First-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick looks like a keeper so far. Team vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka cann

Even former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski sounds a little surprised with how well the Los Angeles Lakers have performed on defense with JJ Redick, one of his former players, at the helm. "I reached out to him and said, 'Who the hell would've predicted you could teach defense?'" Krzyzewski said to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

When the UConn coach turned down a $70-million job offer to come to L.A., it might have been humiliating for the storied franchise but it ignited a rebirth.