The Minnesota Timberwolves' NBA Draft Grade Is Slowly Falling

The 2011 NBA Draft grades seem to have already been published, thankfully, because the Minnesota Timberwolves draft is slowly going from "yay" to "yeesh."

Let's take a quick look back at the Timberwolves draft results, pick-by-pick, at the conclusion of Thursday night's draft. The Wolves came out at least even on a bevy trades and ended up with Derrick WIlliams, Malcolm Lee, Brad Miller, Targuy Ngombo, a 2013 first round pick, a future second round pick and cash after starting with just Jonny Flynn, the second and 20th pick in the annual affair.

That looked quite alright at the time, but 12 hours later and there have been a few disappointing revelations that change my views on the 2011 draft class.

Before getting to the Tanguy Ngombo mess, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has an update on the Flynn trade, saying the Wolves actually sent a future second round pick to the Rockets rather than receiving one. The Rockets also didn't include the No. 38 pick, as had been previously reported, meaning Houston never had to buy that pick back which results in less cash in the pockets of Glen Taylor.

The other thing that makes this draft lose a bit of its luster relates to the incredible story of Tanguy Ngombo. The Timberwolves bought the pick from the Dallas Mavericks for an undisclosed amount of money, but since Ngombo was ineligible to be drafted this year, the pick will more than likely have to be vacated and its assumed the Wolves will still owe Dallas the cash they agreed to send their way.

Since Ngombo was ineligible to be drafted, by the way, the Wolves simply could have signed him to a free agent contract and picked up the next Manu Ginobili with the No. 57 pick instead.

D'oh!

Timberwolves Draft Pick Tanguy Ngombo Lied About His Age, Spelling Of Tanguy

The Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to have a pretty good showing in the 2011 NBA Draft. They drafted second-best player in the draft Derrick Williams with the second pick, traded down a few times for cash and the ability to get good value with UCLA guard Malcolm Lee and then acquired a player Targuy Ngombo in the waning moments of the second round.

Except Targuy Ngombo is actually Tanguy Alban Harrys Ngombo, a soon-to-be 27-year-old forward who apparently duped everyone on his way to hearing his name called by Adam Silver on Thursday night.

Ngombo was first brought to the mainstream's attention by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express earlier in the week when he mentioned there was a good chance that the Congolese native could get drafted out of Qatar (stay with me now). Timberwolves scout Pete Philo apparently discovered Ngombo and convinced Kahn he was worthy of a draft pick while assuming the small forward was only 21 as it says on his NBA.com page.

New revelations have shown that Ngombo is actually 26, a fact easily confirmed by looking at Qatar's roster on the FIBA website in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics in London. This makes Ngombo ineligible to be drafted according to both Givony and ESPN's John Hollinger.

This is not going to help the Timberwolves draft grades.

NBA Draft Grades Don't Favor The Minnesota Timberwolves

The 2011 NBA Draft hasn't even been complete for 24 hours. That hasn't stopped the experts from weighing in with their draft grades for the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, so let's take a gander around the internet.

Canis Hoopus, SB Nation's Timberwolves blog, had the most glowing review despite the crew not always being the most positive fanbase (not that we blame them).

"In the meantime, enjoy the fact that the Wolves finally picked the guy they needed to pick while using a mid round pick to create more value....oh, they also have Ricky f'ing Rubio," they wrote. "The lockout starts in a few days and we still don't really know what will happen with Kurt Rambis. Enjoy the optimism while it lasts. I know I am."

Keeping it in the family, SB Nation's Tom Ziller gave the team an ugly 'D' despite acknowledging the team was able to acquire solid assets for the future, two good picks and a decent amount of cash in the short-term.

"Minnesota had assets and the will to make stuff happen," Ziller wrote. "Instead, Kahn traded a mistake he made two years ago for future assets at the helm of a 17-win team. Barf."

Alright, we're off to a rough start, but surely it has to get better. Not with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, though, as he count the Wolves as one of the Draft's three losers. Mannix doesn't make much of an argument about what the Wolves acquired, but focused on their consistent trades.

"Minnesota has a smart and experienced scouting department," Mannix wrote, "which makes it perplexing why they would ship out three high-level international talents."

If he trusted that the scouting department was that smart, wouldn't it be possible they may have known more about the players they decided to pass on?

Moving on, Matt Moore at CBS Sports also panned the Timberwolves for taking Williams despite his not fitting in the lineup. He does see some redeeming qualitites, however, for the future.

"If Williams turns out to be worthy of the No.2 pick, and count me among the people that think he is, and the Wolves recognize that versus burying him as they did Kevin Love, this can be salvaged," Moore wrote. "From this vantage point, it doesn't look great."

Moore later teamed with Ben Golliver to hand out grades, though, and it seems Golliver apparently took the lead on the Minnesota analysis as they picked up a solid 'B'.

"Williams was the best player on the board and a no-brainer, although you always have to wonder when the Timberwolves are on the clock," they wrote. "His fit on Minnesota's roster isn't perfect, but it's not terrible, especially if David Kahn can find a way to ship out Michael Beasley for future assets."

Last on the list of mainstream media outlets reporting on the draft is Kurt Helin at Pro Basketball Talk. Helin also gave the Wolves a 'B', but it doesn't seem he put a lot of thought into it past their first pick.

"They traded Jonny Flynn and drafted a bunch of Euros (some very obscure). I do like the trade for Malcolm Lee, he can defend at the NBA level," Helin wrote. "But in the end they got Derrick Williams to run the floor with Ricky Rubio, and that should make them better."

At the end of the day all of this should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's worth gauging for the time being.

Timberwolves Draft Picks 2011: Results After Trades Turned Out Alright

The 2011 NBA Draft results are in and, surprisingly, it's not as bad for the Minnesota Timberwolves as it seemed on Thursday night once everything is broken down. David Kahn was busy, and while he may have had ulterior motives, it turned out alright in the end.

The Wolves ended up with Derrick WIlliams, Malcolm Lee, Targuy Ngombo, a 2013 first round pick, a future second round pick and cash from nearly all five of the draft day deal the team was a part of after starting with just the second and 20th pick in the annual affair.

Of course the Wolves gave up Jonny Flynn, but they brought back a decent of assets as well.

As far as I can tell, here are the trades the Wolves made: First, Timberwolves traded Jonny Flynn and the No. 20 pick to the Houston Rockets for Brad Miller, the No. 23 pick, the No. 38 pick and a 2013 first round pick. The Wolves then sent the No. 23 pick to the Chicago Bulls for the No. 28 pick and No. 43 pick. The No. 28 was sent to the Miami Heat for the No. 31 pick, a future second round pick and cash considerations.

Minnesota also sold the No. 31 pick to the New Jersey Nets and the No. 38 pick back to the Houston Rockets for a currently undisclosed amount of money while apparently buying the No. 57 pick to select Ngombo.

Not bad, eh?

Timberwolves Draft Grade Difficult To Decide Due To Trades

The Minnesota Timberwolves came out of the 2011 NBA Draft with Derrick Williams, Malcolm Lee and Tanguy Ngombo and a couple of future picks. Unfortunately, that hasn't kept the media from piling on to David Kahn and his front office team.

The front office began the evening with the second pick, the No. 20 pick and an interest in acquiring a late second round pick to acquire Ngombo. By the end of the night, Williams was the second overall pick, but the rest of the night was confusing and resulted in two future picks and a decent amount of cash in the Wolves' pockets.

The fact that the Wolves traded down multiple times to pick up cash drew the ire of Dana Wessel from ESPN 1500.

Kahn scoffed at the notion that the reported trades that included cash were essentially a fundraiser for Rambis' buyout despite the fact it was painfully obvious that was his intention.

"No. Come on. First of all, we added to 20-year olds this year. We are a painfully young team," a clearly agitated Kahn said. "I had great reticence to add rookie, after rookie, after rookie to a team that frankly needs a few veterans."

Hopefully Kahn didn't lose out on valuable players simply to be able to fire Rambis for less of a financial burden, but looking at the facts, the Wolves didn't come out of this draft too bad.

They turned two picks and Jonny Flynn into the second best player in the draft, a solid point guard, a player they apparently know better than anyone in the world, a future first and second pick and a bag full of cash. That sounds alright to me.

NBA Draft 2011: Is Targuy Ngombo Really Going To Get Drafted By The Timberwolves?

2011 NBA Draft: I Stand (Partially) Corrected

I reported just a couple of minutes ago that the Timberwolves had failed to trade out of the 31st pick that they acquired after trading down three separate times, and wound up selecting Croatian guard Bojan Bogdanovic.

Well, it turns out that I was incorrect. . .the Timberwolves did not, in fact, trade out of the selection.

They SOLD. . .the PICK. . .for CASH.

Honestly, I'd say that this was ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure ridiculous was about two trades back.

Stay tuned to this thread on SB Nation Minnesota to see if David Kahn trades Minnesota's remaining second-round selection for a 1978 AMC Pacer. Or worse.

2011 NBA Draft: Timberwolves Fail To Trade Again, Select Bojan Bogdanovic

After approximately eighteen trades and getting into the realm of non-guaranteed contracts in the second round, the Minnesota Timberwolves appear to have actually selected a player, this time taking Croatian guard Bojan Bogdanovic, a 6'7", 195-pounder.

Good news. . .Draft Express doesn't think Bogdanovic wants to play in the NBA.

If he were able to make more than 34% of the 6.6 jumpers he took per game, he'd surely be drawing more draft buzz. The fact that he's shown little to no interest in playing in the NBA based on his actions hasn't helped his cause either.

"Little to no interest in playing in the NBA." Well, that's encouraging. Even if he did, the Wolves will probably stash him over in Europe for a couple of seasons anyway.

The Wolves also have the 43 overall pick, which will be coming up here shortly. Unless they trade a few more times. After all, the night is still young.

2011 NBA Draft: Timberwolves Trade Down Again

At this point, I'm not even sure what David Kahn is doing any more.

The Wolves started at the 20th overall selection. Then, they reportedly moved down to the Houston Rockets' selection at number 23. Then, they reportedly moved down to the Chicago Bulls' selection at number 28.

Now, we have this report from CBS Sports:

The Timberwolves will make a selection again at some point this evening. I mean, I'm pretty sure that they have to.

Again, I have no idea what David Kahn is up to at this point. I'm hoping that we're going to find out eventually.

EDIT: The Timberwolves have, indeed, traded down again, this time with the Miami Heat for the 31st overall pick, the first pick of the second round. This second-round selection originally belonged to Minnesota, as it was sent to Miami in the deal to acquire Michael Beasley last season.

And I still have no idea what David Kahn is doing.

2011 NBA Draft: Yahoo! Reporting Timberwolves Trade Down Again?

The Timberwolves, reportedly, had just traded into the 23rd overall selection, which the Houston Rockets had just used to select Eurpoean forward Nikola Mirotic.

Now, another of Yahoo! Sports' reporters is reporting that the Timberwolves won't keep Mirotic for very long.

So, we will have to see exactly which of these deals are going to come to fruition and which ones are just blowing smoke. The reporting of these deals has been fairly accurate thus far, though.

That means the next pick for Timberwolves fans to keep an eye on is the 28th overall selection of the Chicago Bulls, which is coming up here shortly.

2011 NBA Draft: Yahoo! Sports Reports Timberwolves Trading With Houston Rockets

We speculated that the Timberwolves might have drafted European power forward Donatas Motiejunas for somebody else, and if what Yahoo! Sports is reporting is accurate, that's exactly what has happened.

To translate, the Timberwolves are going to send Motiejunas and point guard Jonny Flynn to the Rockets for forward Brad Miller, the 23rd overall pick (which is coming shortly), and a future first-round selection, which as yet is undisclosed.

Miller is a 12-year pro that averaged 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds a game for the Rockets last season in about 17 minutes of work per night.

The 23rd pick is on the clock. . .it's time to see who the Rockets are going to pick for the Timberwolves.

2011 NBA Draft: Timberwolves Draft Donatas Motiejunas At Pick Number 20

With the 20th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves have selected Donatas Motiejunas, a 7', 220-pound forward from the nation of Lithuania. He last played for Benetton Treviso in Italy's Serie A league.

Here's what the folks at Draft Express think of Motiejunas:

A player that has been on the radar of scouts for years now, Motiejunas's strengths and weaknesses are well defined at this point. He's a more mature offensive player than many European big men we've encountered in the past, and if he can continue to improve his toughness and consistency, his situational versatility is going to give him an intriguing set of tools to work with at the next level, particularly when you consider his size.

The prevailing wisdom seems to be that the Timberwolves are going to trade this pick. Motiejunas doesn't seem to be a real fit for the Timberwolves, so it's entirely possible that they've selected him for somebody else. Hopefully, if that's the case, the team can get some kind of veteran presence for him.

2011 NBA Draft: Chad Ford's Take On Timberwolves Selecting Derrick Williams

ESPN's Chad Ford is doing instant analysis of the 2011 NBA Draft, which you unfortunately can't see unless you're an ESPN In$ider. However, we can certainly share with you his take on the Minnesota Timberwolves' selection of Arizona forward Derrick Williams.

So, here it is:

The Wolves tried for weeks to move the pick and they may still do it. But this is a really solid pick for Minnesota. Yes, he plays the same position as Kevin Love, but he's a very different sort of player and immediately the second- or third-best player on the team. Williams is an explosive athlete, he can take defenders off the dribble and he's an aggressive scorer. Ricky Rubio will figure out a way to make both of them happy.

Well, I'm not so sure if he plays the same position as Kevin Love, based on his interview that we mentioned earlier. . .from what he said there, the position he wants to play is the same as one Michael Beasley, who may or may not now be on the trading block with the selection of Williams.

If Kevin Love and Derrick Williams are both part of the Timberwolves' starting lineup in 2011, the Timberwolves could be a vastly improved basketball team, in this writer's opinion.

NBA Draft 2011: Son Of Gophers Legend Mychal Thompson Selected By Golden State

With the eleventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors took Klay Thompson, a 6'7", 205-pound shooting guard from Washington State University.

Klay Thompson is the son of legendary Golden Gophers' forward Mychal Thompson, who was the number one overall selection in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The elder Thompson was a second-team All-American for the Gophers in 1976-77, and a first-team All-American for the Gophers in 1977-78. In his four-year career with the Gophers, he averaged 20.8 points and 10 rebounds a game. He went on to average 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game in a 12-year NBA career that saw him play for the Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The younger Thompson averaged 21.6 points and 5.2 rebounds a game this past season for the Cougars of Washington State, shooting nearly 40% from beyond the three-point line. He helped the Cougars to the semi-finals of the NIT this past season, where the Cougars fell to Wichita State.

Congratulations to the Thompson family on tonight's events.

NBA Draft 2011: Could Michael Beasley Be On His Way Out Of Minnesota?

We mentioned the glut of forwards that the Minnesota Timberwolves now find themselves with after the drafting of University of Arizona star Derrick Williams with the draft's second overall pick. After being interviewed, Williams declared that he would like to play the "three," or small forward, spot in the lineup. That spot is currently occupied by Michael Beasley. So, what does that mean for the Timberwolves?

Well, there are folks on Twitter. . .specifically Fox Sports North's Anthony Maggio. . .that think that this could potentially spell the end of the Michael Beasley era in Minnesota.

Or, you know, the Derrick Williams era in Minnesota could never actually get underway.

Beasley, who was acquired from the Miami Heat prior to the 2010 NBA Draft, averaged 19.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 73 games for the Timberwolves during the 2010-11 season.

What do you think, Timberwolves fans? If the team is only going to keep one or the other, which one do you think should stay in Minnesota, and who do you think should be sent packing?

2011 NBA Draft Results: Timberwolves Select Derrick Williams With Second Overall Pick

With the second overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves have selected Derrick Williams, the 6'9", 250-pound power forward from the University of Arizona.

Williams, a consensus second-team All-American in 2010-11, averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a game for the Wildcats last season. He is projected by pretty much every major expert out there as the top forward in this year's NBA Draft class, with his outstanding athleticism and his ability to play not only with his back to the basket, but also out on the perimeter. He has decent range on his jumper, and can get to the basket, averaging more free throws per game than any other forward in the league last season.

With that said, it remains to be seen whether or not the Timberwolves will keep Williams. The team is loaded at the forward spot with guys like Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, and Anthony Tolliver. There are still rumors flying around that the Timberwolves will trade Williams for a veteran player, so we still have to see whether or not the Timberwolves are making this selection for themselves or if they already have something worked out with somebody else.

Keep it right here for more on the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2011 NBA Draft.

NBA Trade Rumors Insist Minnesota Timberwolves Drive A Hard Bargain

The 2011 NBA Draft is almost minutes away so it makes sense that the NBA trade rumors being floated should be taken a bit more serious at this point. Unfortunately for Minnesota Timberwolves fans hoping for David Kahn to pull off a heist, it seems that his asking price for the second pick is a bit too high.

The Wolves have been shopping the No. 2 pick ever since they lost the lottery, it seems, but the reason they haven't been able to pull off a deal is apparently because Kahn's playing hardball in what's being considered one of the weaker drafts in recent memory. Unfortunately, while it might work out later, it's only irking rival front offices for the time being.

Many front offices are frustrated trying to deal with Minny for the No. 2 pick, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. One executive told Wojnarowski that "if you want a deal right now, you're talking to the Utah Jazz."

Hopefully Kahn is able to eventually make this work to his advantage, but for the time being, it doesn't look good..

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Timberwolves Consensus Is Derrick Williams, But Enes Kanter A Possibility

The NBA Draft experts have all weighed in with their final 2011 NBA mock drafts, it seems, and not a lot has changed for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Of course these aren't factoring in draft-night trades so anything could still happen with David Kahn in charge!

The Wolves are projected to select Arizona forward Derrick Williams and Texas swingman Jordan Hamilton, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. Those picks aren't surprises by any means as both players have been projected to Minnesota in previous renditions, but Givony did hint at a possible swerve that could happen.

"Multiple NBA teams who spoke with the Timberwolves on Wednesday were informed they were leaning toward picking Enes Kanter at No. 2," Givony wrote, "which was later confirmed by Minnesota itself."

Interesting, eh?

ESPN also predicts that Williams will become a Timberwolf, along with Georgia Tech point guard Iman Shumpert, and corroborates the Kanter rumors. Chad Ford says that the Wolves should stick with Williams because "talents trumps need," but I'm not sure the talent gap is that large between the two players.

To complete the look at the big gun's mock drafts, Sports Illustrated has Williams along with Providence guard Marshon Brooks heading to the Timberwolves. No surprises, nothing sexy and frankly that just doesn't seem like the Kahn way.

Most interesting, none of the three predict the Wolves to take a big man despite Darko Milicic showing nothing to get excited about this past season. Maybe they're targeting a free agent?

NBA Draft 2011: Timberwolves Have Plenty Of Options

2011 NBA Draft Live: Minnesota Timberwolves Will Continue To Rebuild

The 2011 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday night in Newark, New Jersey, with the proceedings getting underway at 6:00 PM Central time. Those who are wishing to follow the proceedings as they take place can tune in to ESPN, ESPN3 (online), or ESPN Radio, whatever their medium of choice might be.

Right here, we will be tracking what the Timberwolves are doing at tonight's draft, where they currently hold the second overall selection (as well as the 20th overall selection). There have been any number of trade rumors surrounding the Timberwolves selection, but at this point, nobody seems to know what the Timberwolves are going to. . .and, with David KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN in charge, that might even include the Timberwolves.

Will the Timberwolves keep their second overall pick and grab either Arizona's Derrick Williams or Kentucky Enes Kanter?

Will the Timberwolves trade the pick for an impact player and another draft choice?

Will the Timberwolves snag Williams at #2 and then ransom him off to the highest bidder?

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be all set to take Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick. . .after that? It's anybody's guess at this point. But that's what we're here for. . .we'll have the Timberwolves' selections as they happen, as well as analysis of those picks, and any trades the team might make.