On the eve of DeMarcus Cousins' first game with the New Orleans Pelicans, the veteran center was introduced at the team facility. As a native of Mobile, Alabama, Cousins referred to his arrival as a bit of a homecoming and said he would take comfort during this transition knowing his family was nearby.He also spoke of the excitement of his new journey."I'm excited, regardless of what's being said," says Cousins. "I think this is going to be a special thing so...I'm ready to get rolling."
He will be paired with fellow big man and Kentucky product Anthony Davis, a source of endless possibilities."We can wreak havoc on this league. Overnight? Probably not but I'm excited for this opportunity."Davis and Cousins are the only players in the league currently with career averages greater than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Paired with point guard Jrue Holiday, general manager Dell Demps sees a trio he can build around."We just felt like the opportunity of bringing DeMarcus here to play with AD and Holiday, we just felt like those three guys, putting them together, it could be exciting just to think about the possibilities," said Demps. "Jrue is the point guard for us to run the team and we're looking forward to seeing those guys out there together and gelling and obviously it's going to take time but we are going to try to expedite the process."Head coach Alvin Gentry will be in charge of making the mixture work on the court and in doing so erase a 2.5-game deficit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference."It's just a matter of putting it all together. The chemistry thing is not going to be a problem," said Gentry. "They're very complementary of each other. With [Cousins'] size and [fellow trade acquisition Omri Casspi's] size, we can put a really big team out on the floor. It's not going to happen overnight but I'm extremely excited about the possibilities."The first night of the experiment is Thursday as the Pelicans host the Rockets with tip-off set for 7 PM.