What do you do now?
Once the final stages of grief are accepted and the New Orleans Pelicans’ decision makers move from shock to sobriety regarding the season-ending Achilles injury suffered by All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, there are an endless line of questions to unpack.
The scenarios touch every level of the organization and none of the answers are clear, fair or straightforward.
While Anthony Davis and the rest of the Pelicans will spend the next 34 games battling for a playoff spot without their frontcourt tandem in tow, starting against the Clippers at 3 p.m. on Sunday, there are clouds smothering nearly every other area of the franchise.
And just about each aspect is complicated by the timing and circumstances surrounding the injury.
Video: DeMarcus Cousins ruptures Achilles in final seconds of Pelicans win over Rockets
To start, the Pelicans were in the midst of their best stretch in nearly three years, winning seven of their past eight games, including victories over the stalwart Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.
The gamble to pair All-Star big men Cousins and Davis together appeared to be paying off in a big way. New Orleans was in the final 10 seconds of polishing off a national television win over the Rockets, in front of a raucous home crowd, ready to take the plunge into relevancy.
Instead, Cousins will now miss somewhere between six to 10 months, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent before re-taking the court.
That unleashes the first set of questions.
Sources indicate the Pelicans were intent on signing Cousins to a five-year, $175 million maximum contract this offseason, but does this injury alter those plans?
Should they offer a smaller deal? A shorter one? Or should they trade Cousins to a tanking team before the Feb. 8 deadline in exchange for a contributor who can help save the current season?
Cousins’ salary matches a number of productive players on losing teams, capable of helping the Pelicans make a playoff push in the here and now, even if their ceiling is dramatically lower.
DeMarcus Cousins' injury continues sad trend for Pelicans, Saints: Can't catch a break
Big men like Enes Kanter, Brook Lopez or even DeAndre Jordan could be available depending on what else the Pelicans would give up in exchange. Each could help New Orleans dramatically in the short term.
And even if they trade Cousins, New Orleans could still sign him in the offseason, although they’ll lose the leverage of offering him more money and years than any other suitor.
All of those options and scenarios are less than ideal and come with ominous backfiring potential. But they’re on the table in front of general manager Dell Demps over the next few weeks.
But, more importantly, will it be Demps’ decision to make?
Demps is working on the final year of his contract, in his eighth season, and didn’t receive a public vote of confidence from the team’s ownership this summer. There was only a recognition he would maintain his job entering this season, with an understanding it would be a make or break campaign.
After a mediocre start, the Pelicans appeared to be on the rise with Davis and Cousins coalescing.
The core, paired by the team’s front office at last year’s trade deadline, proved capable of the high aspirations placed on them. And the surrounding roster complemented the duo, particularly Jrue Holiday, who was signed to a five-year, $125 million deal this summer.
But will Demps be evaluated on the team’s best stretch of the season or the final result at season’s end? Can the Pelicans’ brass clear out its front office when an All-Star starter missed half of the season due to an injury?
On the other hand, key injuries have defined the Demps era and are those reason enough for the Pelicans to keep the front office in place for a ninth year?
The same questions surround coach Alvin Gentry as well.
After mixing ragged performances alongside splendid ones, the Pelicans finally found their stride and their best lineup combinations over the past three weeks.
Moving Holiday into a point guard role during crunch time significantly boosted the Pelicans’ defensive prowess and allowed E’Twaun Moore to play at his natural position. All of this bolstered the powerful frontcourt, which took on fewer defensive responsibilities, allowing them to flourish.
After months of suffering debilitating losses in close games, the Pelicans won six of their past seven games in clutch situations and were finishing off close games like a contender.
But, just like Demps, how will Gentry ultimately be judged?
Will the Pelicans look at the body of work as a whole, the best stretch of the season or account for the frustrations of the first few months?
No matter what course of action is taken, the only certainty is Cousins’ injury added a heaping dose of uncertainty to the proceedings.
If the core was intact and remained in place until the season ended, the answers would lie entirely in the results.
If the Pelicans were a solid playoff team, it would be easily justifiable to bring everyone back. And if they slipped back into mediocrity, it would be easily justifiable to blow it up and start over.
But, when Cousins’ tendon snapped, all of those distinct lines blurred.
Trades. Firings. Extensions. Contracts.
Everything is on the table and the rubric for evaluation is unclear.
And now, the members of the Pelicans’ management group, led by owner Tom Benson, are the only ones who can determine just how clear them up.
It’s anyone’s guess what unfolds and how they proceed.