Small Jalen Duran Update
- Thread starter CalCat57
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anon_ce2llurbpkli4
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I would take a proven Kofi over him every day of the week especially with the group we already have. He can go to Memphis or Miami and be the man for a so-so team.
Never did understand the Memphis draw here. I understood wiseman. He felt a personal tie to penny. But what has penny proved with skilled bigs to show that he can get you where you need to be. I don't get it.
I'd say Memphis is selling him on being used like Precious Achiuwa. They did a great job with him.
Play an NBA style, be the clear best player on a semi-high profile team, for a staff who has lots of NBA ties.
You could do worse. They won't win a title, but I'm glad he isn't choosing a place where his presence might make that a reality.
Play an NBA style, be the clear best player on a semi-high profile team, for a staff who has lots of NBA ties.
You could do worse. They won't win a title, but I'm glad he isn't choosing a place where his presence might make that a reality.
I don’t understand why any top 5-10 guys would go to a non-contender, unless it’s the hometown team. I would want to compete for a title in my one year of college.
They just don't care about college. It's nothing but a training ground for the NBA. I don't blame him. I wish he'd come here but he has to do what he thinks is best for his career.
I read it and i did not see that Memphis was leading ?
He wasn’t kidding when he said it wasn’t about the money. He won’t make anything close in NIL money at Memphis or Miami compared to what he would’ve raked here.
Cats need to seal deal with Cockburn! Move on!!!
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He raved about Memphis and made a weak compliment on UK.Pretty obvious.
It may turn out he goes too Memphis but I think we read to much into some of the information that comes out. You never know what some of these kids are going to do.
Duren will playing professionally at some level next year. He may say money doesn’t matter but his handlers will say different in my opinion
The draw might be NIL from FedEx, just a random thought. He might become a spokesperson
This is a guy who, until a month ago, was believed to be heading to the G League. A huge majority of the guys of his caliber are focused solely on this as a career move.
Coming to Kentucky and splitting minutes with 4-5 other guys at his positions and with perimeter guys who are also likely to average double figures means a whole lot less room to showcase yourself.
Whether it's Simmons or Trae or Cade or Fultz, there's a clear blueprint for going somewhere with solid teammates but where you're clearly the focal point.
However far you take them is your brilliance. Wherever you fall short is because your teammates aren't as good as you. It's all the upside without any responsibility.
And it's not like Memphis is barren. You add a guy like Duren and they'll be okay. We saw it with Cade and Mobley this year.
I also think there's an element of thinking they're good enough to lead a team to a title.
Wouldn't be mad if he came here, but if we add Cockburn, I am fine with that. We will have no discernible weaknesses, other than maybe a true go-to guy down the stretch, but somebody may develop into that.
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I just don’t understand it. What happened to the best wanting to play with the best and against the best to be the best?
All I got from that is that Memphis and Miami have been on him longer. Everything else seems like people projecting their own insecurities. I guess we’ll see—if he even goes to college.
I have no clue where the guy is going but also have no clue how anyone could make an assumption one way or the other by the following quotes:
Pro Memphis:
“The pro experience they have in Penny Hardaway and Larry Brown is tremendous,” Duren said. “And Cody Toppert helped develop Devin Booker into an All-Star [with the Suns]. Coach Brown is a Hall of Fame coach and the pro experience is a huge factor. I like what they have over there. Since Penny came over, they’ve been building and they’re on the rise.”
Pro Kentucky:
“I had the chance to learn about the program,” Duren said. “Talking to Coach Calipari and Bruiser Flint for the first time was amazing. They can develop me and learning about the history of the program was great. It was my first time in Kentucky so seeing a lot of it was terrific.”
Pro Memphis:
“The pro experience they have in Penny Hardaway and Larry Brown is tremendous,” Duren said. “And Cody Toppert helped develop Devin Booker into an All-Star [with the Suns]. Coach Brown is a Hall of Fame coach and the pro experience is a huge factor. I like what they have over there. Since Penny came over, they’ve been building and they’re on the rise.”
Pro Kentucky:
“I had the chance to learn about the program,” Duren said. “Talking to Coach Calipari and Bruiser Flint for the first time was amazing. They can develop me and learning about the history of the program was great. It was my first time in Kentucky so seeing a lot of it was terrific.”
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Yeah, probably. Penny was already cheating before NIL, so I'm sure he's at full force now.
Duren to Memphis, Cockburn to UK. I won't cry too hard.
I think the answer is that this generation largely does not care about winning. They say championships matter publicly (especially in tge NBA) but their actions speak otherwise. Duren could be Chris Webber 2.0 and is going to be a top pick wherever he goes. The original Chris Webber cared about winning. If you don’t believe me, watch his reaction after Duke smashed him in ‘92 where he almost fought the cameraman. And then the following year walking off the court after calling the infamous TO. He was crushed.
If winning big truly matters to Duren, he’ll choose UK.
When Coach Brown is in the mix and combine it with the NIL, rules are no longer being followed.
Trivial thing, but the writer said UK has 3 F4’s under Cal, but it’s really 4.
Hey, hey, you’re talking about the 21 NIT CHAMPS, put some damn respect on their na……sorry i couldn’t even finish this for laughing so hard.
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anon_ce2llurbpkli4
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anon_ce2llurbpkli4
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Wow. You can’t read that and understand that it’s pro- Memphis? He specifically talked about 3 coaches, Penny, Coach Larry Brown and Cody Toppert and the pro experience they have at Memphis is a huge factor. The only thing he said about UK was he talked with Coach Cal amd Bruiser. The rest was fluff.
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anon_ce2llurbpkli4
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He literally raved about Memphis and gave Kentucky a standard complimentary quote. Read between the lines.
That is the problem with people reading between the lines. Nothing is there between the lines expect what people want to see. We will know soon enough where he goes.
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anon_ce2llurbpkli4
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No doubt he is a tremendous athlete and would be a good contributor but with all due respect Kofi is a proven commodity. Averaging almost 18 points a game against Big Ten competition while only playing 27 minutes a game. I would choose him every single time for a one-year contribution.
Most of the talk is Memphis now IF he attends college, but I read that and it still sounds like Miami to me...IF he does college for a year.
He's also reclassifying. 8 times out of 10 I like the experienced guy over the newbie even if the newbie is an elite talent.