Minnesota Sports Forum

At the very least he should be on the roster the rest of the season

I don't think there is anyone on here still holding out hope for Payne. It's too bad because Flip went hard after him. It would have been a nice if he turned into a player to be a credit to Flip's legacy/talent evaluation. Unfortunately....it was a big swing and miss. We certainly wouldn't be able to trade him back for a pick similar to what we'll give up. So...chalk it up as another "loss" when we trade with other teams. It's why I get scared when posters suggest we deal guys like Dieng or Bazz. I don't trust this franchise to improve themselves in such moves. It seems like we often end up worse. Hindsight is always 20/20. But we would have been better off keeping Thad Young vs. dealing for Payne and then dumping Thad for KG.

BloopOracle wrote:At the very least he should be on the roster the rest of the season

I think the simple answer is yes he is better or at the very least right now he is a better fit for this team right now than Payne. Earlier in the season Payne looked worthwhile lately it's been a mixed bag AT BEST.

Carlos Danger wrote:I don't think there is anyone on here still holding out hope for Payne. It's too bad because Flip went hard after him. It would have been a nice if he turned into a player to be a credit to Flip's legacy/talent evaluation. Unfortunately....it was a big swing and miss. We certainly wouldn't be able to trade him back for a pick similar to what we'll give up. So...chalk it up as another "loss" when we trade with other teams. It's why I get scared when posters suggest we deal guys like Dieng or Bazz. I don't trust this franchise to improve themselves in such moves. It seems like we often end up worse. Hindsight is always 20/20. But we would have been better off keeping Thad Young vs. dealing for Payne and then dumping Thad for KG.

Yeah I think I was probably one of the few last people (maybe LST still) hoping for him to turn into something somewhat worthwhile but it's been bad. I hope the Clippers (as was rumored on Twitter) still have interest this summer and we can move him for an empty bag of Cheetos. They look to have a bunch of roster spots open so...maybe. Lol

Sadly I don't think it's right to ask if another player is better than Payne. Asking is person A is better than person B suggests that person B is actually good at something, does it not?

They both suck, if we're being honest.

TheSP wrote:Sadly I don't think it's right to ask if another player is better than Payne. Asking is person A is better than person B suggests that person B is actually good at something, does it not?

One reason why Smith is more worthwhile is he stays in his lane knows what he can do and what he can't. Flip said he wanted Payne to play D and rebound instead of trying to do so too much. About the only way it seems Payne isn't a disaster is if he hits his jumpers. Which guy do you want to receive a pass going to the basket Payne or Smith? Payne is cringeworthy. There is still some time left for Payne I guess this season to show something but if Bjelica comes back healthy I don't think he will get many more opportunities if Smith or another big are around. Payne looks like the guy on the roster you can use this season to stamp as a guy to move on from.

I do not think AP was worth a 1st round draft pick, but Flip was hoping for him to blossom, I think we can all recognize that. The eyeball test says he had a high ceiling based on skills and athleticism. I just dont think he has the brain to play NBA basketball.

kurrdog53 wrote:I do not think AP was worth a 1st round draft pick, but Flip was hoping for him to blossom, I think we can all recognize that. The eyeball test says he had a high ceiling based on skills and athleticism. I just dont think he has the brain to play NBA basketball.

The problem with that is the eyeball test was also quite clear about his lack of BBIQ, or any IQ for that matter.