Warriors believe DeMarcus Cousins can begin team practice soon

OAKLAND — The Warriors have stayed adamant about not offering a timetable on DeMarcus Cousins’ return. After all, why project their starting center’s first game in a Warriors uniform when they still need to reevaluate his left Achilles tendon in four weeks?

Before that evaluation takes place, though, the Warriors might have be able to evaluate Cousins’ on-court progress.

“I don’t think it will take too long before he takes part in practice,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said following the team’s first training camp practice on Tuesday. “But for right now, it’s important he gets his full workout with the training staff.”

The Warriors began practice at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, while Cousins received treatment. Between 9 and 11 a.m., though, Cousins completed a two-hour workout that sounded pretty extensive.

“DeMarcus did a ton of movement stuff, court work, ball handling and shooting stuff on his own,” Kerr said.

“But he did not take part with the team. We’re just taking it slowly with him.”

So slowly that Cousins will not play in any exhibition games, beginning with the Warriors’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at Oracle Arena. Cousins will miss at least the team’s first regular-season games, and likely more depending on the Warriors’ reevaluation. But since injuring his left Achilles tendon on Jan. 27 with the New Orleans Pelicans, Cousins said at media day on Monday that he has since completed full-court individual workouts as well as sessions of one-on-one and two-on-two. Most medical experts said it takes between eight to 10 months for a professional basketball player to return from an Achilles injury.

The Warriors became determined to accept that uncertainty because of Cousins’ credentials as a four-time NBA All-Star. Therefore, the Warriors spent their taxpayer midlevel exception on the 28-year-old Cousins after failing to attract strong interest at the beginning of free agency. Though the Warriors have stressed about staying patient with Cousins’ recovery, they sounded encouraged with Cousins only after one day of training camp practice.

“He’s getting better everyday. These last two weeks, he’s been working out with little drills that we do,” Warriors second-year forward Jordan Bell said. “He can still shoot and can still handle the ball. He’s obviously not 100 percent healthy yet. But you can tell every single day he’s getting better and better.”