Pelicans hope E’Twaun Moore’s hard work pays off in New Orleans

5:53 PM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans have made no secret about how they plan to rebound from one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history: In the place of high-profile, high-earning scorers, they spread their cash around this summer to a cadre of hard-working, self-made players.

Indeed, while former franchise stalwarts Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson banked approximately $133 million courtesy of the Houston Rockets, the Pelicans have signed or re-signed six free agents this offseason, with not a single draft lottery pick among them. In fact, their highest-drafted signee — Terrence Jones, the No. 18 pick in 2012 — will make the least of all of them next season.

None, perhaps, embodies the shift in taste more than E’Twaun Moore.

“I always say I got to work two or three times harder than the average guy to get to where I want to go,” he said Wednesday on a conference call with local media.

Moore’s background is literally blue-collar: He grew up in East Chicago, a steel-mill city in Indiana. After four years at Purdue — a school, it’s worth noting, that identifies itself via a steel craftsman — he was drafted late in the second round by the Boston Celtics, and has …

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