The Miami Heat are banged up at the moment but needed rebounding help prior to that occurring. Could DeMarcus Cousins help or be the answer there?
The Miami Heat are in a really awkward place right now. They are a really good team at their peak, but they can be a really bad team at times as well.
While those peaks and valleys can be rooted in quite a few things, like poor defense in general, poor perimeter defense, or the simple inability to make shots at times, poor rebounding and/or a lack of a big physical paint presence has oftentimes been at the root of or apart of the problem.
While there have also been quite a few possibilities come and go for the Miami Heat, such as DeWayne Dedmond who was shipped back to Atlanta at the NBA Trade Deadline or like LaMarcus Aldridge who was rumored to be possibly associated with the Heat around the deadline, they’ve seen none of those options actually materialize. In the post-deadline days though, the waive and buyout period, an option there has potentially emerged.
According to reports, the Los Angeles Lakers will reportedly part ways with DeMarcus Cousins in order to make room for Markieff Morris, once Morris’ process is complete. There are levers that need to be pulled for the whole thing to become official though, such as Morris actually making it through the waiver wire, but the prevailing thought around the league is that he will and the Lakers will promptly scoop him up.
This will leave Cousins without a team. Enter the Miami Heat.
While Cousins has yet to play this season and is coming off of three major injuries to his lower body, he could still come in and help the Miami Heat in specific areas if healthy. There are three specific individual elements to consider here when thinking about that possibility though. They are his potential role, his potential roster spot, and the most important one, his health.