Scott Layden

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With well over 30 years of NBA experience, Scott Layden is the elder statesman of the Minnesota Timberwolves Front Office.

Entering his fifth season as General Manager, Layden has earned respect throughout league after successful stints with the Utah Jazz, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs. In Layden’s time overseeing player personnel in Utah, the Jazz compiled five consecutive 50-plus win seasons and NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. As General Manager and then Team President for the Knicks, Layden helped lead New York to two playoff berths and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in over four seasons on the job. Before joining the Timberwolves, Layden spent four seasons with Spurs as Assistant General Manager, highlighted by the 2014 NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat.

“I've known Scott for a good while,” Assistant GM Joe Branch says of Layden. “[He’s] very knowledgeable and just a wealth of knowledge. From him, we learn a different perspective, on certain guys we’re able to go back to other drafts that he's been a part of and learn resourceful insights and helpful knowledge.”

Layden’s experience lends one of many voices of perspectives in the vastly diverse Wolves Front Office. The upcoming 2020 NBA Draft is far from Layden’s first rodeo, and President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas values Layden’s viewpoint in assessing Minnesota’s options with the No. 1, 17, and 33 picks on November 18.

“My role in the draft process is one of support,” Layden says. “I think what I do is try to support the scouts, try to support management and Gersson in preparing for the draft and trades that will help make the team better.

“I look at it as an opportunity to share experience, and share hard work, and help the brilliant minds of this organization.”

In preparing for the Draft, Layden and the rest of the Wolves Basketball Operations staff have spent long days and hours over the past few months evaluating the 2020 class top-to-bottom. The collaboration  among the Front Office has been the most important aspect of developing a plan for Draft Night.

“That's where [Rosas] gets an A++, is in the hiring of great people and people that you want to go to work with and share your time with,” Layden explains. “I was fortunate in my career -- this is my 38th year in the NBA -- but for 25 of those years, I had the opportunity to work with my dad. And we still have an unbelievable relationship, but when you're working day to day in a business that you enjoy going to work with every day, it's so critical that you... The people you're spending time with that you enjoy, and you want to pull for each other to make the organization better.

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For Scott Layden, Great Basketball Starts With Great People

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With the trade deadline looming, whatever moves that are made or not made on the Timberwolves side, will be made in unison. 

The trade deadline is on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT. Trades could be announced after that time, but all calls to the league need to be made before the 2 p.m. CT deadline. 

The Wolves are in a unique position having fired President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau last month. Making the front office decisions is General Manager Scott Layden, who has plenty of experience. He’s a basketball lifer. Layden made it clear in his first media availability after Thibodeau’s firing just how dedicated he was to his job and making the Timberwolves better. 

“I spend every waking hour I have trying to make this team better and getting it to a winning way,” Layden said back on Jan. 7. “ . . . It’s one of these deals where we all need to work as a group and get better.” 

Layden and interim head coach Ryan Saunders, who have worked together since Layden’s arrival in Minnesota in 2016, are in constant communication. There will be no surprises.

“Scott and I talk multiple times a day,” Saunders said. “We’re on the same page with everything. So, you know, whatever role is needed of me, I’m always open to it. And he’s great about communication through things and he’s aware of how I’ve envisioned this team playing and that, so we’re talking. . . I expect to be part of it.”

It’s tough to assess the Wolves as a team right now. As of Feb. 6, the team is 25-28, four games back from the eighth seed in the West. The Wolves certainly would like to be in better position, and the team won’t make excuses, but you can’t ignore the amount of injuries this team has had.  

Robert Covington, an All-NBA defender last season, has missed the last 16 games with a knee injury. Tyus Jones (ankle) has missed the last nine games. Derrick Rose (ankle) has missed four of the last five and 11 of the last 18. Jeff Teague (foot) has missed seven straight just a month after missing nine straight.  

“You always want to better your team,” Saunders said. “I know Scott and everybody in the front office and the scouts are always working on things, but we always want more additions. We’ve got guys injured, so it’d be nice to get those guys back, too.”

What makes the NBA so great is the constant 24/7 news cycle. And with that comes plenty of trade rumors and speculation. Some, unfortunately, come with zero substance. For Saunders, there’s a challenge of communicating with players over the next day amid rumors that may or may not be true.  

“I mean, really just go business as usual each day,” Saunders said. “I think the biggest thing and everybody, no matter what role you’re in in the NBA, assistant, head coach, support staff, anybody, you get relationships with these players and you know that everybody is human. You hear your name and you might think about ‘hey, I’m going to start moving my family across the country’ and things like that, so you do want to be able to communicate with them, but ultimately everybody knows this business and everybody’s professional about it.”

The next day in the NBA should be wild. We’ll see if the Wolves make any moves or decide to stay put. 

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Wolves On Same Page And In Constant Communication As Trade Deadline Approaches

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This is a transcription from the latest Layup Line Podcast with Kyle Ratke, Julian Andrews and Timberwolves GM Scott Layden. It has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Ratke: I’ve never seen anything like Covington when players go by him. He’s not even guarding that player, he’s like what seems like 30 feet away. He just grabs the ball. Have you seen anything like that? I didn’t watch a lot of East Coast games when he played for Philadelphia, but he’s able to grab the ball from players and he doesn’t foul them. It’s incredible.

Layden: Making an All-Defensive Team in the NBA is really hard. There are very few guys who get to that level. Obviously, we’re always focused on, and you brought up right away, scoring and what the offense can bring. But to make an All-Defensive Team, you’ve got to be a pretty good defender and he also is one of the league leaders in deflections. We keep so many stats, I don’t even know what we’re all looking at, but deflections are an important part of defending and sometimes you deflect it and your teammates gets the steal. It shows activity. It shows good solid defense. He’s got that ability to cause havoc on the defensive end and who better to play for than Coach Thibodeau in such a defensive mindset? The thing that happens with defensive activity is it does create kind of an enthusiasm for the rest of the team. Everybody then follows along. It’s been a great infusion for us to have Robert play so well on the defensive end and from the wing position, because as we know, everybody that has a good team in this league, has good wings. It’s good to have a defender at the win position like that.

Andrews: The thing that I’ve noticed the most about Covington so far, obviously his individual impact is fantastic, but he also has this impact that spreads beyond his individual effort. . . Just having RoCo there has seemingly elevated the play of people like Tyus and Gorgui have played really well, and then the starters even when he’s not on the floor with him, there just seems to be this defensive energy and awareness that he brings out in the team and it is exciting to watch. And then you see all of these fast-break points, and the assists are going up. That energy and the ability he has to get stops and get deflections and make all these little plays seems to affect everyone. It’s not just him on his defender, it’s the whole package. 

Layden: I just thought of, and it’s something that’s on everyone’s mind, is that you’re exactly right about the defensive intensity. And is it contagious to the rest of the group? Clearly it is.  

You can subscribe to The Layup Line on iTunes and Spotify.

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Scott Layden On The Defensive Impact Of Robert Covington

This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity. This conversation is from an episode of the Layup Line podcast between Kyle Ratke, Julian Andrews and Timberwolves General Manager Scott Layden.

Layden: We’re excited to get into the playoffs. It was critical for our franchise, as you guys know, we needed to make that push and we need to just keep getting better. So that’s the task at hand and adding tough guys, adding guys that are serious and have a winning attitude all the time is critical to us.

Ratke: That was probably the best game I’ve ever watched in person.

Andrews: Oh yeah, I’ll never forget that game.

Ratke: Game 82. I’ve never seen anything more exciting. The Game 3 against Houston rivals that but I’ve been here for four years and I’ve never seen the place like that. The town was hungry for the playoffs and that was just an unbelievable performance.

Layden: Yeah, especially since the game happened organically and it just turned that the two teams faced off like that on the very last day and the game was in overtime… I was excited the whole day, the day before, this was just such a rare occurrence to be involved in a game like that. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of organizations that have had tremendous playoff wins, but that game was truly like what we see in the NCAA. Both teams were very good, both teams were well coached and both teams gave maximum effort. It’s maybe shallow for Denver but they played a great game and anybody could have won it, it was sad that somebody had to lose.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Spotify.

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Wolves GM Scott Layden Enjoyed Last Year's Pivotal Game 82 Just As Much As We Did

In the latest Layup Line episode, Timberwolves General Manager Scott Layden joins Kyle and Julian to discuss the offseason, and what's to come for the team. 

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Spotify.

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Layup Line Episode 4: Timberwolves General Manager Scott Layden

The NBA has become a 12-month a year sport. A year has 12 months (even during leap year!), so this is a good thing if you’re on the business side of basketball.

We just wrapped up the draft and next on the calendar is free agency. Free agency officially opens on July 1. This is when players can start reaching verbal agreements with teams, restricted free agents can sign offer sheets and teams can sign players to rookie-scale contracts, minimum-salary contracts, and two-way contracts.

None of these signings can be made official until July 6, though. This also opens up a two-day period for matching restricted free-agency offers.

Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, along with General Manager Scott Layden, addressed the media on Thursday to discuss free agency.

Of course, the two didn’t tell us their top targets (they can’t) or what exactly their plan is. That would be foolish. But we were able to have a look into what their process looks like.

“When you evaluate all the free agents, you put them into tiers in where they might fit, but you also analyze the teams on what may happen,” Thibodeau said. “And then there’s another category of potential players who could be bought out that could be appealing as well.”

The Wolves likely won’t be as active as they were last season when we saw them trade Ricky Rubio while signing Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. But there are moves out there for the Wolves, even if they don’t have the same flexibility as they did a year ago.

“I think the process is broad,” Layden said. “I think we use all of our resources to land the best players. It is a process. I think behind the scenes, it started several weeks ago when we had our scouts in and started to identify who will be a good fit.”

Three things are at the top of the list, in no order. Shooting, defense and versatility.

The Wolves made just eight 3-pointers per game last season, a mark that ranked last in the league. And with that, Minnesota’s defensive rating ranked 27th in the league. To be fair, the Wolves did score 109.5 points per game, a mark that ranked eighth in the league. And the 107.3 points per game allowed ranked 17th.

And as far as versatility goes, that was the buzz word on draft night when the team drafted Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop. You bet the Wolves will be looking for more of it in free agency.

How do players choose teams? Thibodeau says there are four major things most players are looking for.

“One being the city that you’re in,” Thibodeau said. “We feel very strongly about that. Secondly, I would say the winning is important to most players. Obviously, the third is the money and then the people that they’re playing with. We feel like we’re in good position there.”

It’s sure to be a crazy NBA offseason with plenty of big names out there. From what we know about history, those guys will likely set the timeline for the rest of the league and will dictate where other players sign, but a few players could fall through the cracks as the big prizes decide on where to sign.

“The top guys will be looking at their options and that will slow things down a little bit, but there may be opportunity go get a deal done (during that time) . . . As soon as we can, we’ll make contact with guys who we think will be a good fit for us,” Thibodeau said.

Expect plenty of coverage on free agency starting July 6 when we’re allowed to talk about it. Until then, enjoy the speculation. 

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And Just Like That, Free Agency Is Right Around The Corner

On Saturday, the Iowa Wolves will hold a local player tryout at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis. More information can be found here. Before the tryouts, our Kyle Ratke was able to catch up with Iowa coach Scott Roth for three quick questions.

KR: When it comes to open tryouts, what’s your mindset as a coach? Are there in particular things you are looking for?

SR: Right now, the biggest thing is the fact that the league does it, they’ve been doing it for years, it’s more of a promotional thing for the entire league. It allows people from all over the country to have a chance to go try out for teams in certain areas. The hope is that you find the next Jonathan Simmons or at least a guy who’s capable of making the roster and have some impact as a guy kind of off the radar. More than anything, you hope you stumble across somebody. That’s what our hope is that we find a guy who can make the roster and he can come into training camp and we can see where he’s at. And if you get real, real lucky, you get that Jonathan Simmons guy.

KR: And I don’t think anyone expects you to find the next big thing. That’s hard, obviously, but it’s happened before. Does that change anything how you and your coaching staff handle it?

SR: You’re just looking for someone who can make the roster at the end of the day. Your mindset going in, you go in open minded. You’ve got to be able to quickly evaluate the guys. . . (Players) have a chance to go into the Wolves facility and see the facility and practice there.

KR: It hasn’t been too long since you were officially named coach of the Iowa Wolves. How has your relationship with President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, along with General Manager Scott Layden been?

SR: Getting hired at the beginning of (last) season in pro scouting, I got to know them well. Obviously, I go way back with Scott Layden in the fact that I played for his dad and Scott was on the staff when I played for the Jazz. So, I’ve known Scott for quite a long time. And with Coach Thibs, the first year (in Minnesota), I played under him and head coach Bill Musselman. I’ve known both for quite a long time and like anything else, it’s kind of a small niche community, the NBA, and everyone kind of knows everybody. It was nice to work with them during the year when there was no coaching jobs available and kind of see what was going on here and the foundation they were laying in their first year. Getting a good feel for what to expect moving forward coaching this team.

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3 Questions Iowa Wolves Coach Scott Roth Before Saturday's Open Tryouts

With less than 30 hours until the 2017 NBA Draft, a lot can happen.

We’ve already seen the No. 1 pick traded for the No. 3 pick. And that could set up a pattern in what could be a crazy draft.

On Wednesday morning, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau and General Manager Scott Layden addressed the media. The two talked about the draft, its strength, but of course, gave away no secrets because that’s generally not a very smart thing to do a day before the draft, especially when you have as much flexibility as the Wolves do with the No. 7 overall pick.

“We’re ready. We have great flexibility,” Thibodeau said. “There’s been a lot of talk about trading the pick so we know there’s great value in it. We like the players that are in the draft both at our position and if we decide to trade down, there’s a possibility of moving up as well. It’s a great position to be in.”

The team could stick at seven, and there’s plenty of talent, no matter who will be drafted before, that will fall to that spot. The team also has plenty of assets to trade up. And if the team decides to trade down, it will acquire another asset while still picking a player with plenty of talent and upside. Lots of options, which is why the NBA Draft is so fun and so unpredictable.

The 2017 draft class has plenty of talent. There are players who could be top-5 picks in other draft classes, but will slide to the late lottery in this one.

“I think this has the chance to be a historic draft,” Layden said. “You look at the top end of the draft and I think there’s a chance there’s going to be a lot of very good players. It also runs deep into the late first round. I think that’s why there will be a lot of activity at this draft because I think teams see potential to get a great player. So, we’ll evaluate and we’ll see where that fits as far as making the selection. In all likelihood, the picks are so valuable this time of year, you end up wanting to keep the pick. But we’re leaving all options open.”

In the NBA Draft, crazy things happen. Most front offices have a pretty solid idea of what’s going to happen. What players will go where based on talent and team need. But there are also curve balls thrown throughout the night (trades, a player rising or falling) that can switch up everything.

“You have a pretty good feel for it, but here are always outliers,” Thibodeau, who enters his second draft with the Wolves, said. “Last year when you look back there’s always a player who jumps up a little bit. But you also study that possibility, who you think has the capability who does jump up and then you have to be ready. Does that knock somebody back? So, you comb through all those scenarios. You played out every possibility. You want to be ready for everything.”

The draft starts at 6 p.m. on ESPN and NBA TV. We’ll have plenty of coverage here at Timberwolves.com.

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Plenty Of Opportunities For Wolves In What Could Be 'Historic' Draft

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