Warriors have to find replacement for injured Cousins

OAKLAND >> DeMarcus Cousins’ chances of continuing in the NBA playoffs are in doubt after he tore a left quadriceps muscle, a league source said Tuesday.

The Warriors ruled their 6-foot-11 center out indefinitely after Cousins underwent an MRI exam the morning after suffering the devastating injury in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Western Conference series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cousins’ injury came on a night when Golden State fell 135-131 after blowing a 31-point lead in the third quarter. It was the biggest comeback in NBA playoff

history and underscored the Warriors’ vulnerability as they try to reach their fifth consecutive championship series.

Golden State will travel to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday at the Staples Center without its fifth AllStar. Cousins will begin rehabilitation immediately as he might have played his final game with the Warriors.

Although Cousins is not expected to undergo surgery, the team is bracing for a postseason run that will require it to lean on a fluid center spot, including veteran Andrew Bogut, fourthyear forward Kevon Looney, second-year forward Jordan Bell as well as Draymond Green and Jonas Jerebko at times.

That MRI confirmed the Warriors’ initial fears after Cousins left the game with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter.

“He’s going to be out for while because I think it’s unclear right now how long he’ll be out,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Monday night. “It’s significant.”

Although the Warriors did not outline specifically, it appears that Cousins has suffered at least a Grade 2 torn left quadriceps muscle.

Dr. Taylor Dunphy, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist with Hoag Orthopedic Institute

in Irvine, said that it generally takes at least six weeks to recover from a Grade 2 tear, as opposed to two weeks with a Grade 1 tear. According to that timeline, it is technically possible Cousins could return shortly during part of the Warriors’ presumed appearance in the NBA Finals. That begins on May 30, which is about six weeks from now. The Finals will end as late as June 16.

Dunphy and Dr. James Gladstone, the Chief of Sports Medicine at The Mount Sinai Health System, do not have access to Cousins’ medical records. But they said that typical rehab for a partially torn quadriceps muscle entails icing, stretching, muscle tissue treatment and strengthening exercises. Dunphy added some patients take a platelet-rich-plasma injection (PRP), which is a noninvasive procedure that involves drawing the patient’s blood, spinning it into a centrifuge and reinjecting it into the affected area.

“It’s so easy to reinjure this kind of injury if you come back too soon,” Gladstone said. “So I would imagine they would be pretty careful about it. I’m pretty sure they would put him through the routine before they send him back onto the court.”

Cousins suffered the leg injury after forcing a turnover on Clippers center Ivica Zubac and chasing a loose ball. Cousins then

collapsed in a non-contact play in front of the Warriors’ bench. After Kerr and his assistants and the team’s training staff stood up, Cousins eventually got up on his own. Cousins declined assistance to get to the locker room, limping as he left the court.

The incident marks a frustrating end to Cousins’ one season with the Warriors, who signed him last year at their taxpayer midlevel exception of $5.3 million. Team officials were hopeful that his presence would bolster the team’s chances of winning a fourth NBA title in five years. Cousins, 28, also agreed to the deal both in hopes of winning his first NBA title in his first playoff appearance and taking time to recover from a surgically repaired left Achilles tendon without the pressure of being the team’s franchise player.

After returning from the Achilles’ injury Jan. 18, the Warriors were encouraged with his conditioning, timing and integration with the team. Cousins started with four other All-Stars in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Green and Klay Thompson.

After suffering a season-ending injury last in season in New Orleans, Cousins faced a depressed free-agency market amid concerns about his recovery. He hoped he could use his season with the Warriors to maximize his freeagency earnings this summer with his recovery, his

play and blending in with a more team-oriented culture than what he experienced in Sacramento (2010-2017) and New Orleans (2017-18). Instead, Cousins might face more concerns in July.