You can't make this stuff up!

[nofishfisherman]

Only the T-Wolves go pull off something like this. If this doesn't seal Kahn's fate I don't know what will.

Quote:

The second round of Thursday night's NBA draft was full of obscure players from foreign leagues, but no one selected has as unknown a profile as Tanguy Ngombo(notes). A 6-6 forward from the Qatar League, Ngombo was virtually unknown by even the most committed draftniks until Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweeted about his potential selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round.

Sure enough, Givony was right -- Minnesota took Ngombo on Thursday night with the 58th overall pick. ESPN appeared to have ripped his highlight video straight from YouTube and his profile photo from Google Images, while analyst Fran Fraschilla compared him to Sidd Finch, a baseball phenom George Plimpton made up for a now-notorious April Fool's Day hoax in a 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated.

It turns out that Fraschilla was at least partially right: Ngombo exists, but his story doesn't check out. When the Wolves selected him Thursday night, they thought they were getting a 21-year-old golden nugget hidden from all other times. Instead, they found pyrite, because Ngombo is really 26 years old. Givony tweeted the truth on Friday afternoon:

Uh-oh, looks like our guy T'Wolves draft pick Tanguy Ngombo has been busted for lying about his age: http://bit.ly/kfxzqp (hat-tip @sJacas )

Here is a direct link to the FIBA HSOforum archive with Tanguy Ngombo 's profile and date of birth: http://bit.ly/lxStcJ

It looks like even Qatar is lising Tanguy Ngombo as being born in 1984: http://bit.ly/m5NXPI - I don't think there's any way around this now

NBA rules dictate that European players become automatically eligible for the league at 22 years old, at which point they become free agents unless a team already holds their rights through the draft. Since Ngombo had never been selected and his real age of 26 appears to have been a matter of public record, the selection should have never been allowed to happen and may be voided after the fact.

If the Wolves have a case to keep Ngombo's rights, it's that his NBA.com draft profile lists his year of birth as 1989. (The profile also gets his name wrong, but, in fairness, "Targuy" has been a common spelling since he entered the draftosphere on Monday.) The FIBA and Qatar links above look to be more official listings, so it looks as if the Wolves (and the NBA, to be sure) appear not to have done their due diligence. If they want Ngombo, they may have to sign him to a contract. Of course, it's also not entirely clear why any franchise would want a 26-year-old forward who plays in a low-level league in the Middle East. The only reason Minnesota should want to hold on to the pick is to avoid embarrassment. There's no reason that general manager David Kahn couldn't have done a rudimentary web search about Ngombo, and he deserves mockery for failing to carry out some basic research.

It's unclear if a case like this one has ever occurred in the NBA, but there is something of a precedent in the WNBA, as Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus told me on Friday afternoon. In 2007, the Sacramento Monarchs took Charel Allen with the 36th pick even though she was set to return to Notre Dame for a fifth year and had not declared for the draft. Under league rules, she was declared ineligible, although the Monarchs did make her the Miss Irrelevant in 2008 when they chose her with the 43rd and final pick of the draft.

If that example serves as precedent, then the Wolves probably aren't going to end up with Ngombo. Given his advanced age and lack of reputation, they may be just fine with that. However, this mess will remain as a black mark on the resume of Kahn. Up until now, his most ridiculous accomplishment as an NBA GM was taking two point guards with back-to-back lottery picks in 2008. Failing to look into the full history of Tanguy Ngombo may be impossible to top.

[abcnerdd]

Didn't the Wolves buy Ngombo's draft rights from the Mavs?

[CJH]

I actually think its more on the Scout than the GM.

Honestly, its not a big deal, this guy had zero chance of making in the NBA anyway. Most 2nd rounders never even make it to training camp.

[Greybeard53]

I wouldn't go that far. There are a lot of second round picks that have solid NBA careers. (Arenas, Ceballos, Rodman, Hornacek, Hoiberg, Ginobili, etc.)

You're right this falls more to blame on a weak international scouting team initially, but then again, they just provide a starting point for management to make a decision.

And if there's any team that can't afford to waste a pick....it's the Wolves.

[zepman]

I actually think its more on the Scout than the GM.

Honestly, its not a big deal, this guy had zero chance of making in the NBA anyway. Most 2nd rounders never even make it to training camp.

Completely agree...way overblown and not a big deal. Let's move on. Nice draft with a very talented YOUNG team.

The T-Wolves and Gopher football program are in a very similiar situation...lots of young talent that needs to produce some UNexpeted wins...let's hope they can finally get on the right track!!!!

[thatoneguy]

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!

[mrklean]

haha not good if you compare the Gophs to the T-wolves

[Scott M]

haha. Oh man. I was talking with some of my buddies, just why do the Wolves get all this press about having the best international scouts? I would argue Toronto or San Antonio...name a player internationally that has been a stud, heck even a solid role player, that the Wolves developed or used in trade as an asset. I can't come up with any. I didn't see a lot of improvement in 82 games from Pek, I guess we'll see what this year holds.

At least Kahn didn't trade assets for some overpaid vet, you can't do that in a small market. He has no first round pick next year in a loaded draft. And he just gave away his 2nd round pick to the Rockets to sweeten the deal because the Rockets didn't like how Flynn's hip looked. Why not hold onto Flynn and see what happens when he plays in an offense that allows him to try and penetrate? Awful early to give up on the kid.

And now I'm reading that Kahn isn't officially firing Rambis because if this lockout happens, ownership won't have to pay him anyway so why buy him out? I guess it shows what kind of front office and ownership we are dealing with, botching decisions in all manner. Good grief.

[mrklean]

I have heard Rambis and his coaches havent actually said they have been fired, just what we have heard on the news pretty much

[ozzie]

well they haven't been fired but they are most certainly going to but sor some reason Kahn won't make a decision and nobody can firmly figure out why.......the experts say that is why we did what we did later in the draft is to get money to pay off Rambis but then they didn't do anything and they still haven't done anything and it is not looking good for the Wolves as the whole coaching community is saying why would I go there and potentially be treated the way Rambis was?

[zepman]

Millions of dollars that's why. I don't think they've done a good job with the Rambis situation but I surely don't feel sorry for him either...he's going to walk away with millions.

He just wasn't that good of a coach to begin with.

[nofishfisherman]

I am fine with firing him but I think you also owe it to him to make a decision. Sooner or later you'll have to buy him out so why not just get it over with. He may not have been a great coach but he still deserves respect and to be treated with some dignity. Letting him twist in the wind doesn't help anyone.

In fact in kills your chance at ever getting a decent head coach. Coaches around the NBA are well aware of what organizations treats coaches well and which ones don't. Would you want to work for an employer that you know for a fact will treat you like garbage? Why would any coach with a choice come to Minnesota? We have marginal talent at best and a GM that doesn't have a clue and you know you're going to be treated like carp while you're here. Sounds like something everyone will jump at.