4x NBA All-Star's Surprising Reaction to Playing With Anthony Davis
When DeMarcus Cousins was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017, it shocked the NBA world. No one really knew how the pairing of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins would work, not even Cousins himself.
On one of the newest episodes of Podcast P, DeMarcus Cousins opened up about the moment he was traded to play with Anthony Davis and his initial reaction was actually a surprising one.
"Honestly, for me, I didn't really look at it in that moment, in that head space I was in, I didn't look as a new opportunity," Cousins said. "I kinda felt like I was thrown to the wolves type of thing. In the beginning, I'm just like, 'Why would you trade me with AD and we play the same position?' So in my head, I'm just like, they're trying to kill me out. Obviously, AD was younger, he was a younger talent, so it just didn't really make sense."
While Cousins was initially apprehensive about playing with Anthony Davis, he ultimately became onboard after speaking with the Pelicans organization. Even Cousins couldn't deny just how talented Anthony Davis is.
"Once I kinda spoke with the organization and they kinda told me what their plan was, I'm like, well damn this could really be something special because throughout my career so far, this is the most talented guy I've ever teamed up with," Cousins said. "All I've ever wanted in my career was a guy I could go to war with."
Once Cousins accepted the trade, he knew he had to take a backseat to Anthony Davis. He knew that Davis was number one and he was willingly ready to become number two.
"In my head, I'm like I know I gotta take a backseat to this young bull because this is Anthony Davis," Cousins said. "My whole mindset was how could I make this kid better, how can I make his job easier."
DeMarcus Cousins was traded to New Orleans in the middle of the 2017 season, and it was a bit harder to acclimate than he initially believed it would be. The following offseason, he made sure to be in the best shape possible because Cousins knew how special the team could be. The team finally started clicking, but unfortunately, DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his Achilles before the team had a legitimate chance to make noise.
"Going into that offseason, I probably trained the hardest I ever had in my career. I was in the best shape of my life," Cousins said. "Things played out the way that did, that's the nature of this business, that's the nature of the beast. That's going to always going to be a 'what-if' for me in my career. What me and bro built in that short amount of time, I knew it was going to be something really special."
There are many "what-ifs" in NBA history, and unfortunately, the duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis are one of many on that list.
