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Warriors’ Steve Kerr says he’s devastated by DeMarcus Cousins’ ACL injury: ‘We’re all crushed for him’

DeMarcus Cousins suffered his third major left leg injury in less than two years on Monday when he tore his ACL after bumping knees with another player in a workout. This is just the latest setback for the embattled former All-Star. Now 29-years-old, his best-case scenario is a renaissance in his 30’s. Several years of his prime have already been lost, and it’s unclear if Cousins will ever be able to fully return to form. 

And to his former coach, that is devastating. Steve Kerr spoke to reporters Thursday at Team USA’s practice, and the message was simple: he, and just about everyone else, is heartbroken over this latest injury for Cousins. 

“I saw it, I saw. I’m devastated for DeMarcus. I read it on the way to practice, and it’s been a couple of years of hell for DeMarcus with the injuries, first with the Achilles, and then last year in the Finals, with the quad, or in the playoffs I should say, and I was really hoping that this would be a year for him upcoming with the Lakers where he could get healthy, get his rhythm, get his conditioning, and really start his comeback. So we’re all crushed for him, everybody in this gym, all of these fellow players and coaches. This is a small community, and so everybody’s been talking about it and we’ve all reached out to him, and we all feel terrible for him.”

Kerr oversaw Cousins’ recovery from his first major injury, a torn left Achilles tendon suffered with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Golden State Warriors chose to sign him despite that injury, and brought him back onto the court on Jan. 18, nearly a year after he initially got hurt. The results, for most of the regular season, were promising, but Cousins tore his quad in the first round of the postseason against the Los Angeles Clippers

He was surprisingly able to return in time for the NBA Finals, in which Kerr used him sparingly. He averaged only 18 minutes per game in that series, far below his career averages, but given his injury history, that might be the most effective use of his talents moving forward. 

Like Kerr, Draymond Green, Cousins’ teammate on the Warriors last season, was shocked — and extremely disappointed — by the veteran big man’s latest setback. 

“One of my goals coming into this season was for DeMarcus to destroy everybody and come back and show how great of a player he is and get what I think he deserves,” Green said, via ESPN. “I’m really at a loss for words about it. It’s one that really hurt me for sure.”  

Cousins may never return to full strength. Heavy centers in their 30’s with several major injuries to the same leg often don’t. There will be time to determine where his career stands when the dust settles, but for now, Kerr, Green, and just about everyone else is just hoping for a speedy recovery from Cousins. 

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