
SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings must prepare for life without All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins…at least for the next two games.
“He did an MRI yesterday and it showed he had a strained Achilles, so we’re going to just skip for the next two games and then after that, (he’s) day-to-day,” general manager Vlade Divac said.
Divac said that he will stay with Cousins in Sacramento while he gets treatment with the hope that he will respond well and get back on the court sooner rather than later.
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According to Divac, Cousins came down awkwardly going for a rebound and felt soreness in his right leg. The Kings immediately shut him down as a precaution.
[RELATED: Kings dodge bullet with Cousins' MRI results]
Cousins was at the team’s practice facility getting treatment while the team was on the floor preparing for Tuesday’s matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. They play in Phoenix on Wednesday in Game 2 of a four-games-in-five-nights stretch.
“It’s a long season,” Divac said. “Things happen like this. It’s better to make sure he’s recovered 100 percent instead of pushing him to aggravate things.”
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Cousins’ therapy includes rest and lots of ice. The Kings training staff are all hands on deck in an attempt to get the team’s franchise player back on the court as soon as possible.
Prepping for the Grizz
No one feels sorry for you in the NBA. They don’t reschedule games because your star big man is limping. Instead, they come at you every night trying to exploit your weakness. Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies will be no exception.
“It’s going to be a fun challenge,” George Karl said. “It’s exciting for the team. They have a ‘next man up’ mentality. I think you’ll see us start big.”
With Cousins ailing, Karl will turn to one familiar face and one new one. Veteran Kosta Koufos will start alongside rookie Willie Cauley-Stein until Cousins is ready to jump back on the court.
Koufos started all 81 games for the Denver Nuggets under Karl during the 2012-13 season. The 7-footer averaged 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 22.4 minutes per game. The Nuggets won 57 games that season and Karl was named NBA Coach of the Year.
Memphis comes at you with a true center/power forward combination of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The duo can beat you from the inside or the outside and after seven seasons together, they are a finely oiled machine.
“They play off their defense probably as well as anybody,” Karl said of the Grizzlies. “Their post-up game is probably going to be a problem. We’re going to have to figure out how to cover them both individually and as a team.”
The previous two seasons, Koufos played for the Grizzlies, playing in 161 games, mostly in a reserve role. He knows this team and the Grizzlies frontline extremely well.
“They definitely helped me a lot, especially my play,” Koufos said. “Two of the best post players in the league.”
Koufos will likely begin the game on Gasol, leaving Cauley-Stein to handle the 34-year-old Randolph. Not having that third big man as an option is going to be tough for Sacramento, especially one as talented as Cousins.
“(Losing) Cuz is a big hole,” Karl said. “He gives a lot of offense, he gives us a lot of defense. I’m probably a little more worried about the defensive end of the court as much as trying to find 20-25 points.”
Cauley-Stein had a breakout game against the Lakers on Friday night, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He came back to Earth during the Kings’ 114-109 loss to the Clippers. With Cousins sitting the second half, Cauley-Stein managed just eight points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes of action. He added three steals and a block, but he was forced to sit for long stretches due to foul trouble.
The rookie knows that he, as well as others, will have to step up on both ends of the floor to cover for Cousins’ absence.
“Obviously we’re missing about a third of our offense,” Cauley-stein said. “We’re going to have to figure out different spots to score the ball and play together.”
Replacing Cousins’ points
Maybe Cousins isn’t a third of the Kings’ offense, like Cauley-Stein said, but he is their main cog in the middle. It will take a team effort to replace the 22 points and 11 rebounds he is averaging, despite missing half of the Clippers game.
Expect to see plenty of Darren Collison off the bench for Karl. The veteran point give the Kings another scorer on the court, and having a second ball handler on the court may come in handy against a veteran team.
“I don’t know if we’ll start off that way,” Karl said. “But I think that’s a higher option, a higher priority for us to get maybe better playmakers on the court.”
Karl turned to Collison to start the second half of the Clippers game on Saturday night. He comes into Tuesday’s game averaging 14 points and five assists in 29.7 minutes per game. According to Karl, the plan is to stick with the starters with the exception of Koufos playing for Cousins. But don’t be shocked if Collison plays starter minutes.