Patrick27 wrote:Cowology wrote:OK... I'm as big a Duren critic as anybody... but he's put up a couple of monster performances. He's attacking aggressively and finishing at a high rate, but more importantly he's playing much harder at the defensive end. His help D had looked much better recently. Like he *really* wants that bag.
And there it is. He really wants that bag.
I'm always skeptical when a player only boosts their numbers substantially in a contract year. Why didn't they do it before? What will happen when they have 3-4 guaranteed years? Consistent effort and growth has been a criticism of Duren before. Give me someone that tries hard all the time (Stew, as an example) over someone who only grows when there's money on the line.
Big athletic dunkers are always available, and teams almost always regret overpaying for a big athletic dunker without any other substantial skills.
I mean, the guy is in his 4th season....it's expected that players will improve every year within the first ~5-6 years in the league.
And if he does want the bag, why is that a bad thing? $$ is an excellent motivator, certainly has been for me personally. Duren has shortcomings but I have little concern about potentially paying him and then him just mailing it in.