Warriors GM reveals interesting talk he had with controversial ex-player

May 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers addresses the media in a press conference after naming Steve Kerr (not pictured) as the new head coach for the Warriors at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers recently had an interesting conversation with one of the team’s former players.

Myers appeared this week on SHOWTIME’s “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. During the interview, Myers revealed that got a notable recent call from ex-Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, who remains unsigned to this point of the NBA season.

“DeMarcus Cousins called me a month ago and he said, ‘Why am I not in the NBA?’” said Myers, per HoopsHype. “And I said, ‘You want that answer? … Because people are afraid of how you’re going to act.’ He’s like, ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘Well whatever the reason is, it’s here now.’ And I like DeMarcus. You guys may know him. He’s just, I can’t blame him for him because of all he’s been through.”

Myers and the Warriors took a chance on Cousins in 2018 following his Achilles tear. The two-time All-NBA selection helped the Warriors make another NBA Finals appearance but was not particularly dominant in Golden State and failed to secure a second contract with the team.

Cousins’ career then took another hit when he suffered a torn ACL in 2019. Despite stops with four subsequent NBA teams, he never truly returned to form. Now Cousins is older (32), and with his extensive injury history and his reputation as a locker room malcontent, it is difficult to envision him ever returning to the NBA.

That is a tough fall from grace for a player who was arguably the most dynamic center on the planet at one point in time. But the silver lining for Cousins is that he may be able to continue his basketball career elsewhere.