Perhaps no one in basketball can provide better insight on New Orleans’ new big-man duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins than John Calipari, who successfully recruited and coached both for one season apiece at the University of Kentucky. That’s why it made sense this morning – during multi-hour coverage of the blockbuster New Orleans-Sacramento trade – for ESPN to bring on Calipari as a SportsCenter call-in guest.
“Coach Cal,” who won a national championship in 2012 with Davis and reached the Elite Eight with Cousins two years earlier, said both men are family-first off the court, something Calipari witnessed specifically Sunday prior to the NBA All-Star Game. Davis was joined by numerous members of his family, who also attended his postgame press conference after the 23-year-old had won the MVP trophy and scored a record 52 points.
“They’re both loyal, loyal soldiers, especially to their moms and their families,” Calipari said on the 8 a.m. Central SportsCenter. “I saw the Davises before the game, and I’m talking aunts, mom, sisters, girlfriend. They were all there. Anthony is about his family. They are great teammates because they are about other people. I know people say DeMarcus this and that, but it’s a hard deal when you’re used to winning, to lose. And there’s a frustration you’ve got to learn to handle. It’s not easy when you’re 19 and 20 years old.”
The two players both have experienced the losing side of the ledger in 2016-17, starring for teams that are below .500, but the Pelicans (23-34) hope the duo joining forces will bring better results. Calipari believes Davis and Cousins view each other as helpful partners who can team up and produce wins. New Orleans will begin the stretch run of the season Thursday just 2.5 games behind eighth-place Denver.
“You’re talking about two guys who are looking at each other and saying, we’re going to be defined by how we win in this league,” Calipari said. “Us together, we can do this and we’ll make it work.”
Prior to the trade becoming official Sunday, Davis said of Cousins, “He’s a great player, dominant in this league, of course with all the numbers he puts up. DeMarcus has been an elite player in this league.”
Later on the same network, ESPN’s Max Kellerman said of the Davis-Cousins tandem, “I can’t think of another team in history with twin towers, both in their primes, as good as this.” His sidekick Stephen A. Smith offered that “Any time you can pair Cousins with Anthony Davis, that’s certainly a sensational upgrade. With the versatility these two men bring to the table, it does make things very interesting. Outside of Golden State, who can’t they beat with those two guys on their frontline? They could lose to San Antonio and the Clippers and others, but they could also make things very, very interesting, and that’s a significant upgrade from where they were.”
Despite the promise of a Davis-Cousins pairing, Calipari expressed the need for some patience, saying fans shouldn’t expect everything to be perfect immediately.
“(Pelicans second-year head coach Alvin Gentry is) a terrific offensive mind in how he coaches,” Calipari said. “He’ll figure it out. (But) the Pelicans fans think in the first week this thing is going to click. Come on, man. Think about when LeBron went to Cleveland – it takes time. But I think when they get it going, it will be exciting.”