When you sign a big contract, that brings certain expectations and it looms over everything. I’ve talked to other players about the stress that comes with a big deal. It’s one of those things that players don’t like to discuss because you don’t want to seem like you’re complaining about getting millions of dollars, but it’s tough when everyone is criticizing you and bringing up the contract. What was that like for you? Larry Hughes: It was tough because, I mean, I obviously felt like I earned it. But, for me, it was personal. It wasn’t really any outside noise that would sway me either way; it was just more so the thoughts that I had inside myself that I wanted to take that next jump and I wanted to be the best player that I can be. If you’re injured, you can’t continue to grow, you can’t continue to learn. That was the tough part for me. But as far as the contract goes, fans and the outside people don’t always understand the amount of hours and the amount of work that goes into being a professional basketball player… I completely know and believe that I put in enough hours and I was focused enough to earn the contract. Now, it was internal, for me to continue to grow as a player. Like I said, it’s hard to do that when you get injured and then you take those steps back.