Before Team USA trimmed its roster down to the final 12 last weekend, there was a lot of speculation on whether DeMarcus Cousins would make the team, as head coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared to be favoring Mason Plumlee as a secondary big man. Turns out, both players made the team, and now Cousins has been formally named the back-up center heading into the FIBA World Cup.
Via ESPN’s Marc Stein, Coach K announced yesterday that Cousins will be his back-up center behind starter Anthony Davis:
Insisting he had zero worries about making the 12-man squad, Cousins brushed off the doubters Friday night in the bowels of Madison Square Garden, telling assembled reporters: “Y’all will see.”
Turns out Cousins had plenty of justification to be so self-assured: Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski told ESPN.com this week that Cousins has cemented himself as the backup to starting center Anthony Davis.
Still recovering from the bone bruise in his right knee suffered earlier this month in Chicago, Cousins was the fourth player off the U.S. bench in Tuesday’s exhibition victory over Slovenia. Yet the rotation in that game confirmed that he’s firmly part of the “core group” of nine players so often referenced by Krzyzewski since this team started practicing together in late July.
For Cousins, who averaged 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game with the Sacramento Kings this season, it’s been a long journey to earn the respect of the Team USA management brass.
As Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee explains, it was just two years ago when it seemed like Cousins would not even be invited back for a Team USA tryout ever again:
Talk about a miraculous recovery. Two years ago, when Cousins was among the invitees who scrimmaged against the 2012 Olympians at the training camp in Las Vegas, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo practically chased him out of the gym. The gambling crowd would have gone broke betting on the guy. The young center was characterized as too aggressive, too physical, too generous with the elbows, too chatty with the referees.
Yet if Cousins flunked his original audition, he stubbornly returned for a refresher course in 2013. He re-enrolled again these past several weeks, and finally, for the first time in his pro career, he aced the test. If he were still in school, everyone would be looking up to the 6-foot-11, 270-pound kid with the gold star pasted on his forehead. He listened. He learned. He also took full advantage of fluid roster developments that included injuries, fatigue, contract concerns and a general lack of interest among many of his more celebrated peers.
Team USA begins the FIBA World Cup tournament on Saturday against Finland. They’re not expecting any real challenges in the preliminary round, but will likely face Spain later on in the tournament. This is where Cousins could have a huge impact as he comes off the bench to battle the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka.
Players like Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, Steph Curry and James Harden may get more of the headlines at the tournament, but Cousins could very well emerge as a difference-maker for Team USA.
What do you think?
Follow steven lebron on Twitter at @steven_lebron.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE