the team is indeed serious, there is no rule in the NBA book that prevents Cousins from returning, according to Bleacher Report. He was cut and not traded so the Lakers are free to hire back the prized center.
There are two things that the Lakers can do. They can release a player to open up a spot for Boogie or the team can simply expand the roster number to 17, thus finding sufficient space for Cousins, who obviously has become a welcome figure as far as the team players are concerned.
Cousins rejoining the Lakers in time for the playoffs series will surely make Anthony Davis happy as the two used to play together in New Orleans. It is expected that it will be the same for LeBron James as the superstar reportedly took a liking to his former teammate.
All things considered, Cousins playing for the Lakers again seemed a wise decision to make for the team. But the question is, should they head to that direction?
According to Silver Screen & Roll, it remains doubtful if Boogie will be the same after suffering a torn ACL in August 2019. It's clear that the injury is less than a year and even the best rehabilitation process will not bring the same man in so short a period.
It is unlikely that Cousins will perform as expected given the nature of his injury so rushing him into action seemed not the prudent thing to do, the report added.
The records also showed Cousins has been struggling with consistency since he hurt his Achilles in 2018 so it is a big gamble for the Lakers to deploy a man on the court that has yet to regain his old footing. If the team is serious about working with him, as he no doubt is a talented big man, patience is the key.
Cousins will be of help to the Lakers but the report said that it is hard to see happening this season.
