After some early buzz about Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren throwing his name into the hat for the Dunk Contest this year, the fourth-year big man will not participate in the rim-rattling challenge after all. 

With a deep catalog of alley-oops and thunderous lob slams this season, Duren is a ferocious finisher at the rim, and it would've been interesting to see what his dunk package would've looked like in the Dunk Contest. JD is creative, and he'd have Cade Cunningham alongside him for any deft passing that would be needed to pull off his dunks. 

But if Duren is dealing with knee soreness at the moment, which is the reason why he missed the Pistons' 38-point battering of the New York Knicks last night, then it's probably a good thing that he's not going to apply any additional stress to his joints over All-Star Weekend.