Cousins suffers torn ACL; Kerr reacts
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was on the way to Team USA practice in Los Angeles on Thursday when he read something that “devastated” him.
DeMarcus Cousins suffered yet another careerthreatening injury: This time, a torn ACL. Kerr, an assistant coach on the national team, told reporters it was the talk of practice as news trickled out, and that “we’ve all reached out to him.”
“It’s been a couple years of hell for DeMarcus,” Kerr said. “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 this comeback. We’re all crushed for him. Everybody in this gym.”
The Lakers center and fourtime AllStar reportedly injured his knee during a Monday workout in Las Vegas, and tests revealed Thursday he tore his ACL, Cousins’ agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.
Cousins, who signed a oneyear deal with Los Angeles this summer, left the court Monday after “bumping knees” with a player, ESPN reported. There is no timeline for an operation, according to the network.
A torn ACL typically sidelines a player 912 months.
The injury casts further doubt on the future of the mercurial star, just two seasons removed from the cusp of what almost assuredly would have been a maximum contract before he tore his left Achilles tendon in January 2018 with New Orleans.
Cousins signed a oneyear deal with the Warriors and spent the majority of last season on their bench while recovering. He debuted with Golden State just before the oneyear anniversary of his injury and became a key piece of the rotation, flashing his offensive prowess while averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Cousins, 29, experienced another setback in Game 2 of a firstround playoff series against the Clippers when he tore his left quadriceps muscle, sidelining him until the start of the NBA Finals.
Kerr told reporters Thursday it was no coincidence Cousins played well in the two Finals games the Warriors took from the Raptors. He had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Game 2 and 14 points and six rebounds in Game 5.
“Injuries are part of the game, but when you’re talking about a player who has now dealt with the two mostfeared injuries of NBA players — Achilles and ACL, each basically knocking you out for an entire season — to deal with that over a 2½, threeyear span, it’s unheard of,” Kerr said.
“Hopefully he can get back on the bike and start riding, nine months from now, whenever it is.”
The Warriors open the preseason against the Lakers in the first game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Oct. 5. Jon Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle assistant sports editor. Email: jon.schultz@sfchronicle. com Twitter: @JonSchultzSF