Cousins hopes to return in playoffs: 'I ain't planning on sitting'

Warning: Story contains coarse language

The Golden State Warriors didn't rule DeMarcus Cousins out for the season after he partially tore his left quadriceps on Apr. 15. Now the center is increasingly optimistic about a return.

"For me, my goal is I ain't planning on sitting. I don't know the reality of it. But for me, that is not what I'm planning on doing," Cousins told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears after shootaround on Monday.

"It's definitely some type of bad movie. But I think it will have a very nice ending," he added. "Just wait for it."

After logging 21 minutes in his first career playoff game, Cousins suffered his quadriceps injury fewer than four minutes into Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound behemoth crumpled to the floor while chasing after a loose ball, immediately clutching his left thigh.

"Obviously, I was little more relieved that it wasn't anything catastrophic like I've dealt with before," Cousins said, referring to the devastating Achilles tendon injury he suffered in January 2018. "It sucks to be injured anyway on top of that. The timing of it really f---ed me up the most. It's a part of this game, man. I'm not the first. I won't be the last."

The 28-year-old waited a long time to play in the postseason. After failing to qualify in his first seven NBA campaigns - six with the Sacramento Kings, and then again after being traded to New Orleans in February 2017 - Cousins ruptured his left Achilles tendon and was unable to participate in the Pelicans' playoff run last spring.

After signing a one-year contract with the Warriors last summer, Cousins recovered and joined Golden State's lineup on Jan. 18, averaging 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals across 30 regular-season appearances.