Instant Reaction: Trajan Langdon

After a long arduous process that frankly did not get as much attention as it probably should have. The Detroit Pistons have made a change at the top of the “basketball operations organizational chart.” I’ll dive into this a little deeper in a moment. But I chose the air quotes and terminology at the end of the second sentence intentionally. As the success of this venture is largely dependent upon how much actual power this amorphous title bestows upon Langdon. We’ll look into why the move this move had to be made, the potential problems ahead. Then close with a definitive statement of whether or not this arrangement will work.

What I Like

There is no nice way to say it. Something had to be done. The Detroit Pistons won 14 games last year. That is really bad, but not unprecedented in recent NBA history. What is unprecedented is the backdrop of this futility.

This was not a “Process” era 76’s squad. Or a Thunder franchise in the midst of a rapid teardown and rebuild. Whether they admit it or not. The Pistons had legitimate expectations of being competitive.

You don’t pay Monty Williams an NBA record 78.5 million dollars to conduct a multi year rebuild. You don’t embark on a long rebuild with two top five picks starting in the backcourt.

I’m not going to use the old overused “ definition of insanity” cliche. The bottom line coming off a year this bad. There needed to be some level of accountability, From the highly paid coach, to the players in line for huge rookie extensions, and rumors of a nepotism infused front office. Despite the poor on court product. Much of the organization seemed to operate with an undeserved sense of job security.

If Langdon really has the autonomy that he has seemingly been promised. At a minimum he should at least be able to shake things up a bit. When you have nowhere to go but up. I don’t see how a little shake up can considered a bad thing.

Secondly, the Pistons did not hire some novice. Langdon is seemingly well regarded in scouting circles. He has been a key component of what are considered competent front offices. He has a brief stint as a Spurs scout. Three years with a Brooklyn franchise in the midst of a massive rebuild. Followed by the past five years as essentially the second in command with the New Orleans Pelicans.

At each stop the franchises have been moderately successful. They have drafted well and avoided fatal personnel mistakes. On paper this is a safe hire of a no frills well connected front office executive.

What I Don’t like

Is safe and no frills what the Pistons need right now? Safe and conventional thought says you extend Cade Cunningham. Safe and conventional says you can’t pay Monty Williams $60 million dollars not to coach.

This gets to the core of what will determine Langdon’s success. How much “juice” does he really have within the organization. Can he tell Cunningham he would like to see improvement in shooting percentages before offering up the bag. Firing Williams would seem rash and expensive. Personally I wouldn’t do it. Can he ask Williams to provide explanations for his rotations and playing time decisions?

I think the answers to those question are yes. If he didn’t have the latitude to make those decisions. I don’t think he takes the job. However here is where the “juice” question hit a snag. He will never have more juice than ownership. They sign the checks.

Trajan Langdon had a brief and uneventful NBA career. Known as the “Alaskan Assassin”, he was JJ Reddidk at Duke before JJ Reddick. His agent was none other than Arn Tellem. The current vice chairman and alternate governor of the Detroit Pistons. Those are fancy words for basically saying Tellem is the de facto co-owner of the franchise.

Can Langdon walk into Tellem’s office and say “hello man who negotiated my generational wealth and essentially continues to provide said wealth… I really don’t like the way we are doing things right now as an organization”

I don’t think he can. Nor do I begrudge Langdon for possibly being reluctant to do so. That is just power corporate dynamics at work. However you view Tellem’s role in the Pistons current state. That could definitely be a problem moving forward.

Will it Work

This doesn’t make for good sports punditry. However at this point in Pistons futility— does anyone really know? A lot of vitriol is getting thrown toward owner Tom Gores at the moment. With the on court product, the frustration is understandable. I know I’m in the minority on this. But I’m not 100% in the anti-Gores camp.

An ideal owner should be bold, not cheap, and largely stay in the background. Gores is not timid and and is willing to spend money. Stan Van Gundy was a bold power move. It is seemingly forgotten that he was the Warriors first choice before Steve Kerr (look it up kids) Blake Griffin was an expensive swing for the fences. It just hasn’t worked to say the least. The “being in the background” part certainly has not helped his image within all the losing.

Can Langdon be the Pistons missing ingredient? If he has the actual latitude to demand better performance from Cade Cunningham before getting paid. The answer is yes. If he has the personality to push and prod Monty Williams into coaching with a greater sense of desperation. The answer is yes.

Langdon’s resume is diverse and impressive. He has experience in both mid and major market franchises. He is extremely familiar with European basketball from his long playing career there. He is from Alaska, so cold weather and an undesirable NBA market will not intimidate him.

I think we will know the answer to the above question rather quickly. If Cunningham gets handsomely paid without hesitation. If both Troy Weaver and Monty Williams maintain their roles without mandates. Combined with an uneventful and unimaginative draft. I have concerns.

A 14 win season cannot be considered status quo. Can Langdon package #5 and salary filler to get a distressed asset like Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray or Zach LaVine? I’m not sure that would make the Pistons much better. However it would make them more interesting. I think the fanbase would settle for that at this point.

The bar isn’t very high Trajan. That being said if you take too long stretching and sizing up the dimensions. This fanbase will sour quickly. Throw some caution into the wind and take a Fosbury Flop into the NBA rumor mill and see what happens. It can’t get much worse….can it?