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DeMarcus Cousins ready to 'wreak havoc' in New Orleans Pelicans reset

By The Sports Xchange
DeMarcus Cousins helped lead the United States to gold at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in August. Kevin Dietsch/UPI
DeMarcus Cousins helped lead the United States to gold at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in August. Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins didn't ask to be traded, but he is embracing the opportunity for a fresh start with the New Orleans Pelicans, who introduced their new No. 0 at a press conference Wednesday.

The Pelicans acquired the 26-year-old three-time All-Star center from the Sacramento Kings late Sunday night after the All-Star Game in New Orleans. In the deal, New Orleans sent guards Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway along with a 2017 first- and second-round pick to Sacramento in exchange for Cousins and swingman Omri Casspi.

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Cousins officially began the next chapter of his career in New Orleans on Wednesday, but he admitted disappointment in "the dishonesty" displayed by the Kings, who earlier said they had no plans to part with him after seven seasons with the team.

"Sunday was a wild day," Cousins said at the introductory news conference at the Pelicans' training facility. "Just a lot of mixed emotions. It was very unexpected. I sat in the airport for a minute and my mind was racing. I didn't know what to think. I've tried to understand the situation.

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"Basically what I came to is this is a business. I'm not sour, I'm not mad, I don't have any ill feelings. This is a business. These types of things happen. I'm comfortable with it. I'm in a good place. Like I said, I'm ready to get to work."

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound Cousins said he is excited to team up with 6-11, 253-pound Anthony Davis, the 23-year-old fellow University of Kentucky big man fresh off an All-Star Game MVP performance in which he set a record with 52 points.

"Got a little fire. Got a little ice," Cousins said of himself and the more reserved Davis. "We can wreak havoc on this league. Will it happen overnight? Probably not. But the potential is scary."

Cousins (27.8) and Davis (27.7) rank fourth and fifth in the NBA in scoring average and the Pelicans' new frontcourt duo has 17 games this season with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Cousins' agent, Jarinn Akana, told ESPN on Sunday that Cousins likely would pass on an extension with any team that traded for him before Thursday's deadline.

"I'm going to make the best of the opportunity," Cousins said Wednesday when asked if his stance had changed. "That's not a question I can answer right away, obviously, but I'm all in. Make the best of this opportunity and see what the future holds."

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Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said Wednesday that he had talked to the Kings previously but discussions ramped up after a chance meeting with Cousins during All-Star Weekend.

"It was funny because I was actually walking down the street, I think Thursday or Friday night, and all of a sudden, he's walking down the street and I happened to see him," Demps said of Cousins. "It was just a pure coincidence. That really revved me up even more, talking to him just for like a quick couple of seconds. I didn't say anything about the trade of anything, but it revved us up even more to renew the conversations."

Demps and Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry took a private plane to Sacramento on Tuesday to greet their two new players and bring them back to New Orleans.

The Pelicans (23-34) are 2.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference.

"We're going to try to make it work quickly," Gentry said of Cousins and Davis playing together. "That may not be the case, but we don't have a whole lot of margin for error right now. So, this is something. We have 25 games left. Our goal, obviously, all along has been to get into the playoffs. We have to try to get it to work.

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"One thing about it, is they're friends. They've been friends a long time. That makes the adjustment a little bit easier. I think both of them are very giving. I don't think there's going to be any head bumping as far as whose team this team is or any of those situations like that."

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