Even in his darkest hour, DeMarcus Cousins has the support of his former colleague Steve Nash. For those who haven't followed Nash's exploit post-retirement, the former NBA MVP is currently employed as a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors, the team Cousins played for down the stretch last season. Now contracted to the Los Angeles Lakers, Cousins has been contemplating retirement since rupturing his ACL this offseason. Boogie spent much of last season on the shelf rehabbing his Achilles tendon, at the expense of garnering a lucrative longterm like those signed by his peers in recent years.
With regards to whether DeMarcus should hang 'em up for good, Steve Nash doesn't think the current Laker has reached his end, even though it's not for him to decide. Only Cousins holds the keys to his future as a professional athlete beyond this season. "He shouldn't retire," Nash told a TMZ field reporter who caught up with him this weekend. "He's still a young guy. He's had a horrible run, but he has a fighting spirit. He's a competitor. He's gone through a lot already, he can do it."
"I was just ready to quit," Cousins confided in ESPN's Rachel Nichols during a sitdown exchange. "Like, throw the towel in...Human nature is the first thing. It's like, 'Why? Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong? Why do I deserve this?'" If Steve Nash, a consummate professional in every sense of the word, sees a future in DeMarcus Cousins, then by Jove, there's an inner conversation to be had.