Tragic Injury Robs DeMarcus Cousins, and Fans, of Long-Anticipated Playoff Debut
Jan 29, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:23 am
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 26: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans lies down on the ground after injuring his ankle during the second half of a NBA game against the Houston Rockets at the Smoothie King Center on January 26, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
by Matt George – Sports 1140 KHTK
In just three weeks, New Orleans Pelicans superstar big man DeMarcus Cousins was supposed to start for Team LeBron in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. Not only that, Cousins was enjoying a historic stretch of play, posting numbers not seen since Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Pelicans had been playing well, and many were optimistic that Cousins would finally get his chance to play in the postseason.
But then, everything changed in the final seconds of the Pelicans vs Houston Rockets game on Friday.
With just eight seconds left in what was a very entertaining bout between two expected Western Conference playoff teams, Cousins collapsed right in front of the Rockets bench, grabbing at his left heel. His reaction immediately got the attention of the entire Houston bench, who called for immediate medical attention from the Pelicans’ training staff. Cousins was helped off the floor, unable to put any weight on his left leg, while coaches, teammates, and fans were left assuming the worst.
No MRI was necessary to figure out what had happened to Cousins. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to release the report.
Source: An MRI has confirmed diagnosis on DeMarcus Cousins: Torn left Achilles, out for the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2018
Range on recovery for DeMarcus Cousins, league source tells ESPN: 6-to-10 months.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 27, 2018
Currently 6th in the West, the Pelicans are 27-22 on the season, 7-3 over their last 10 games, and are 0-1 since the Cousins injury after a 112-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday. Their next game is tomorrow night in New Orleans against the Sacramento Kings.
