What an unfortunate couple years it has been for Demarcus Cousins. Three major injuries within a two year period for the former Allstar has been a major headline this summer.
The LA Lakers brought in Boogie to add some star power to the already stacked roster. He was joined by Kyle Kuzma, an underrated wing who surprised the entire league. Danny Green, a veteran lights out shooter coming off the back of a phenomenal championship winning campaign in Toronto. Anthony Davis, one of the most dominant players in the league right now on both ends of the floor. Finally, LeBron James. One of the best players to ever play the game of Basketball. They are also supported by some very notable players such as Rajon Rondo, Javale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Jared Dudley (can’t forget my guy Alex Caruso too, but he doesn’t get the respect he deserves).
The Lakers brought Cousins in to be able to keep up with the increasing difficulty of the Western Conference. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL which likely rules him out of playing this coming season. He was also brought in to help go toe to toe with another powerhouse in the west, who happen to be situated in their own back yard. The LA Clippers. This season they managed to secure two of the leagues most dominant talents in the wing position on both ends of the ball. Enter Paul George and, now 2x Playoff Champion and Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard. Not to forget the pitbull that is Patrick Beverly, last year’s Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell who was nominated for the same award. Not forgetting upcoming sharpshooter Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac who has bags of potential and more, the Clippers have a SQUAD. The Battle for LA is shaping up to be the biggest rivalry this season with match-ups on opening night and Christmas day next season.
Where do the Lakers go from here? Well, the show must go on. Boogie was signed to a veteran minimum one year contract given his recent injury troubles and the fact that he’s leaving/already past his prime. So he will soon be axed from the roster and replaced. They have supposedly been looking at Marcin Gortat, who last played for the Clippers. Very dependable big man who is good on the pick & roll and also reliable on the defensive end. They are also looking at former Laker, Dwight Howard. He was once one of the best centres in the league. Former first pick in the draft, 8x Allstar, 3x Defensve Player of the Year and just an absolute machine when it comes to getting points on the board and pulling down rebounds. However, he has been having slight injury troubles, past his prime and also off-court issues have been following him recently too. Is he still worth it? He even supposedly had to convince AD and Rondo that he would buy into the programme, and that he would put his “attitude issues and previous off-court problems behind him.
I personally think that either option on a veteran minimum will work out well. Rotating either of them with McGee will mean you’ll always have a solid presence at the 5. Howard, purely from a playing perspective is the much better option in my opinion. However, it remains to be seen how he gets on with the squad and if he will be happy to accept the limited role given to him. There’s also the option of playing AD at center, but he very much prefers playing power forward and will most likely log very few minutes outside that position. The new season is still weeks away so a lot could still change, I can’t wait.
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