Has DWI Sealed Redick’s Fate?

Elton Brand is the exception. Not the rule.

Simply put, former Duke players do not thrive in the NBA. Why, nobody can know for sure. It's certainly not for a lack of talent, as Coach K gets whomever he damn well pleases year in and year out before spitting them out into the NBA. At the same time, however, perhaps Coach K does get the most out of what he has, and then when the Trajan Langdons of the world get cast away from Papa Bear, they rot under the guidance of a new mentor. But I refuse to give Coach K that much credit.

Perhaps Duke players are cursed. Yes, that must be it. How else can you explain the Duke basketball version of a "Series of Unfortunate Events?" Consider:

Grant Hill emerged from Krzyzewskiville as the owner of two national championships and as the player who inbounded the ball to Christian Laettner that set in motion a play that will live in college basketball lore forever. It seemed as if Hill was destined for greatness when the Detroit Pistons drafted him with the third overall pick of the 1994 NBA Draft. And his first season did not disappoint. Not only did the small forward share Rookie of the Year honors with then Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd, but he also became the first rookie to lead the league in all-star voting. The fans bestowed the same recognition upon him the next year. For Grant Hill, the sky was the limit.

While Hill had a few more productive seasons in the late-'90s, he has only played more than one-third of a season once since the turn of the century. Myriad injuries, far too many to discuss in anything less than an epic novel, ultimately derailed a career that, to Hill's credit, is somehow still going on. Grant Hill deserved better. That is the first and probably the last time I will say that about a Duke basketball player. But yes, Grant Hill deserved better.

Like Hill, Jay Williams was a third overall pick, selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2002 draft. It appeared that the stars were aligned for J-Dub to orchestrate the Baby Bulls' march back to the Promised Land following the post-MJ dog days in the Windy City. Unlike Hill, Williams' career was literally wrecked before it could really take off. After just one woeful season with the last place Bulls, a motorcycle crash dashed any hopes of Williams ever becoming the leader of the storied Chicago franchise. Just like that, another career down the drain for a former Dukie.

Bobby Hurley shared a similar fate. The Sacramento Kings made the flashy point guard a lottery pick in 1993, but a near-fatal car crash midway through his rookie year closed the book on his effective playing days.

Other Duke duds have no such "excuse" for their miserable existence in the NBA. Trajan Langdon, a lottery pick of the Cavs in 1999, managed to play three full seasons in Cleveland, which I guess is a success in itself even though he was perfectly dismal in each of the three. Let me sum up the state of Langdon's basketball career by listing his three most recent teams: the Benetton Treviso, the Efes Pilsen, and the Dynamo Moscow.

Christian Laettner single-handedly dismantled several NBA franchises by turning out perhaps the least bang-for-your-buck ratio this side of former Hawks center Jon "Contract" Koncak.

Does anyone remember Cherokee Parks? He was a lottery pick in 1995. Parks reached his peak in the 1997-98 season with the Timberwolves when he poured in an astronomical 7.1 points per game.

Roshown McLeod also graces the list of Devils taken in the first round who did absolutely nothing at the next level. However, if McLeod attributes his lack of NBA success to being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, I don't think anyone would blame him.

Shane Battier is a nice role player, but I'm not sure "nice role player" is what the Memphis Grizzlies had in mind for the No. 6 selection in the 2001 draft.

William Avery? I'm disgusted that I just mentioned his name in a piece of sports journalism.

The list could go on, but if JJ is reading this, I think he gets the point.

The point, of course, is that if JJ Redick isn't careful, he's going to go the way of these former Devils. And to say last week's DWI did not get his post-Duke career off to a promising start would be a gross understatement. Redick was also charged with unlawful use of highways for making an illegal U-turn. A U-turn is exactly what his basketball career will be taking unless he gets out of the car and into the gym.

If Redick is going to make it in the NBA, extracurricular activities such as driving under the influence are not an option. JJ is not a great athlete ... and that's being generous. So if the guy is going to survive in the league, he's going to have to work harder and longer than, say, um, LeBron James. His stroke will have to become even more pure than it was at Duke. After all, some previously unheard of LSU freshman absolutely put the clamps down on him at the NCAA regional in Atlanta, and JJ is not going to be guarded by college freshmen at the next level. If he gets any rhythm going from beyond the arc, coaches will throw the Gary Paytons and Ron Artests of the world to hound him.

Making matters worse, Redick also has a sore back. A recent physical in Orlando has raised question about his long-term health and has also forced him to cancel several workouts with other NBA teams. It's unclear how the DWI and the back issue will affect JJ's draft status, if at all, but he certainly is not heading into the draft with GMs salivating over him. But who knows, perhaps this sharpshooter can overcome these early troubles and avoid the fates of his fellow Duke alumni.

He might want to start by having a chat with Sir Elton Brand about how to do things both on and off the court.