This is funny and revealing.
As the Lakers coaching situation continues to evolve, Kendrick Perkins has weighed in on JJ Redick’s candidacy, saying he could get behind Redick as L.A.’s coach under one condition:
“JJ Redick…knows the game of basketball from an X’s and O’s standpoint. But the one thing I feel like JJ Redick gonna have to do is to lose that snobby Duke attitude. Going into that locker room, it’s one thing to have a high basketball IQ and know your X’s and O’s, [but] it’s another thing to make sure you gather the ears of that locker room.”
Okay, on one level that’s funny. That’s probably how Perkins perceives Duke, which is kind of ridiculous from a Duke perspective, because the only thing that has ever happened at Duke is hard work. The sense that there is an entitlement mentality comes from people who never spent any time around the program. Guys who have a sense of entitlement have never done well here. Redick became great because Coach K was brutally honest with him about his shortcomings, he accepted the criticisms and worked harder.
People hated Christian Laettner but that guy was as self-made as anyone. Same for Steve Wojciechowski.
The whole idea of Redick as having a “snobby Duke attitude” is pretty ridiculous. He’ll rise or fall as a coach based on what he does and how well he does it. The biggest thing he learned at Duke, which Perkins clearly doesn’t understand, is Coach K’s most important lesson: no excuses. L.A. will get his all.
And unless we misunderstand him pretty badly, his competitive desire and knowledge of the game will make him an excellent coach.
