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On Friday, the NBA tipped off its first-ever NBA 2K tournament, and while there aren’t technically any Los Angeles Lakers represented in the tournament, DeMarcus Cousins is seemingly answering any and all questions about the team — particularly his superstar teammate. No, we’re not talking about LeBron James or Anthony Davis; we’re, of course, talking about Alex Caruso.
During Sunday’s broadcast of Cousins’ first-round matchup with Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond on ESPN2, Drummond asked Cousins why people are so infatuated with Caruso (as if it wasn’t obvious), and Cousins gave him really the only answer you can give to that question:
Boogie said Caruso's the @ACFresh21 #NBA2KTourney pic.twitter.com/cCSjN4E4ci
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) April 6, 2020
Drummond: “What the hype about Caruso, man? Why does everybody love him so much.”
Cousins: “He’s the GOAT. AC da GOAT dawg, that’s it.”
Drummond: “He’s just the GOAT?”
Cousins: “He’s the GOAT bruh.”
Drummond: “I heard that. Caruso’s the GOAT.”
My favorite part about that exchange is that there wasn’t any pushback from Drummond, which means that he kind of gets it, too, even if he doesn’t fully understand why. It’s like that saying: “What’s understood doesn’t need to be explained.”
Caruso and Drummond were nearly teammates, but the Detroit Pistons rejected the Lakers’ offer for Derrick Rose, which reportedly included Caruso and draft compensation. Even if the Pistons accepted the Lakers’ trade package, it’s unlikely that Caruso’s arrival would have stopped the Pistons from trading Drummond to the Cavaliers because, at that point, they would have had to build around Caruso and Drummond, and Drummond’s offensive limitations would make him an awkward fit next to Caruso, who’s a nearly perfect player.
Unfortunately, Cousins won’t continue on in the tournament after losing to Drummond 101-49 in the first first-round matchup. You’d figure Cousins would be better at 2K with all of the time he’s missed over the last three years, but apparently that’s not the case.
In fairness to Cousins, though, Drummond used the Lakers, and between James, Davis and Caruso, they’re a tough out. Drummond will go on to play LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverley in the second round. He can ask Beverley about Caruso, too.
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