DeMarcus Cousins has made his mark with the Clippers.
The Los Angeles Clippers finally decided to give veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins a full contract for the remainder of the 2021 season after eight games with the team.
This came after Boogie’s second 10-day contract expired on April 25th, this past Sunday. He had originally signed his first 10-day with the Clippers back on April 5th, who took a chance on Cousins when it seemed like no one else would.
Boogie had signed on to play for the Houston Rockets this past offseason, but after they completely botched the James Harden trade they called their season early and started shooing away veterans, Cousins included.
In 11 starts for the Rockets, Cousins put up 13.3 points, 10.9 boards, 2.6 dimes, 2.1 triples, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on a solid 41/37/76 shooting line. Not exactly numbers that you’d think would send prospective teams running for the hills, but that’s exactly what happened after the Mobile, Alabama native was cut by the Rockets in late February.
The former four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection spent six weeks without any calls or interest, just a fart in the NBA wind. But eventually, the Clippers came a-knockin’ and Cousins was back on a championship contender, just like he had been the previous two years with the Warriors in 2019 and the Lakers in 2020 before injuries derailed both of those seasons for Boogie
Cousins has played in eight of a possible 11 games since arriving in L.A. In three of those games he played less than 10 minutes and averaged 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds on 50 percent shooting. In the five games where he gets a bit more run and plays minutes in the teens, Boogie has put up 8.0 points and 5.6 rebounds on 48 percent shooting.
The Clippers are 5-0 when Cousins plays double-digit minutes, including the last four straight contests, so he and the team will look to keep that streak alive when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
It just so happens that the Clippers are offering solid value for that game with -120 NBA odds on the moneyline and +100 NBA odds on the -2.5 point spread. The moneyline is probably the safer NBA pick, but if you’re looking for a big payday, the top pick on this game has to be the big-time value on the point spread.
When Serge Ibaka returns, Cousins’ role is likely to diminish significantly again, but it seems unsure if Ibaka will even return with how long he’s been dealing with those nagging back problems, which are nothing to mess around with. Until then, Boogie is going to continue on his road back to relevance.
