Minnesota Sports Forum

monsterpile wrote:Wolves are really going all in on this younger player thing. Interestingly they did this sign and trade and therefor still can spend the full mid level if they want to. I watched some Layman video yesterday. He seems like a guy with a few skills plays hard and has some physical tools. He is locked in pretty cheap.

Dane Moore had him in his wing targets for the Wolves.

https://www.skornorth.com/wolves-2/2019/06/moore-three-wing-targets-for-the-minnesota-timberwolves-in-free-agency/

Using the full MLE would put put the Wolves over the luxury tax threshold. I think the next move is re-signing Tyus for somewhere between 4 and 5 million per year.

SameOldNudityDrew wrote:I remember liking that guy when I saw him against us last year I guess it was. Active, attacks the rim. Saw him make a couple passes. Nice dunker. Maybe he can teach Wiggins how to throw it down. Can he shoot it from outside and defend though?

Whoa, he's listed as 6'9"? I thought he looked smaller than that.

He has short arms - only 8'6 overhead reach. Makes him look small. :)

crazy-canuck wrote:Anyone smell rosas still trying to get culver for garland?

There just isn't going to be enough playing time on the wings.

Okogie, wiggs, culver, cov, and now layman signs a 3 year deal.

I still think a deal for Garland could materialize. We might end up dealing Culver and Layman for Garland. So don't get too attached to him yet. But I think this is more of a prelude to trading Wiggins - not necessarily this summer but perhaps during the season or next summer.

Reminds me of a taller Chase Budinger.

lipoli390 wrote:

SameOldNudityDrew wrote:I remember liking that guy when I saw him against us last year I guess it was. Active, attacks the rim. Saw him make a couple passes. Nice dunker. Maybe he can teach Wiggins how to throw it down. Can he shoot it from outside and defend though?

Whoa, he's listed as 6'9"? I thought he looked smaller than that.

He has short arms - only 8'6 overhead reach. Makes him look small. :)

Draft combine has him 6'8" without shoes and 6'9.25" with shoes. 6'9.25" wingspan. He is plenty tall.

Just another young player Rosas signed that was at different points a rotation guy for a playoff team.

Another young player with room to grow, it kinda feels like we might have a decent GM. So in limited games watching him last year I would have thought he was a better 3pt shooter I remember him moving really well with out the ball and working screens to get open looks. I remembered him knocking down a decent amount of shots and liked his game overall. Looking at his stats he wasn't that great of a shooter, which kinda shocked me. I think he can grown in that area because like I said he seemed like a good shooter in what I remembered, a tall player that moved well that should translate well. For the price I dig it.

Is this that Maryland guy?

It's a pretty good acquisition. I'm not crazy about paying him $3.8 million per year for 3 years. A lot of decent players are signing for the minimum right now. I'm not convinced he'll be a particularly good 3-point shooter. He only shot 32.6% from behind the arc last season on 2.5 attempts. He didn't become a really good shooter in college until his junior year, eventually getting his 3-point shooting up to 39.6% his senior year on 4 attempts. He's tall, but has short arms giving him an 8'6 overhead reach. So I don't see him playing any PF in a small-ball lineup. But he just turned 25 a few months ago and he looks fluid and athletic in the videos I've seen. I also put some trust in Vanterpool who knows him from Portland.

So this is a solid acquisition and it's in line with Gersson's strategy to bring in young players with upside and develop this team for the long haul. I love that Rosas has a sensible, cohesive strategy and is implementing it intelligently. It's refreshing.

I still have the sense that something major is brewing. It could still be a deal for Russell or it might be a deal for Garland. Or maybe it will just be a deal that dumps Wiggins for one or two expiring deals to pave the way for move maneuvering room during the season and especially next summer. It's just a hunch.

BizarroJerry wrote:Is this that Maryland guy?

Yes. He played all 4 years at Maryland. He improved every from freshman to Junior and then plateaued his Junior and Senior years. Ended up a very good college player hitting 50% of his field goals and 39.6% of his 3-point attempts his senior year. He also averaged a block and a steal per game along with 5.3 rebounds. A solid player. I friend of mine in Portland just texted me. He said Layman was a fan favorite in Portland and that we're going to like the way he plays.

ok - now if only he can flip Wiggins Dieng and maybe Teague (though I am starting to rethink him) into any starting modern PG