DeMarcus Cousins, Michael Malone and a moment that had to wait seven years

The one moment you need to read about from the Nuggets’ 117-111 win over the Pistons wasn’t broadcasted on TV. It didn’t involve a shot, a pass or a dribble.

It involved two men whose relationship and friendship goes well beyond basketball. Two men who once thought seven years ago that together they could get the Kings back to the playoffs, a place Sacramento hasn’t been since 2007. Two men who are finally back together to finish the job.

With 4.5 seconds left in the third quarter Sunday vs. Detroit, Facu Campazzo took the inbounds pass and raced up the floor. Waiting at half-court to set a screen was DeMarcus Cousins. Killian Hayes, Campazzo’s defender on the play, had to divert off his path because of Cousins’ screen which helped give Campazzo room to get to the rim. He converted at the third-quarter buzzer to put Denver up 92-75.

Cousins fist-pumped, then met Michael Malone on the way back to the Nuggets’ sideline. I could try and describe the emotion that was on Malone’s face at that moment as he hugged Cousins, but it wouldn’t do it justice. He was as happy as I’ve seen him in months. Seven years after Malone last coached Cousins in Sacramento, the two were finally back in the foxhole together.

“I think it was special for us just because we know each other, but I also know what he’s been through,” Malone said of the moment he and Cousins shared at the end of the third quarter. “This guy, after playing really well in Milwaukee, was just sitting at home waiting for his phone to ring. That’s crazy to me. I don’t know if people are scared of him or what. But I’m not scared of him, I love him. He went in and played good basketball tonight and it’s only going to get better as he gets more and more comfortable and kind of shakes that rust off. I was happy for DeMarcus to be back playing an NBA game, which is where he needs to be.”

Cousins went through his first practice with the Nuggets on Saturday. He unsurprisingly looked rusty in his debut that ran 12 minutes and resulted in 2 points on 1-7 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 fouls. Cousins said postgame that it felt like he was running around with “two cement blocks” on his feet. It was a pretty accurate assessment from the big man who didn’t play in Friday’s loss to Memphis due to a lingering calf issue that still seemed to be bothering him a bit against the Pistons. I will say that Cousins looked more mobile than I expected.

“It’s a process obviously,” Cousins said. “I didn’t have the best shooting performance or whatever the case may be, but I made a couple plays that I’m excited about. Ultimately we got a win.”

But you still saw Sunday why Cousins can be a valuable piece to this Nuggets’ puzzle. He hauled in six rebounds in just 12 minutes, including one offensive rebound off his own miss that he turned into two points. He immediately brought a level of physicality to the Nuggets’ second unit that’s been missing all season and that Denver doesn’t really have that much of on its roster.

Cousins wants to bash shoulders with opposing big men. He welcomes and seeks out contact. You only had to watch one of the several screens Cousins connected on Sunday for proof. It’s a type of nasty that the Nuggets can definitely use.

Cousins gives Denver an edge and an immediate punch-first attitude when he’s in the game. That’s who Cousins has always been and who he’ll always be. It took Cousins just one game in a Nuggets uniform to pick up a technical foul, which he earned from jawing with Rodney McGruder in the fourth quarter.

But that’s what the Nuggets signed up for.

“I’m happy he’s here,” Malone said.

Since he touched down in Denver, Cousins has tried to blend into the culture that’s already been established within the Nuggets’ locker room. Cousins said Sunday that he wants to take younger players under his wing and pass on the basketball wisdom he’s accumulated over the last 10 seasons. He wants to be an asset that anyone on the Nuggets’ roster can go to for guidance.

“I’ve been around the block. I’ve been in a lot of different situations. I’ve been a sponge in a lot of different situations. I’ve been on winning teams, championship teams. Just taking my knowledge and passing it to the younger guys. Just trying to make myself a voice that they can come to,” Cousins said. “We’ve got a special player in Jok, obviously. Even him, he’s still listening and That’s a great thing. I just want to help in any way I can if I’m on the floor or off the floor. Just trying to make an impact.”

The veteran experience Cousins brings along with his muscle, physicality and skill are all central reasons why the Nuggets signed him to a 10-day contract. Cousins showed Sunday that he can still really pass the ball. That’s going to be of value to the Nuggets’ second unit. Defenses have often switched every pick-and-roll against Denver’s bench this season. Cousins can punish those switches in the post.

Before signing with the Nuggets, Cousins put together a strong 17-game stint with Milwaukee where he averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. If Cousins plays well on this current 10-day deal with Denver, which runs through the first five games of the Nuggets’ forthcoming road trip and up until Jan. 30, it’s not hard to imagine him landing a second 10-day contract. If he plays well after that, you can bet on Cousins sticking on the Nuggets’ roster and filling Denver’s void at backup center for the rest of the season.

That’s what Cousins wants. That’s definitely what Malone wants. The feeling around the Nuggets is that’s what they want too.

“I anticipate it going well,” Malone said of Cousins’ 10-day contract last week. “…I think this could be a great spot for DeMarcus for these 10 days and we’ll see what happens from there.”

In Denver, the sense is that Cousins has the inside track on the Nuggets’ backup center minutes. It’s a runway that Cousins can use to rehab his career after tearing his Achilles and ACL in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Cousins is also playing under the watchful eye of a coach who believes in him as a player and cares about him as a person. When Cousins tore his Achilles, one of the first texts he got was from Malone, who at the time was midway his third season at the Nuggets’ helm. They never lost touch since their Kings days.

“That’s just genuine love,” Cousins said he and Malone’s relationship. “We developed that relationship in Sacramento and it’s lasted this many years. It just shows it’s a real thing and that it’s actually possible in this business.”

Now, the two are reunited after seven years apart. But instead of chasing the playoff spot like they were in Sacramento, they’re thinking championship.

“We’ve got a chance to do something really special,” said Cousins.