Scott Layden showed up at the Minnesota State fair and gave an interview about the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As all Minnesotans are well aware of, the Minnesota State Fair is upon us. Time for deep-fried candy bars, cheese curds and every kind of food imaginable on a stick, Timberwolves fans.
Yesterday at the fair, Vikings play-by-play guy Paul Allen held his daily radio show. One of his guests just so happened to be Timberwolves general manager Scott Layden. This is a synopsis of the highlights of that interview. The full interview beings at the 12:15 mark and can be found here.
Layden’s answers tend to be long-winded and repetitive, so for the sake of this article, I have summarized what he had to say and placed them in italics. These are not exact quotes.
If you would like to hear the exact comments they can be find in the interview which is linked above.
The first Timberwolves topic was on the hiring of Tom Thibodeau. Here’s what Layden had to say.
I’m really excited to work with coach Thibs. One of the things Glen Taylor did early was identify the best coach he could find. And then go out, get him, bring him to a young roster, a roster that of course is that is going really succeed with good coaching, good fundamentals, good execution both on the offensive and defensive ends. So that’s what was for me the most exciting thing, is that to get a coach that is a proven winner and then of course a great teacher and bring him together with this young core.
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Paul Allen moved on to the next topic by asking “But it is a young roster. So therefore a certain degree of patience needs to be had by not only you but the head coach and the staff, right?”
Layden’s answer:
Well, you know, fortunately it is a young roster but these guys have had a little time to work at it. So they’re starting to come of age. . One thing we tried to do in the off season was to surround these guys with some veterans, but some young veterans. You know when you look at Cole Aldrich or Brandon Rush these guys have been in the league but they’re able still in they’re late twenties to contribute and to be a big part of helping these guys grow.
Later on in the interview, Paul Allen posed this question: “This may be impossible to answer at this stage until you start watching the games. How can Coach Thibodeau get this group to play markedly better defense than it’s played in the recent past?”
Layden’s answer.
I think his defensive system lends itself to having success on the defensive end. Everybody talks.
Paul Allen’s next question was a broad one, “What do you like about Karl Anthony-Towns?”
Layden’s answer:
I think there’s so many things about his game to like. The first thing is the guy. High-character person. I think that will prove well for a long career. The other thing about him that I’ve noticed early is that he loves the gym. And guys that love the gym, with talent, generally have great careers. He gravitates to the gym. He wants to be in there. We had draft workouts and he’d just show up and want to be part of what’s going on in the gym.
Again, Paul Allen asked about Karl Anthony-Towns. “Scott, you think he’s a better center or power forward? And, does it matter?”
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Layden’s answer.
Yes. All of the above.
Continuing down the Karl Anthony-Towns path, Paul Allen posed a long-winded question, “Karl seemed via social media during the NBA postseason like the kinda guy who hates seeing others win and it’s not him. Like others win at a high level and its not him. It’s not like hes negative on LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson whatever, everybody making it to the highest level. He’s frustrated that it’s not him, like it burns inside of him. Would you agree?
Layden’s answer.
Yes and I think with his experience in high school and college he’s been around winning. I think that’s why he’ll embrace and get along, and he has already, with Coach Thins and understands the importance of that leadership in the franchise. He is a guy who will really work to get himself better but to get others better in the team.
Changing topics, Paul Allen queried, “What do you think is the next step for Andrew Wiggins?”
Layden’s answer.
Andrew has come in this league and has done very well when you look at his numbers. I think, again, he has been around, he has been a guy that has been working to get better and I think he and Coach Thibs will be inseparable. His ability to post up, go outside, his quickness. I think he has a bright career.
Paul Allen’s final question was this, “Do you expect the Timberwolves to make the playoffs this year if the best players stay healthy most of the season?”
Layden’s answer.
Everybody talks about what’s going to happen. We’re not in the game to predict. I’ll tell you this: one of the things we are sure of is we’re gonna be very well-coached. And I think Coach will get us better every day and that’s the key. We just need to build on getting this improvement every single day that we’re here and that’s the goal. That’s what we’re working towards.
In his own unique way, Layden provided Timberwolves fans with solid information about the future of the organization. (He’s not a public relations guy for a reason, of course.)
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He also seems to be leading the team in the right direction. Along with Tom Thibodeau and Karl Anthony-Towns, this Timberwolves team has an incredibly bright future.