It’s never fun when an NBA star suffers a serious injury. And unfortunately for DeMarcus Cousins, he’s picked up yet another significant lower-body injury which puts his season in serious doubt.
The unlucky big man’s latest setback leads the list of notable news stories that SBOBET NBA fans should know.
Next on the list is Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox’s surprise withdrawal from the Team USA FIBA World Cup team.
And last but definitely not least is Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s highly controversial comments about James Harden being a better scorer than Michael Jordan, which SBOBET NBA fans should have strong opinions on.
DeMarcus Cousins suffers torn ACL
DeMarcus Cousins will likely miss most, if not all of the 2019-20 NBA season after the big NBA 2019 news broke that he suffered a torn ACL while working out in Las Vegas.
It’s a massive blow for the Los Angeles Lakers big man, who is just over a year and a half removed from rupturing his Achilles. That injury, which occurred during the last year of his contract, was not only gruelling to recover from, it also cost him a potential max-salary deal.
With the contract offers last offseason not to Boogie’s liking, he decided to sign a one-year, $5.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors. But the injury bug once again bit him during the playoffs, where he suffered a torn left quadriceps in their first-round series against the Clippers.
And during this wild offseason filled with several star players switching teams, there was again no market for Cousins. He settled on signing another one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would team up with LeBron James and former New Orleans Pelicans team-mate Anthony Davis.
But with Boogie’s injury, the Lakers suddenly find themselves short on depth in the frontcourt. JaVale McGee is the only full-time centre currently on the roster. Although, Davis could play there at times, with Kyle Kuzma and Jared Dudley playing power forward in smaller line-ups.
As for Cousins himself, this is yet another serious injury he has to return from, which will not be easy. It might be too early to say for sure, but after this latest injury, it’s possible that the All-Star version of Boogie Cousins is no more.
De’Aaron Fox pulls out of Team USA
Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has decided to leave Team USA prior to their trip to Australia to focus on helping the Kings make the playoffs this season.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise given that Fox had impressed during Team USA workouts and looked certain to make the 12-man team.
Fox made a major leap in Year 2 last season as he averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 assists as he played a significant part in the Kings going 39-43, their best record since their last playoff berth back in 2005-06.
For Team USA, Fox’s withdrawal is just the latest in a long list of top players who have decided not to take part in the FIBA World Cup. Although, many of the other withdrawals were established stars, while Fox was the up-and-coming youngster who could have greatly benefitted from the World Cup experience.
But it appears he has decided that all the extra work and travel he’ll need to do during the tournament will be detrimental to his preparation to get the Kings back into the playoff picture after 13 years out.
The Kings’ NBA 2019 odds to make the postseason won’t be too favourable, especially in a competitive Western Conference. But if Fox can take yet another leap, perhaps the Kings can make a playoff run this year.
Daryl Morey says James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is generally considered the G.O.A.T., or the greatest of all-time. However, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey doesn’t quite subscribe to that belief after coming out and saying its “factual” that James Harden is a superior scorer than MJ.
“It’s just factual that James Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan,” Morey said on the “Selfmade with Nadeshot” podcast. “Based on literally, like you give James Harden the ball and before you’re giving up the ball how many points do you generate? Which is how you should measure offence. James Harden is by far No. 1 in NBA history,” Morey said on the podcast that was published Thursday.
In terms of sheer numbers, Harden does have a legitimate case. He’s the embodiment of Morey’s analytics-based approach to basketball with his remarkable ability to get to the rim (or the free throw line) and shoot 3-pointers — the most valuable shots in basketball.
In contrast, Jordan did not have the benefit of playing in an era that put as much emphasis in shooting 3-pointers, which means his numbers aren’t quite as impressive.
Morey may very well be right in stating that Harden is a superior offensive player than Jordan based on the statistics. However, it will likely take much more than “facts” to sway the hardcore Jordan fans to his side.
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