JAKE LAYMAN!

[Nate]

EXACTLY

Its a rythym thing, and if he's open then it obviously doesn't matter who's in the game.

Don't bother. Not too long ago, he was trying to convince me that Crabbe can't shoot.

 

[ripcityboy]

When I was in the Marines, we did some training with the Royal Marines. I couldn't tell you what the fuck they ever said. We drank a lot though lol.

 

[WillG]

 

[Pinwheel1]

I am not concerned about about his shooting, just like I was not concerned with CJ's shooting at the beginning of his 2nd season......when the infamous CJ sucks thread started.

Lateral movement was my initial concern too, but like some of you have alluded to, it seems to be pretty good.

 

[Sinobas]

Jake Layman and Noah Vonleh are the only two players on our team (aside from Dame) that are impressive physically. Harkless' athletisism was much touted, but I don't really see it.

 

[Trackjack]

I am glade Layman getting some action. You don't get better just sitting at the end of the bench. He doing what he should be doing dominating when he in the game.

 

[Scalma]

I'm embarrassed that I understood most of those convos. Too much guy Richie movies I guess.

Now the Scottish accent? Yeah, no chance.

 

[ripcityboy]

I'm embarrassed that I understood most of those convos. Too much guy Richie movies I guess.

Now the Scottish accent? Yeah, no chance.

Been a huge Man City fan since college so that's the accent I probably get best. One I can't make out is the Scouser accent. It's like trying to understand Dutch!

 

[Blazers Roy]

It would be nice if he could actually make an occasional wide open shot against NBA third stringers. He's made exactly 3 shots (3-24) since Thanksgiving - and two of those were in the same game.

He may shoot without hesitation, but it would be nice if they actually went in once in a while.

BNM

Yet somehow a Layman miss feels better than a make by Aminu.

 

[Blazers Roy]

Layman has the potential to be good at every aspect of the game. Kind of like a Houston Chandler Parsons with better defense, or a Nic Batum who never settles for bad shots.

I'm telling you, if Aminu and Harkless go down for like a week and Layman has 1 game where he shoots and passes like that d-league game, then it's game over for Harkless.
Terry would be so thrilled to dust off those old,beloved Batum plays for Jake.

Same goes for any new PF who is a good midrange shooter that might come along (Terry - "Whaaaaat i finally get a new Dirk?? thanks Neil, you're the best!")

 

[Sarni]

Been a huge Man City fan since college so that's the accent I probably get best. One I can't make out is the Scouser accent. It's like trying to understand Dutch!

Man City, come on man. United all the way.

 

[ripcityboy]

Man City, come on man. United all the way.

Not since Ol' Baconface left.

 

[Sarni]

Not since Ol' Baconface left.

Yeah it's not been particularly bright ever since but Mou is getting things better. We'll get there. The whole league has been on a bit of a terrible side lately.

 

[TBpup]

After not having played real minutes in a game for seemingly forever, Jake has improved every game so far which is what you want to see. He is showing some good BBIQ, the ability to handle, pass, surprising athletic ability, some solid defense....not bad.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I have a real soft spot for that movie. It's a bit stylized, but this scene is great:



Did you know that the "Terry and Julie" in the Kinks' Waterloo Sunset (which most British people would vote for as the national anthem) are rumored to be Terence Stamp and Julie Christie, who were then an item?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Man City, come on man. United all the way.

United is for dilettantes. City is the team that actual Mancunians support.

Apparently in the 90s Ryan Giggs was a huge Oasis fan. He called up one of the Gallaghers to express his fandom and they insulted him and slammed the phone down.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I'm telling you, if Aminu and Harkless go down for like a week and Layman has 1 game where he shoots and passes like that d-league game, then it's game over for Harkless.
Terry would be so thrilled to dust off those old,beloved Batum plays for Jake.

Same goes for any new PF who is a good midrange shooter that might come along (Terry - "Whaaaaat i finally get a new Dirk?? thanks Neil, you're the best!")

It sure seems that way. In terms of fitting into a system......Layman seems to be a perfect fit for a Terry Stotts team.
I am guessing by this time next year he will be the starter.

Now I know that a lot of you are shaking yours heads thinking this is just another time we have fallen in love with a young player who has yet to play meaningful minutes against quality competition and we are anointing him as some sort of savior. And I admit I am reluctant to do it as well. So much can go wrong. But it is hard not to get excited about his potential. I am not expecting a Draymond Green impact but I do think he could be a close to a chandler parsons. (Houston Rocket's version)

Just goes to show you how important it is to keep your draft picks. The draft is a crap shoot, but it's also a numbers game. The more shots you have, the better odds it is to get lucky. no matter where in the draft you are.

 

[Sarni]

United is for dilettantes. City is the team that actual Mancunians support.

Apparently in the 90s Ryan Giggs was a huge Oasis fan. He called up one of the Gallaghers to express his fandom and they insulted him and slammed the phone down.

Well I hate Gallaghers and United are a tremendous club with amazing history. Been their fan since I was 8.

 

[Blazinaway]

It sure seems that way. In terms of fitting into a system......Layman seems to be a perfect fit for a Terry Stotts team.
I am guessing by this time next year he will be the starter.

Now I know that a lot of you are shaking yours heads thinking this is just another time we have fallen in love with a young player who has yet to play meaningful minutes against quality competition and we are anointing him as some sort of savior. And I admit I am reluctant to do it as well. So much can go wrong. But it is hard not to get excited about his potential. I am not expecting a Draymond Green impact but I do think he could be a close to a chandler parsons. (Houston Rocket's version)

Just goes to show you how important it is to keep your draft picks. The draft is a crap shoot, but it's also a numbers game. The more shots you have, the better odds it is to get lucky. no matter where in the draft you are.

Layman needs to show he is a better shooter than he has so far, his overall FG% in 3 Dleague games is a bit above 39% and only 21.7% from 3, that does not work well in the "Stotts system" and Harkless has shot way better this yr at 48.7% overall and 33.8% from 3 and has played good D

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Well I hate Gallaghers and United are a tremendous club with amazing history. Been their fan since I was 8.

Ferguson looks like the last great British manager, that's for sure.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Layman needs to show he is a better shooter than he has so far, his overall FG% in 3 Dleague games is a bit above 39% and only 21.7% from 3, that does not work well in the "Stotts system" and Harkless has shot way better this yr at 48.7% overall and 33.8% from 3 and has played good D

Wow, way to bring us back down to earth; I did not realize he was shooting that bad from the 3 even in D-league.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Layman needs to show he is a better shooter than he has so far, his overall FG% in 3 Dleague games is a bit above 39% and only 21.7% from 3, that does not work well in the "Stotts system" and Harkless has shot way better this yr at 48.7% overall and 33.8% from 3 and has played good D

True, but again the same was said about CJ. Yet it was kind of obvious that CJ's shooting would come along. Using Jake's current fg% right now, is just as useless as when some tried to make a case that CJ "sucked" early in his 2nd season. It is just way too early.

I am not saying that Layman is a sure thing to make an impact, but IMHO hitting the wide open shots that Harkless and Aminu often get now because of the presence of Dame and CJ........ will not be an issue for Jake. There might be other issues, but I can't possibly see that as one of them. Again I am not saying he deserves playing time right now, just that he will be getting them by this time next year. He could of course be traded, or others could be traded to make room for him. Hopefully he stays healthy.

 

[blue9]

...hitting the wide open shots that Harkless and Aminu often get now because of the presence of Dame and CJ........ will not be an issue for Jake.

Regardless of his current shooting percentages, there's NO WAY Jake is a worse offensive player than Aminu. Aminu's shot is unfix-able, while Jake has a pretty nice looking shot. Also, Jake can dribble the ball.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

That sample size is while being guarded by the opponent's 14th and 15th best players. While I don't expect he would actually shoot worse against better competition, I'm also not convinced he deserves actual playing time against real NBA players.

BNM

Quick questions: Layman vs. Biebs.
What can Layman do that Biebs can't?
What can Biebs do that Layman can't?

Lots and very little are my early answers, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm talking about actual basketball skills like dribbling, passing, filling the lane, defending, ...

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Quick questions: Layman vs. Biebs.
What can Layman do that Biebs can't?
What can Biebs do that Layman can't?

Lots and very little are my early answers, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm talking about actual basketball skills like dribbling, passing, filling the lane, defending, ...

I doubt that Layman is at all a comparable post defender to Leonard.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Quick questions: Layman vs. Biebs.
What can Layman do that Biebs can't?
What can Biebs do that Layman can't?

Lots and very little are my early answers, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm talking about actual basketball skills like dribbling, passing, filling the lane, defending, ...

Obviously Jake is better suited for SF as he is moves much better, and he has better handles and can attack the basket.
Right now we seem to be only useing Meyers as a stretch 4 on offense. IMO Jake is probably just as good at this as he can guard stretch 4's much better. (Even though I want him at SF) Leonard on the other hand can guard centers, while Jake cannot.

So if we have a PF who can protect the rim and dominate the boards we could actually play Jake and Leonard at the same time. It would give us 4 3 pt shooters on the floor at one time. But I doubt that is what you were hinting at.

 

[blue9]

Obviously Jake is better suited for SF as he is moves much better, and he has better handles and can attack the basket.
Right now we seem to be only useing Meyers as a stretch 4 on offense. IMO Jake is probably just as good at this as he can guard stretch 4's much better. (Even though I want him at SF) Leonard on the other hand can guard centers, while Jake cannot.

So if we have a PF who can protect the rim and dominate the boards we could actually play Jake and Leonard at the same time. It would give us 4 3 pt shooters on the floor at one time. But I doubt that is what you were hinting at.

Man - can you imagine if both Jake and Meyers somehow became rotation worthy players? And then we were to somehow grab a two-way PF to help with defensive issues? Hell, we may not even need a two-way PF at that point - someone like Tristan Thompson would probably be just fine. Dame/CJ/Jake/TT/Meyers. Of course it is all theoretical at this point, as it seems pretty clear that Meyers will never develop into a rotation player while wearing a Blazers jersey. But if we somehow got a new coach this summer who was able to make it happen, the shooting would be incredible. I think I'd still start Harkless over Theoretical Jake, as Harkless really seems to play better when he's playing with Dame. (I really don't understand why Harkless was replaced in the starting line-up.)

 

[Pinwheel1]

Man - can you imagine if both Jake and Meyers somehow became rotation worthy players? And then we were to somehow grab a two-way PF to help with defensive issues? Hell, we may not even need a two-way PF at that point - someone like Tristan Thompson would probably be just fine. Dame/CJ/Jake/TT/Meyers. Of course it is all theoretical at this point, as it seems pretty clear that Meyers will never develop into a rotation player while wearing a Blazers jersey. But if we somehow got a new coach this summer who was able to make it happen, the shooting would be incredible.

I agree with everything except replacing the coach. This theoretical lineup is pretty much designed for a Terry Stotts offense IMO. Another coach might want a entirely different style.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Quick questions: Layman vs. Biebs.
What can Layman do that Biebs can't?
What can Biebs do that Layman can't?

Lots and very little are my early answers, but I'd like to hear yours. I'm talking about actual basketball skills like dribbling, passing, filling the lane, defending, ...

As objectively as possible:

What can Layman do that Biebs can't? Put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket and not look like a total spaz doing it. Shoot without hesitation. Guard players shorter than 6'11"

What can Biebs do that Layman can't? Occasionally make a wide open 3-pointer. Set a pick. Guard players taller than 6'9". Piss off the opposition.

Not sure where you are going with this. I see them as two totally different players that play different position that require different skill sets. Layman's best position will be small forward. Leonard's best position is center. Other than the fact that they are both white, play for the Trail Blazers and are both reasonably young, I don't see that they have all that much in common. To me, this is kind of asking someone to compare Evan Turner to Ed Davis (both black, both Trail Blazers, both about the same age - one is a wing and the other a big).

As much hatred as Leonard gets around here. There is a reason he's playing in the NBA and Layman is playing in the D League. With Harkless, Turner, Aminu and Crabbe all being capable of playing SF, and all doing it better than Layman. He really doesn't fill a need right now.

Leonard, on the other hand, plays a position of need (even if he doesn't play it exceptionally well), especially with Davis hurt (and having a shitty, underwhelming season). He sets the screens needed to free up our guards better than anyone else on the team, and in spite of him having a down shooting year, still shoots WAY better than Layman (talking results, not form - you don't get style points in the NBA) and he also has a reputation as a good enough 3-pointer you can't leave him wide open at the 3-point line for too long. And for all the talk about Layam making a couple good passes in the D League, Leonard is a least as good passing the ball and has done it against NBA level competition. He ain't great, but he's a known quantity that fills a need.

I think this is management's way of either showcasing Layman as a possible sweetener in a trade, or re-evaluating his potential should we trade one of our many other small forward players (like Crabbe). Probably a little of both. As has been mentioned several times, this team needs more shooters, and if we give up Crabbe, that gets us down to just ONE player (C.J.) that shoots better than league average from 3-point range (although Dame and Meyers are close and could bounce back). I think management hopes Layman can become that additional shooter we need. Unfortunately (so far at both the NBA and D League levels, that's not been the case)

Unfortunately, in spite of all the Layman gushing in this thread, he's shooting almost as bad in the D Leagues as he was in the NBA (.392 FG% and .217 3FG%). I know the Laymanites will say, oh, no, no, you blasphemous stat geek, that doesn't count, doesn't mean a damn thing, small sample size, he shoots without hesitation and looks pretty doing so, harumph, harumph, harumph! Well, how many small samples sizes does it take to make a large (or at least a meaningful) sample size? And, if this is our way of showcasing Layman, please only send opposing GMs his highlight reel and hope they don't bother to look up his stats.

BNM

 

[Pinwheel1]

As objectively as possible:

Unfortunately, in spite of all the Layman gushing in this thread, he's shooting almost as bad in the D Leagues as he was in the NBA (.392 FG% and .217 3FG%). I know the Laymanites will say, oh, no, no, you blasphemous stat geek, that doesn't count, doesn't mean a damn thing, small sample size, he shoots without hesitation and looks pretty doing so, harumph, harumph, harumph! Well, how many small samples sizes does it take to make a large (or at least a meaningful) sample size? And, if this is our way of showcasing Layman, please only send opposing GMs his highlight reel and hope they don't bother to look up his stats.

BNM

A year for some rookies, 2 years for others.

Smart organizations tend to be patient and develop their young talent knowing that the jump to the NBA is a big one. Of course they are also smart enough to draft the right player and to cut them loose if they were wrong. I think Layman is a keeper at this point, at least until he can build real trade value.