Case of the Mondays: Cousins Shelved by Season-Ending Achilles' Injury

by Ricky Dimon - 1/29/2018

Down goes DeMarcus Cousins. The New Orleans Pelicans' big man-or one of the Pelicans' two big men, to be more accurate-sustained a ruptured left Achilles' tendon during last Friday's 115-113 win over the Houston Rockets. Elsewhere on the hardwood, head coach Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans picked up two victories in the last three days to extend their winning streak to four games. But that's just about where the good news ends for those guys.

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DeMarcus Cousins . Cousins went down with the Achilles' injury on a non-contact play when he tried to rebound his own missed free-throw with just 12 seconds left in New Orleans' victory over Houston. It was an extremely sour end to a productive performance by the former Kentucky standout, who delivered his second triple-double in the span of three games with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. For the season, Cousins was averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. As those numbers suggest, this a devastating development for the Pelicans-who are 27-22 and well inside the playoff cut line at sixth place in the Western Conference. "We were starting to play damn good basketball," head coach Alvin Gentry wrote in a text message to ESPN. "DeMarcus has been great."

Michigan State . Former Michigan State and USA women's Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced basically to life in prison (40 to 175 years) last week. But that is far from where the story ends for Michigan State, where allegations of rampant sexual abuse are now dominating the headlines. Izzo and head football coach Mark Dantonio have come under fire, along with the university president and athletic director, who have both already resigned. "I've cooperated with every investigation," Izzo said following his team's 74-68 win over Maryland on Sunday. "Every one. And I will continue to cooperate with every investigation. Every one…. We've got a lot of things to cover; a lot of things to go over. I just hope that everybody rallies behind this team a little bit, and I hope we all rally behind the survivors and we make our community a better place." Michigan State is tied with Duke as a +650 second choice behind Villanova to win the National Championship.

Bill Belichick . In general, of course, it is a great time to be Belichick. He is coaching in the Super Bowl for the 10^th time this weekend (eighth as a head coach) and one win away from his sixth championship with New England. But he will be looking for two new coordinators next season. Defensive guru Matt Patricia will soon become the next head coach of the Detroit Lions, and offensive wiz Josh McDaniels is reportedly heading to Indianapolis following another meeting with the Colts last Friday. The Patriots are -4.5 favorites over Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.

Calgary Flames . The Flames stumbled into the all-star break on a four-game losing streak (second-longest in the NHL), dropping them to third place in the Pacific Division and seventh in the Western Conference-just one point inside the playoff cut line. On Sunday, Calgary placed future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr on waivers. The 45-year-old has played in just 22 games this season while contributing one goal and six assists. He has not taken the ice since Dec. 31 due to what the team described as a lower-body injury. If Jagr clears waivers, he is expected to wrap up his 2017-18 campaign somewhere in Europe. Calgary is +600 to win the Pacific Division.

Miami Marlins . The Marlins' latest fire-sale continued last Thursday when they shipped center fielder Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a quartet of prospects. Yelich is the fourth starter Miami has dealt this offseason, joining a list that includes Giancarlo Stanton (traded to the New York Yankees). CEO Derek Jeter and company seem to be making a mess of things as they slash payroll and rebuild the farm system, but only time will tell…. Stanton is a +500 favorite to lead the majors in home runs this season.

Alex Noren . Five playoff holes could not separate Noren and Jason Day at the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday. Darkness eventually forced the playoff to Monday morning, when Day got the job done with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Noren, looking for his first career victory on the PGA Tour, was in better position off the tee on the par-5 18^th and went for the green in two. His shot crossed the hazard before the ball rolled back into the water en route to a bogey. Day laid up before sticking his third to about two feet from the cup and tapping in for birdie. "I'm not regretting my decision (to go for it)," the Swede said, "it's just…margins." Day is +1600 to win the Masters. Tiger Woods, who made the cut at Torrey Pines for his first weekend appearance on the PGA Tour since 2015, is +1800. ( Bovada Sportsbook )

Simona Halep . The third time was not the charm for Halep. Playing in a Grand Slam final for the third time in her career, the world No. 1 (now No. 2 as of this week) succumbed to Caroline Wozniacki 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 at the Australian Open this past Saturday night. Halep, who lost French Open finals in 2014 and 2017 both in three sets, led by a service break at 4-3 in the third set against Wozniacki only to drop the last three games of the match. The Romanian is a +600 second choice behind Serena Williams to win the French Open. (Bovada Sportsbook)

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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Case of the Mondays: Cousins Shelved by Season-Ending Achilles' Injury

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