DeMarcus Cousins bluntly calls out Pelicans' ex-GM for squandering championship aspirations with Anthony Davis

During the prime years of DeMarcus Cousins, he had the chance to team up with Anthony Davis with the New Orleans Pelicans. Together, they were a formidable duo, but their run together was cut short. Cousins believes that Dell Demps, the previous general manager of the Pelicans, is solely to blame.

Cousins arrived in New Orleans amid the 2016–17 season. Around the tall pair of Boogie and AD, the front office assembled a respectable supporting group for the upcoming season. They had Nikola Mirotic, who was still productive off the bench, Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo.

During the season, Cousins tore his Achilles tendon. The franchise then began dismantling the newly created group, moving Davis to the LA Lakers and letting go of Rondo.

For the 6-foot-10 big man, all blame goes to the former Pelicans executive. According to Cousins, the club would have been competitive if Demps hadn't injured them. The four-time All-Star spoke about his thoughts Wednesday on the show "Run It Back."

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“I don’t think the year that I blew my Achilles it would have happened, but they would have kept that squad together, we definitely would have made a run, at least by Year 2, I believe,” Cousins said.

“But it’s some dumba** GMs out there – shoutout to Dell Demps.”

After Cousins was injured, he failed to receive offers from other teams. He ended up joining the Golden State Warriors, who went to their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. However, he was a shell of his former self and only played 30 games, averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Following his stint with the Warriors, he bounced around the league. He played for the LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.

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DeMarcus Cousins believes his partnership with Davis could've challenged the former Spurs duo

During his appearance on "Run It Back" on Wednesday, DeMarcus Cousins was asked about his legacy with Anthony Davis. Former NBA player Lou Williams asked Cousins if he thought playing alongside AD would've made them one of the league's best duos.

Even though Boogie thought they had potential, he noted Tim Duncan and David Robinson's connection makes it difficult to suggest they may be the best duo. During their time with the San Antonio Spurs, the Twin Towers dominated and won two championships.

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“I think we could’ve been in the conversation, I think, definitely, we had the talent to even be mentioned next to those guys,” Cousins said (Timestamp: 8:32). “But obviously, we ain’t accomplish it, so there’s nothing really to talk about. But from a talent aspect, I think we either 1A, 1B or a close second.”

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However, injuries derailed Cousins' career, ending his time with Davis.

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