Golden State Warriors: Did DeMarcus Cousins really ruin the NBA?

After signing a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, many are accusing DeMarcus Cousins of ruining the NBA.

Since the day Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, fans have considered the NBA “ruined.” The addition of DeMarcus Cousins has only made this narrative worse. Is it possible for the NBA to have parity while there is a team that contains a starting lineup of five All-Stars?

Well, it’s nearly happened before. The 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks had four different players named to the All-Star game. Granted, none of these players were on the same level as the Warriors’ stars. The Dubs arguably have a top-three player at every position. This is something that no other team in NBA history has done before.

With the core of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors have already proven to be incredible. In their first season with this unit, the Warriors went 16-1 in the playoffs en route to an NBA championship. Next year would be a bit tougher, but a 4-0 sweep in the NBA Finals made the Warriors champions for the third time in four years. This is something that has only happened five times in NBA history.

However, the Warriors haven’t been as unbeatable as many consider them to be. For starters, the Houston Rockets took a 3-2 lead against them in last year’s Western Conference Finals. If it wasn’t for a hamstring injury to Chris Paul, the Rockets could have won that series.

Furthermore, the acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins isn’t guaranteed to be a grand slam. Cousins is fresh off tearing his Achilles. This is an injury that has been dubbed “the worst injury in basketball.” It is rare for a player who has suffered from an Achilles tear to return to original form. So even though it seems like the NBA may be destined for doomsday as the Warriors inevitably run the league, don’t give up hope yet.

There are still teams out there that have a chance to compete. The Boston Celtics have every tool necessary to give the Warriors trouble. They have an extremely deep team filled with deadly scorers and lockdown defenders. Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward are more than capable of carrying the offensive load. Plus, players like Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart all have the ability to switch on defense. This is extremely important for any team matching up with the Warriors. The Celtics have an abundance of talent brewing and should definitely be seen as a threat.

Boston isn’t the only team that could challenge Golden State. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been thirsting for revenge against the Warriors for three years. Russell Westbrook has been a man on a mission lately and is ready to explode in a potential Thunder/Warriors series. Chris Paul and the Rockets are surely looking for a rematch of last year’s conference finals. Not to mention, the Los Angeles Lakers just picked up the greatest player in the world, LeBron James.

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With all of these teams ready to compete with the Warriors, there is no way you can argue the NBA is ruined.