Don't blame DeMarcus Cousins for the imbalance in the league

Who knew when rumours started circulating about LeBron James starring in Space Jam 2 that it wouldn't be a movie with the Bugs Bunny and The Looney Tunes, but simply footage of a real-life NBA season featuring his Los Angeles Lakers versus Golden State and their five all-stars (seven, if you count Andre Iguodala and David West, who may re-sign)?

With the Warriors using the mid-level exception to sign Cousins to a one-year deal worth $5.3 million, they now have a better starting five than the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Let that sink in for a minute.

But it's not Cousins' fault that they are this unstoppable, so don't put the blame on him for 'ruining the league'. Yes, the Warriors will win the championship barring some sort of deadly plague in the Bay Area, but that doesn't mean the season is ruined.

There are more layers to Cousins' decision than you may think. While it is ring-chasing, there aren't many players who deserve a shot at a ring more than Cousins. Consider all of these factors: in eight seasons, Cousins has never made the playoffs. He worked tirelessly with the Sacramento Kings only to be made a scapegoat for all of their problems every year.

He cried publicly when they traded him halfway his seventh season because he gave everything to the team. He settled in at New Orleans, only to rupture his Achilles as he approached his first playoff appearance. He watched as the team played better without him. To top everything off, he reportedly didn't even receive a contract offer to come back to the Pelicans, who instead signed Julius Randle.

After everything he has endured, I for one am thrilled that Cousins will get a chance to play in the playoffs. He deserves it, even if he is technically taking the easiest path there next year.

Furthermore, even if the Warriors are a lock to win the championship, you can't possibly blame Cousins for that. Cousins has never gone close to winning a championship and had basically no other options this off-season since nobody else was offering him a deal. Kevin Durant is the guy that put this team over top as an unstoppable force two years ago. Durant is the cause of the Warriors' invincibility, Cousins is simply a symptom of it.

This is the smart business decision for Cousins, even if it is seen as ring-chasing. He received no significant contract offers, so a one-year deal with the best super-team of all time gives him every chance to push his value back up for free agency next year.

Next summer, provided he returns successfully from his Achilles injury and contributes well to the Warriors, he will be due for the big pay day he should have had this year. Signing a discounted long-term deal would have been bad business on his part.

Signing with a non-contender probably wouldn't have boosted his value for next off-season quite like a stint with the Warriors will.

For those that hate the Warriors and now hate Cousins, here is the silver lining to his decision: he may be the one to break up the Warriors. He's notorious for his bad attitude, he's coming off a major injury and could be more harm than he is good on the court, and if he does play well he'll be due for a big pay day after next season.

That's the same time when Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be out of contract. Could that play a part in the Warriors dynasty breaking up? They can't pay all five starters max money. Will they be so good with Cousins in the starting line-up that KD will opt out next season and seek new challenges? Will Klay and Draymond follow suit by searching for new challenges? For the first time in four years, it looks like the Warriors dynasty may be moving rapidly towards a speed bump. These are all unlikely scenarios, but they're not impossibilities.

The NBA is entertaining for so many more reasons than who wins each championship.Last season we all knew the Warriors would win the championship too, but we still were blessed with one of the most enjoyable seasons in recent memory.

Think of the Rockets vs. Clippers secret tunnel fight, Nerlens Noel eating a hot dog from the media room at half time of a game, the weird Kawhi Leonard and Markelle Fultz injury situations, Donovan Mitchell calling out Ben Simmons for not being a rookie, Joel Embiid's beef with Russell Westbrook, James Harden's 60-point triple double and unbelievable MVP campaign, Kevin Durant and Bryan Colangelo's burner accounts on Twitter, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic fighting, Westbrook shamelessly padding stats in the last week of the season to secure a triple double average again, Fergie's national anthem at the All-Star weekend....the list goes on.

So, as we head towards next season, don't lose faith in the NBA just because the Warriors will probably win it all again. Instead, enjoy the subplots the league and the players are so good at delivering every single year.

Watch the award races with intent, keep an eye out for players beefing on Twitter, wait for the first player to demand a trade for mysterious reasons, hope and pray that we get another situation in which JR Smith throws a soup at an assistant coach. Most importantly, remember that this was the right decision for Cousins' career above all else.

The Warriors will probably win the championship, but don't forget that was the general consensus long before Cousins signed on with them.

To quote NBA Twitter hall-of-famer Shea Serrano, "If the only reason you watch basketball is to see who wins the championship, then you're missing like 90 percent of the best stuff". So, remember, next season will be fun. Even if the Warriors go 82-0 with an average winning margin of 30 points, who knows what fun sub-plots we're going to get.