Warriors want to add more size, even with DeMarcus Cousins returning

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As the Warriors await DeMarcus Cousins' arrival, 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 occupied the center position since Dec. 1, when Jones, the Warriors' 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.

“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 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 7, but Myers pointed out that talks typically don’t get serious until two weeks prior to that.

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.

[RELATED: Is Robin Lopez a Warriors fit if Bulls buy him out?]

The minute Jones was ruled out, likely for the rest of the season, the Warriors started evaluating big men who 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 last season.

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