 Layden |
One of the most respected and successful young executives in professional sports, Scott Layden was promoted to president and general manager of the New York Knicks on June 7, 2001. Layden is entering his fourth season with the Knicks, following two years as the team's executive vice president and general manager.
Layden's standard of success, built with the Utah Jazz, has continued in New York. Under Layden's leadership, the Knicks earned their 13th and 14th consecutive Playoff berths, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000 for the fourth time in an eight-year span. Layden is a native New Yorker and joined the Knicks in 1999 following 18 seasons with the Jazz where he earned a reputation as one of the game's most astute judges of talent.
Scott chatted live on nba.com this Thursday afternoon. Read what the Knicks' GM had to say about the upcoming NBA Draft and the Knicks' plans for next season.
Joe (Rockland): Hi Scott, can you tell me what's it like being the GM in New York City versus a small town like Salt Lake?
Scott Layden: I've been very fortunate to have worked for two outstanding franchises. Working in Salt Lake City for the Jazz was tremendous. It was a great place to live. And I'm equally as lucky to be able to work in New York and for a proud franchise like the Knicks. I feel very fortunate to have experienced both. In my short time here in New York it's been great because of the intensity, the great fans and working for a competetive franchise.
Onix, The Bronx : Dear Mr. Layden, you must have learned an awful lot from your father Frank. What kind of advice has he given you about being an executive in the NBA?
Scott Layden: Back in 1984, my father won coach of the year, executive of the year and the J. Walter Kennedy Award. He's always had a tremendous amount of common sense and has been able to look at all situations clearly and lend a lot of support with his common sense. And he has great judgment and fairness. So when you look at my parents, I've been fortunate to have been raised by outstanding people. The other thing to note is we are also excited to have my father as a consultant here with the Knicks. We talk to him on a daily basis. And he gives us great insight with his wealth of knowledge. In New York, we do have the ability to work together.
Matt, Long Island: Scott,
What is a harder pick to make, a foreign player who hasn't played against U.S. pro competition or an unproven college player who may not be ready for the responsibility and discipline that comes with being an NBA player? What is the Knicks philosophy when it comes to making a decision similar to this? (p.s. Draft Nene!)
Scott Layden: Each year there's a lot of tough decisions to make going into the draft. We have our scouts out looking at players around the world to determine which players are the best fit for our organization. Many factors go into that: how tough players are, how skilled they are, what type of character they have. What conference they come to and what type of compeition they play against. We look at everything. We look at statistics. Then we make the decision on the information we have. When we go into the draft, we have studied and restudied all the things we've compiled over the years. Having the seventh pick this year is a bit of pressure because it's so important to the franchise. But we're excited.
Tiffany (Queens,NY): Kurt Thomas was the most consistent player this past season. Where does Kurt Thomas fit into the Knick's rebuilding?
Scott Layden: Kurt had an outstanding year and filled in at a tough time when players were injured. But one thing we know is that Kurt has always been a true professional. The way he approaches the game has really helped us this year. He comes every day and plays as hard as he can and gives everything he has to the game. He's been consistent for this franchise for a long time. He continues to be a real important part of our organization.
Jared (Wyckoff, NJ): Do you feel Dajuan Wagner could lead the Knicks? Would you pick him if he was available over a big man?
Scott Layden: At this time, we haven't narrowed our list to know who we're going to pick. But Wagner is high on our list. He's a dynamic player. He's strong. He's someone that will come in and do very well right away because he is such a dominant player with his ability to score. He is someone that we're considering. Right now, we're looking at the seventh pick and will take the best player available. So he is someone we're considering strongly.
Ari (Woodbridge): Scott,
What do you think is the most controversial move you have made since taking this job with the Knicks?
Scott Layden: We always have tough decisions whether it be a draft choice or trade but we always remain positive and keep in mind that we're in a position to try and improve our team. We always look at it as looking forward.
Victor (Elmhust, NY): Mr. Layden,
When evaluating big men for this draft, what do you give more importance to, potential or immediate performance? Would you rather have the player that will help you most next year or the player with the most upside?
Scott Layden: Ideally you'd love to find a player who has both. And often times you do have a chance to find players that can play and have the ability to grow. We think it's an important ingredient ... that we get players who are self-starters, self-motivated ... players with good concentration and focus so that they can make themselves better. There are really no complete players. So you want the players with those intangibles so that they'll get better year-in and year-out.
Keith (nyc): Is there any Knick on the roster considered untouchable or untradeable?
Scott Layden: We're often asked that question. And our approach is that we look at our offseasons with the ability to always try and improve the team. And we look at our good draft pick this year, at free agency and we'll also look at potential trades. That is a part of the business.
Brooklyn: Apart from Yao Ming, what other centers are you considering?
Scott Layden: There are a lot of big players in this draft, players that have played power forward and maybe some center in college. Like Chris Wilcox, Drew Gooden, Curtis Borchardt, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Jared Jeffries, Amare Stoudemire and Melvin Ely. They're a lot of players we've looked at, and we're trying to narrow our list down.
Syracuse: Mr. Layden, I am a diehard New York Knicks fan and would like to ask you, what missing piece do the Knicks need to win a ring. Is it a small forward, power foward, or a true center?
Scott Layden: One of the things we do in going into the offseason is assess our team, assess our needs. And coming off a tough year, we're just going to keep working to get better. Needs...there's always needs. But we're just going to keep working to improve the team any way we can.
I want to thank everyone who has written in. Thanks certainly to the Knick fans and for NBA.com for organizing this chat. When you look at New York City and Madison Square Garden and our organization, we're very fortunate to have outstanding fans.
