Is It Time For Cousins To Retire?

It has been on the news in sports world that DeMarcus Cousins has suffered on a torn ACL injury on his left knee. The injury happened during his practice game when he initiated a drive to the basket.

Cousins is a 4-time NBA All star who has proved to be one of the dominant big men in the NBA. He was having a great career in his time with the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Pelicans. In his career, he averaged 21.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 assist.

In Cousins 9 years in the NBA, [he suffered two injuries which was considered by most players as nightmares and career ending: Achilles' Injury and Torn ACL.

First, his Achilles' Injury which he suffered when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The reason for having the Achilles' injury was because Cousins was putting to much stress in his body. In 2017-2018 season, Cousins played with 36.2 minutes per game during that season and was able to play for 51 minutes in his game against Chicago. For a body as large and heavy as Cousins, his body could not keep up with his playing style. Cousins started to make drive to the basket moves in which there will be too much stress in his heels.

As we all know, most NBA players who suffered a ruptured achilles was not able to comeback successfully and only Olajuwon was an exception. Just like Kobe Bryant, he was never the same when he started to start his comeback. And worst, he suffered another injury following from his ruptured Achilles.

We can also say the same for Cousins. He was never the same when he played for the Warriors. His moves were slow and he was not dominant as he used to be.

Second, his newly acquired Torn ACL during a practice game.

Most analysts says that the reason for his Torn ACL was because he was rushing his recovery from Achilles' Injury. His body was not able to fully recover coming from a severe injury. Cousins was rushing so that he could play in the NBA Finals with the Warriors against the Raptors.

His situation is also similar to what Kobe Bryant experienced. Bryant experienced a fractured knee a few games after his comeback from Achilles' Injury.

The torn ACL injury is also considered to be a nightmare for NBA players. This was the injury of the youngest MVP, Derrick Rose, in which Rose was never the same. He speed was reduced and he moves became limited that he was not creative as he was before in finishing at the rim.

For Cousins, he was hoping to have a comeback during his stay with the Lakers and hoping to win a title. Unfortunately, before the season could even start, he suffered from this injury.

In a short span of time, Cousins has suffered two severe injuries and he is still young. However, his body could not keep up. He is expected to be out for the next season.

Should Cousins retire and let his body rest and be healthy, or he should continue his career and make a comeback after he's fully recovered from his injuries?