Back in 2016 Lil’ Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane dropped a joint called “Secure the Bag” and everybody and their baby’s momma has run with the terminology ever since. It’s all about securing the bag now. Before that boyz were saying let’s get this money. Eric B and Rakim dropped an album in 1986 with a joint called “Paid in Full.” As a matter of fact, the album was called Paid in Full.
However, you get the money, get it, but one thing I’ve learned over the years is that it can’t just be about the money. Why? Because if that’s the goal what happens once you get it? Typically cats fall off after they secure the bag, get the money or get paid in full. We see it all of the time. If the money is the end game then what?
Is Myles Turner falling off because he secured the bag at the start of the season? Ole boy signed a 4-year extension just before the Pacers tipped off the 2018-19 season. He signed a 4-year deal worth $72 million that could pay him up to $80 million with bonuses. He hasn’t been the same since.
His career averages have fallen off across the board. He’s averaging just 10.9 points per game down from 12.6. He’s only grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game down from 6.4 and his shooting percentage has dropped as well. From the field he’s down from 49.7 points per game to 48.4 and from behind the arc he’s way down from 33.4 points per game to just 12.5. Over the past four games he’s only put up single digit points and rebounds.
I’m not saying that he’s falling off because he secured the bag but he’s playing like he’s falling off because he secured the bag. We saw Roy Hibbert do the same thing after he signed the $58 million extension with the Pacers back in 2012. He turned into what I used to call “Skittles and Lemonheads.” Meaning that when everybody else would get out of the car and compete he would sit in the back seat of the ride and eat Skittles and Lemonheads. He was never the same player again.
I sure hope that Myles can turn it around this season and begin to play better because he’s way too young of a player to be satisfied with securing the bag because he can secure at least a couple more of them over the life of his career. Stop me when I start lyin’!