From leading Duke to the Final Four in college, to debuting in the NBA with a pre-LeBron Cleveland team that struggled mightily for three seasons (1999-2002), to winning multiple championships overseas in Russia’s pro league, Trajan Langdon’s playing career packed just about every possible high and low into a 16-year span. Now in his first season as New Orleans’ general manager, all of those experiences have helped to shape the way he evaluates players, something that’s already impacted how the Pelicans composed a dramatically reconfigured roster.
“I’ve been on some teams that were really good, and some other teams that weren’t,” said Langdon, whose Cavaliers clubs won 32, 30 and 29 games after he was the 11th pick in the ’99 draft.