Earlier this week, it was revealed that DeMarcus Cousins is set to make his season debut around next weekend.
On Thursday, Cousins admitted that he's "been ready" to return to the court. In addition, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also revealed that Cousins will start in his first game back in the lineup after being sidelined for nearly a full calendar year.
Cousins also added that Kerr "was looking for a certain thing on the coach's side of things," but didn't reveal what that was.
Earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Cousins plans to play his first game on Jan. 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers. That would be the opener of a five-game road trip for the Warriors, which begins with two games in Los Angeles.
Sources: All-Star DeMarcus Cousins' expected season debut for the Golden State Warriors: Jan. 18 against the Clippers in Los Angeles.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2019
This news comes just a week after Steve Kerr said Cousins had gone through a full practice with the team. It also fits right along with the timeline that the Warriors have been targeting since last fall.
Cousins, of course, has spent the past eleven months rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in a late January game last season for the New Orleans Pelicans against the Houston Rockets. It turned out to be his final game for the Pelicans, who were not willing to take the risk of re-signing Cousins after he suffered what can often be a career-ruining injury -- especially with big men.
It made sense from the Pelicans' standpoint, because there's just no guarantee how Cousins will look once he returns to the floor. Hopefully this will not be the case, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if he is unable to get back to the all-pro level he was at prior to getting hurt.
But for the Warriors, back in action on Friday against the Bulls (10:30 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV), signing Cousins was a worthwhile gamble. Coming off two straight titles, they don't really need him, so it won't be a problem if he struggles. But if he looks good, he'll just make them even more dangerous.
Regardless of how it goes, it will be fascinating to see Cousins out on the floor with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant.
