Jalen Duren’s lengthy contract standoff with the Detroit Pistons caused rancor amongst a certain segment of the fanbase, and there was some concern that this could spill into the regular season.
All the talk on social media was how Duren would be booed by his own fans, and as usual, there was some loud talk from behind the keyboard.
But that talk softened quickly after Jalen Duren’s recent press conference, in which he said all of the right things, but particularly one thing that Pistons fans wanted to hear:
"I am a Detroit Piston. I want to be a Detroit Piston for life. I want to give everything I’ve got to the Pistons and the fans."
In the end, fans just want players to be as loyal to the team as they are, though given that “fan” is short for “fanatic,” that is not always possible.
They are also loath to hear about a player being “disrespected” by a $200 million offer when they are struggling to afford gas for their car.
But it’s also important for fans to remember that much of what they hear doesn’t actually come from the player and that it is all just a silly money game being played by the suits that has nothing to do with basketball.
In the end, it’s just money for Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons
After this experience, it’s good for all of us to remember that much of what we hear reported from “insiders” is just BS agent talk being used to manipulate the situation in the media.
We all fall for it every year. I am guilty of it as well, though this year I always at least added the caveat that I had not heard Duren say anything, which made me seriously doubt all reports.
If Duren did anything wrong here, it was allowing his agent to go a bit rogue and say things that weren’t necessarily true or at least didn’t accurately reflect how Duren was feeling.
Like I said, it’s all a game, and in the end, Duren’s agent won by getting him a heap of extra money. It would be best if all of this negotiating were done in private, but it isn’t, so we get stuck being pawns caught in a sycophantic relationship between agents and media insiders desperate for a scoop.
And when they are flat-out wrong, they move onto the next thing and pretend it never happened.
The whole thing is gross, but Duren could have just spoken up and said, “I want to be in Detroit, and my agent is working on it.” Live and learn.
Jalen Duren knows what he has to do
The other standout sentiment from Duren’s presser is that he absolutely gets it. He knows he wasn’t good in the playoffs and knows what he has to work on and has been.
There was no blame game, as he took responsibility and promised to be better, which is all you really want.
Duren’s press conference hit all of the right notes and should ensure that he doesn’t hear any boos on opening day.
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