During a USA Basketball scrimmage in practice today, Kings power forward and FIBA World Cup hopeful DeMarcus Cousins, went down with a right knee injury. While the extent of the damage isn’t yet known — he’ll have what USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo called a “precautionary” MRI — he didn’t appear to be in a lot of pain. Teammate and recent USA Basketball invitee, Rudy Gay hopes Boogie was “just being a drama queen.”
Cousins was carried off after he went down during a scrimmage in preparation for this Saturday’s exhibition in Chicago against Brazil.
Anthony Davis was involved in the play and told the AP’s Jay Cohen, by way of the Sacramento Bee, that he feels bad because he inadvertently dove on him during the play in question:
“Definitely scary, not just the fact that he went down, but the fact that I actually was the one who dove on him,” Davis said. “I kind of feel bad and I hope he’s fine because he really wants to be here. He really wants to play.”
Cousins walked out of practice slowly, but without assistance, according to Yahoo’s Marc J. Spears.
Kings DeMarcus Cousins walked out of @usabasketball practice slowly but without assistance after injuring his knee.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 14, 2014
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Colagenlo is “hopeful, wishful” it’s nothing serious, but Boogie is out this weekend against Brazil.
Jerry Colangelo "wishful, hopeful" DeMarcus Cousins is fine and says he's out for Brazil game Saturday.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 14, 2014
Kings DeMarcus Cousins will have MRI on his right knee that was injured at @usabasketball camp, but Jerry Colangelo called it precautionary.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 14, 2014
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Perhaps the surest sign it isn’t a career-threatening ailment comes from Cousins’ fellow Kings teammate, Gay, who spoke with Boogie after he got entangled with Anthony Davis and told reporters he was just hoping DeMarcus was “being a drama queen.”
Rudy Gay on Kings & USA teammate D. Cousins: "I talked to him on the way out. I think he'll be OK. I hope he's just being a drama queen."
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) August 14, 2014
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Boogie just tweeted out that he’s OK, though, which means Kings fans and USA Basketball organizers can exhale with relief another player won’t miss time with an injury suffered during what was supposed to be an innocuous scrimmage.
Thanks for all the concern, I'm fine
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) August 14, 2014
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(H/T Cowbell Kingdom‘s Jonathan Santiago)
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