Lazar To Thunder

[TallTitan34]

Traded? Waived? Released?

https://mobile.twitter.com/#!/APkrawczynski/status/146732849339432960

Lazar Hayward was not at #Twolves practice today. Barea will take his roster spot when that deal gets announced in next few days.

[GGGG]

Unless they can make a trade, he will be waived.  If he clears waivers, the Wolves will be responsible for his salary but any team may sign him.

[damuts222]

Per this story Lazar was traded to the OKC Thunder.

http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2011/12/13/thunder-acquires-lazar-hayward-from-wolves/

[marquettejr]

he is still on the roster--------

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/roster/

[TallTitan34]

It says he will be the backup to Kevin Durant.

[westcoastwarrior]

Mpls Star & Tribune hinted he or Wayne Ellington where going to moved soon to make place for Barea. 

[real chili 83]

Trade confirmed in the MPLS Red Star and Tribune.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/135548603.html

[Ari Gold]

another source
http://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-timberwolves/2011/12/13/2634288/lazar-hayward-thunder-trade-minnesota

Unfortunately Lazar really struggled in Minnesota, I hope he'll be a solid back up to Durant.
Thankfully the trade happened before the season, was planning on buying Bucks/Twolves tickets

[TallTitan34]

The Timberwolves are a joke.  Get out of there as fast as you can Lazar!

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Now he is on a playoff team

[real chili 83]

Kurt Rambis was not much of a coach at the pro level.  Heck of a player.  Woofies stunk last year.  Got the impression that Rambis gave up mid season. Probably not a good match for Lazar.

[mikem91288]

this is really good news for zar. Get the flock out of Minny.

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

I'm actually a huge T-Wolves fan... and Lazar had a tough year.  He was the worst defender on the Wolves last year and that's a hard title to win.  Which was made worse by his inability to hit an open jumper or finish at the rim.

I hoped he'd stick around, but it was unlikely with Derrick Williams, Beasley, Wes Johnson, and Martell Webster on the roster.  I hope Lazar finds his groove in OKC.

[mu_hilltopper]

Wow.  I had no idea there were "huge T-Wolves fans" in existence.     Are you sure?

[MisterJaylenBrownMU]

We're a rare, sad breed that's especially thankful for Marquette this time of year.  You know your life is tough when your fondest memories of the NBA are a 2004 playoff run that ended with a Western Conference Finals LOSS.

By the way, here's John Hollinger's take on Lazar:

"• Tough, aggressive wing. Good rebounder for size. Struggled on defense.
• Poor outside shooter. Cannot elevate or finish. Must improve shot selection.
• Worse defender than advertised. Strong and competes, but lateral quickness iffy.

Hayward's 9.3 rebound rate is pretty impressive for a 6-6 forward, but that's about the end of the good news. Offensively, Hayward was bad from every spot on the floor; he shot only 56.8 percent at the rim, and didn't make more than a third of his tries any place else. He didn't draw fouls at a high rate or do anything as a ball handler to offset his putrid shooting.

The bigger surprise was his defensive struggles. Synergy's stats rated him the worst player on the team by a wide margin; according to 82games.com opposing small forwards had a 17.5 PER against him. Hayward had a rep as a tough defensive ace in college but was defending mostly 4s and 5s. Matched up against wings, his lateral quickness may be deficient.

Additionally, although Hayward was just a rookie last season he's a very old one. He'll turn 25 in late November, meaning there isn't much time for him to turn the corner."

[Markusquette]

We're a rare, sad breed that's especially thankful for Marquette this time of year.  You know your life is tough when your fondest memories of the NBA are a 2004 playoff run that ended with a Western Conference Finals LOSS.

By the way, here's John Hollinger's take on Lazar:

"• Tough, aggressive wing. Good rebounder for size. Struggled on defense.
• Poor outside shooter. Cannot elevate or finish. Must improve shot selection.
• Worse defender than advertised. Strong and competes, but lateral quickness iffy.

Hayward's 9.3 rebound rate is pretty impressive for a 6-6 forward, but that's about the end of the good news. Offensively, Hayward was bad from every spot on the floor; he shot only 56.8 percent at the rim, and didn't make more than a third of his tries any place else. He didn't draw fouls at a high rate or do anything as a ball handler to offset his putrid shooting.

The bigger surprise was his defensive struggles. Synergy's stats rated him the worst player on the team by a wide margin; according to 82games.com opposing small forwards had a 17.5 PER against him. Hayward had a rep as a tough defensive ace in college but was defending mostly 4s and 5s. Matched up against wings, his lateral quickness may be deficient.

Additionally, although Hayward was just a rookie last season he's a very old one. He'll turn 25 in late November, meaning there isn't much time for him to turn the corner."

I didn't even realize he's 25 already.

[brewcity77]

By the way, here's John Hollinger's take on Lazar:

Wow...that doesn't sound at all like the Lazar I remember. Though I disagree that his defensive struggles are the biggest surprise. In college, he was usually quicker than the guys he was trying to defend, but smaller. Now, most NBA bigs are probably just as quick, but bigger, making 4s and 5s a bad match-up, and NBA wings are notably quicker.

What surprises me is the poor shooter. I realize it was the college line, but he could knock them down. Maybe it was because he was getting balls in comparatively better offensive situations from James and Acker than he did from the T-Wolves guards, or maybe because he was usually defended by a 4 or 5 which made him sliding outside a tough match-up.

Regardless, I hope Hayward can get a bit of a shot in the arm being in OKC. It seemed there was a logjam of players at his position in Minnesota, and despite drafting way too many PGs, I'm not sure he had near as good of PG play as he'll have alongside him with the Thunder. Minutes may be hard to come by, but I'd love to see him develop into a solid 8-12 mpg role-player in the NBA.

[nyg]

2010/2011 stats have him at 35% FG percentage and 28% from three point line.  This of course in the limited duty he saw.

[MattyWarrior]

It sounds like he will be out of the league in short order. He's a smart player but isn't athletic enough.The Thunder roster
will be tough to make.

[MUMac]

Wow.  I had no idea there were "huge T-Wolves fans" in existence.     Are you sure?

Every thing is relative.  He is likely a "huge" T-Wolves fan in relation to the other T-Wolves fan.

[mu_hilltopper]

Lazar barely got to play.  If a guy goes in for 6 minutes (probably twice for 3 minutes) and goes 0-3, is he a 0% shooter?  

Lazar's PT came in 5-6-7 min per game moments .. barely enough time to warm up.   For about 2/3rds the season, he DNP, or played < 3 minutes.

No surprise that his numbers sucked, even on a per minute basis.

[MerrittsMustache]

Lazar barely got to play.  If a guy goes in for 6 minutes (probably twice for 3 minutes) and goes 0-3, is he a 0% shooter?  

Lazar's PT came in 5-6-7 min per game moments .. barely enough time to warm up.   For about 2/3rds the season, he DNP, or played < 3 minutes.

No surprise that his numbers sucked, even on a per minute basis.

Exactly. Those 0-1's, 1-3's add up over time. Lazar can shoot it. There's no doubt about that.

When a player sees only a handful of minutes, if any, each night it's not unusual for him to press and go into the game with a mindset of, "I have 3 minutes to make an impression." OKC is a much better situation for him and I think he'll be a solid contributor off the bench because it'll be just such a different, more positive environment. It's also the equivalent of him going from a freshman to a soph.

[reinko]

With the shortened season, and numerous back to backs, most teams will be going 12 deep much more regular than in other seasons.  Look for Zar to get some decent minutes.

[real chili 83]

Merritts and Hilltopper, your both right on what happened to Lazar last year.  The stats he put up don't reflect his ability.  He was playing for a poor NBA coach, who tried to run an offensive scheme that really none of  his players could master....and Lazar would be put in for brief minutes.  Tough to get into a flow with a few minutes of PT, and with an offense that the starters had a tough time mastering.

With that said, Lazar has a new lease on his NBA life going to OKC.  Let's hope for his sake that he can make the most of it...it's up to him.

[Brewtown Andy]

It sounds like he will be out of the league in short order. He's a smart player but isn't athletic enough.The Thunder roster
will be tough to make.

As a first round draft pick with a guaranteed contract who had his third year already locked in by the TWolves, Lazar's not going anywhere.