Jon Scheyer echoes Coach K's thoughts on UNC sending Hubert Davis packing

If there's anything that Tar Heel basketball fans can take from the past couple of weeks, it's the fact that Hubert Davis was respected by many of his peers as a person and as a professional, maybe not so much as an in-game coach, but they respected the way he carried himself. 

Mike Krzyzewski holds Davis in high regard and when the former Duke coach says he has empathy for Davis, I believe him. And when his successor, Jon Scheyer, said it Saturday, I believed him as well.

Here's Scheyer's full quote from his Saturday press conference:

"I've got a lot of empathy for other coaches, for Hubert, not just the fact of him coaching at the school down the road, but the fact that he played there as well. So there's the meaning behind it. I understand that obviously well in this position myself. Coaching is a big blessing, but it's also what you sign up for in this business, unfortunately. So I think this thing is really delicate. I think it's really fragile. I think this week has been an example of that."

Jon Scheyer speaks his mind about Hubert Davis

For the fans, the UNC-Duke basketball rivalry is basically good vs. evil, but the coaches are rarely in that boat. Yes, Coach K's relationship with Dean Smith or Roy Williams wasn't rosy in the beginning and could get heated on the court, but the mutual respect was deep, and it led to a friendship. 

It's easy to roll your eyes and think, 'Oh, sure Jon Scheyer has empathy for Hubert Davis, he wasn't worried about him ever challenging Duke's spot'. But, in these moments when guys lose their jobs, it resonates because it's a reminder that everyone is replaceable. Carolina basketball fans might love and appreciate the person that Davis is and the way he represented the program as a professional, but they wanted to win more games, and they are right to demand better results. 

Scheyer knows that's the case, and he's in the same boat as Duke. He'd like to believe that his ties to the Blue Devils could get him through rough times on the court if they were to happen, but Davis' plight is a stark reminder that might not be the case.