As the Warriors await the arrival of DeMarcus Cousins, they've come to accept that he might not be enough to fill their needs at center, general manager Bob Myers acknowledged Monday.
"With Damian (Jones) going down, we are currently operating with just two centers," Myers said. "DeMarcus coming back – not sure when, not sure how long it will take him to get up to speed -- we still have a little bit of a void at the 5 spot, which we have to keep an eye on, whether that's through trade or a buyout.
Barring any setbacks during his rehabilitation from Achilles' tendon surgery, Cousins likely will be cleared in the coming weeks. Even then, though, the Warriors will be scanning the market for depth.
Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell, both listed at 6-foot-9 and both drafted as forwards, have been occupying the center position ever since Dec. 1, when Jones, the team's only 7-footer, went down with a season-ending pectoral injury.
Until Cousins, at 6-11 and 260 pounds, is active, the Warriors are both thin and small in the middle.
[RELATED: Are Warriors, Robin Lopez a fit if Bulls buy him out?]
Sports
"DeMarcus coming back certainly helps," Myers said. "But I can't say when that will be and how that will go. I'm confident he'll get back and be very helpful to us, but we don't have a timeline for that.
"So in the meantime, if something presented itself now or in the next few days, we'd look at it. More than likely, it'll come later, maybe in the form of a buyout or trade."
The trade deadline is Feb. 7, but Myers pointed out that trade talks typically don't get serious until the two weeks prior to the deadline.
The Warriors opened the season with three available big men, with Cousins not expected until sometime around midseason. The halfway point for the Warriors comes next week.
The minute Jones was ruled out, likely for the rest of the season, the Warriors started evaluating big men that might be available.
"It's just an awareness and a reality that we have two centers right now, and that's not enough in the NBA," Myers said. "I wish we could borrow some from last year, when we had quite a few."
In addition to Jones, Bell and Looney, the Warriors had veteran big men JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and David West.
