[White ChocolateParticipant]

"Many NBA scouts and executives believe Bismack Biyombo is older than his listed age of 18.

Coaches who have worked with Biyombo earlier in his career while he was still in Congo think he’s “no older than 20 at most,” while Biyombo’s agent, Igor Crespo, has evidence that proves Biyombo is even younger.

Crespo claims he took Biyombo to a specialist to conduct a bone age study immediately upon his arrival in Spain. The study involves taking x-rays of an adolescent’s wrist and hand to see if his growth plates are still open. Because the cartilage in Biyombo’s hand hadn’t fused at that point, the specialist came to the conclusion that he could be 16 or 17 at most, but not 18, when growth plates are expected to be closed.

This obviously rules out the possibility of Biyombo being five to eight years older than he’s listed, as the wild speculation we’ve seen recently on the Internet indicates. Crespo says he will willingly share these x-rays with any NBA team that requests them."

Source Realgm.com

[B FreeParticipant]

I also read that article and that was when he arrived in Spain to play over a year ago.

[OhCanada-Participant]

All I can say is for every scout or critic that says he is 20 plus there will be someone in his past to vouch for him. Its a batle that cant be won by either party. Only way to solve this dilemna is too get Sherlock Holmes, Chuck Norris, McGyver, M-Dymes, and John Q in a room together and have them brainstorm, then follow every lead. That would be a great TV sitcom.

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 if he is younger, is he eligible for the draft?

[OhCanada-Participant]

I bet they start shutting they stupid mouths if they found out he is 16 17. Send him back to Europe for 3 years and watch him come back 7’0 with a 8’0 wingspan and 275 pounds lol.

Seriously though these reports were made when he was like 17. Now he is older.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

They are saying that he "can not be 18", yet he could be older than 18? LOL, is this kind of not making you think you are on crazy pills? It all sounds a tad bit suspicious to me, and either way it kind of makes you wonder. If he is 16-17, why are they lying about his current age? When were the X-Rays taken, 1998?

I am kidding about this, and I truly hope that Bismack is "no older than 20 at the most", but I would have serious reservations about him being 18. I remember someone pointed to Dwight Howard and Patric Young as players as developed as Bismack as far as body goes at this stage. Wholeheartedly disagree. It may be the fact that Bismack has played in the pros, but his body fat percentage and weight are grown man numbers.

You may say "a lot of these kids have ridiculous percentages", which is true, but they usually get even more ridiculous when they are on an NBA training regiment. I think NBA veterans, at least the ones fighting for jobs in the NBA and working hard, definitely cut their percentages. Maybe not Aaron Brooks, or the guys that do not need to, but I would have a hard time believing that Dwight Howard had the body fat percentage of Biyombo coming into the league. Plus, Biyombo weighs more than he did from the numbers taken at Chicago (Draftexpress Measurement History database, sorry Aran).

His age may indeed not matter incredibly, but it really I think effects where you see him in his development. If he is as old as they say he is, which is pretty much the age of an HS senior or freshman, than you may really be able to build on his skill set and get a lot of production from him at a later age. However, if a junior or senior were as raw as Biyombo offensively at this point, it is scary.

Biyombo has a great motor, and he should be able to get blocked shots and board immediately. But, BTPH was right on the money with his obvious issues, which are mistakes and fouls. He will be turnover prone, brings the ball down low at times and that will be a fast break the other way. He will be a foul machine early on, as many aggressive shot blockers tend to be, especially those as raw fundamentally as Biyombo.

The upside he provides is obvious, he has a NBA body, a wing span that makes him a defensive presence and good athleticism for his size. His motor seemed great as well and he seems to be very mature, which will more than likely lead to him being coachable, thus improving. Still, he does not have an offensive game outside of dunks and putbacks. Not to mention, I am highly skeptical of these X-Rays solving the age questions. If they are supposed to close at 18, does that not mean some peoples grow beyond a certain point? I honestly do not know, I am not a doctor, but I am also not an agent trying to sell people on my clients age without providing birth documentation. Olumide Oyedji and Mohammed Saer Sene were both long, interesting and raw prospects in the same vein as Biyombo. I tend to judge on an individual basis rather forming precedent on prospects with similar characteristics but possibly a different attitude. We will see how it plays out, but I want to see the NBA’s reaction to these findings before jumping to the conclusion that these reports make Biyombo even younger than he already was, lol.

[OhCanada-Participant]

If he is 16-17, why are they lying about his current age? When were the X-Rays taken, 1998?

LOL

[MkadozaParticipant]

 He arrived in Spain, what less than a year ago? That would make him 18 now, probably… regardless… the fact that his growth plates are still open, maybe, he could add an inch or two.. If he was 6’11" with a 7’7 wingspan and his freaky athleticism, he’d have a shot at #1.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Yeah, Fuenlabrada had a test performed when they first brought him to Spain. 

http://www.nbadraft.net/forum/euro-players

The bigger problem for Biyombo is that he did not return to Spain after the Nike Hoops Summit and is now trying to weasle his way out a buyout in court by claiming his club violated the terms of his contract. This means he won’t be returning to Spain, and some dumb team is going to end up with Amir Johnson 2.0 rotting on their bench because of foul trouble and frying pan hands for the entirety of his rookie contract.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Yeah, top 3.

If he is 18 then he is the top pick.

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

You guys are just dumb. Top 3? Who the hell is going to pick him Top 3?

[HitsterParticipant]

I wonder if some teams might dig to try and find out his real age, if he did turn out to be say 23 then would he be inelligible for the draft and thus a potential free agent.Imagine if a top team did this research and then presented it to him with the offer of say a $2.5 million a year deal, would this break NBA rules?

 

[moochieeParticipant]

According to new evidence, doctors have concluded that Biyombo could be as young as 4 years old, and could likely grow to be roughly the size of Hagrid from Harry Potter except with a better wingspan. Also there is conflicting evidence that he may in fact have Benjamin Button disease and could shrink to the size of an infant.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Do you guys know anything about them? Because I am no expert, but what I have found kind of goes with the usual "you do not stop growing until around 21", type deal. So, it could mean he is 16-17 (though again, why would they not make the age lower, lol. I mean, it just sounds incredibly weird that they are not saying, "He was born on August 26, 1992"), or it could mean he is 20-21. I for one do not think that it is an exact science where once you hit your 18th birthday, your growth plates fuse. In his hand too. I mean really guys?

Yes, he is intriguing, I am not as low on him as a prospect as many here appear to be, and could see him going mid-late first, but I would not go nuts. Going top 10 seems pretty crazy for such a project with age concerns or not. It was kind of crazy when Mohammed Sene went 10th, and it turns out rightfully so! He was taller and longer than Biyombo, not to mention was a block away from a triple double in the Hoop Summit. Sure, he was not built like a tank, but the guys wingspan was 7’8.5! The problem was, he had no offensive game of note and he was confused on defense, even though he would block the occasional shot. Fouls, turnovers, career over.

Biyombo seems unlike these guys due to his size (weight and muscle wise) and athleticism, but he is far from a can’t miss and seems at least a few years from making a contribution on an NBA team. Not to mention, that I can not believe how many people are taking this story as seriously as they are. I have said, I hope it is true and that they are not lying, but to me this story is WAY off from being conclusive evidence on him being the age he reportedly is. In the end it may not matter much, age is just a number and players hit their primes at different points in their careers. But, when I heard this, it did not exactly make me say "Oh, he is as old as they say he is". To me, saying he is 18 right now is about as risky as saying he is a top 10 pick. Sushi raw on offense people, and while his motor looks real, we will see how he does facing the big boys. His 10 blocks were awesome, but the size of Team USA was quite underwhelming, and he still got beat down the floor by faster players at his optimal position.

Also, OhCanada, the answer to your previous question is Bryan Colangelo 🙂

[OllstarParticipant]

Ha shame thabeet went top 3.

same sort of deal. Serge Ibaka 2.0

[OhCanada-Participant]

Is this a joke does everybody really think he is going Top 3.

[M-DYMESParticipant]

I think maybe he goes top 10 due to how weak this draft is and the hype about this guy and his athleticism.  But for him to go top 3 is ludacris IMO.  I could see him going top 10 though like Udoh did.  International players probably will come off higher than expected, but I think the top 3 is certainly not going to include a talent as raw as Biyambo.

[BasterdInABasketParticipant]

If lebron James or Greg Oren would have came from overseas like biyambo everyone would have questioned the age they were listed at. Probably never know for sure just like a lot of central American baseball players. Miguell tejada is one of them and I bet Pujols wasn’t 21 as a rookie, he looked more like 25.

[paradigmnParticipant]

 I still question odens age…lol…reguardless if his birth certificate is staring me in the eyes!!!

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

“Biyombo seems unlike these guys due to his size (weight and muscle wise) and athleticism, but he is far from a can’t miss and seems at least a few years from making a contribution on an NBA team.”

Kevin Seraphin, Ian Mahinmi, Kyrylo Fesenko, Timofey Mozgov, Omer Asik, and Semih Erden had bulk too. Other than Dirk – who was taken more than a decade ago – there is not a great track record of international big men who came off the bench on their European clubs coming over and being anything more than bit players in the NBA largely due to the fact that there is typically a reason players get the minutes that they do. Sometimes, guys get in the doghouse or just have a coach that hates their guts, but not when the reasons are so clearly discerned. Marc Gasol did not have foul or turnover issues while in Spain (funny enough story, he hasn’t had foul or turnover issues in the NBA and has been a 30+ minute center for three years running, but because that doesn’t play to Biyombo’s savior complex it must not matter). The negative stats matter too whether they come from the NCAA, NBDL, Europe, or anywhere else.

“I could see him going top 10 though like Udoh did.”
“Ha shame thabeet went top 3.”

Why is there an assumption that because mistakes were made before that teams would want to recreate them?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Is that Greg Oden and LeBron James have certifiable (apparently) certificates of birth. Not to mention that all the prospects you named are much better than Biyombo (in both sports). If Biyombo had a birth certificate, I would be cool with it. But, with the incredibly little information I am guessing people on here know about growth plates, you at least have to be skeptical. Apparently, people dislike this theory and just want to give him the benefit of the doubt. I am not saying he is 40 (Well, I guess I did in jest in my first post), but he COULD very well not be 18 and actually be older. It has been done before, and while Tejada and Pujols were awesome, their are guys who have done the same thing as them in both sports who have not been awesome. I am not saying to not believe it, could indeed be true, but I am saying I would want more proof than this about his age. But, people do not always tell the truth, and in the cases of Dikembe Mutombo and Yinka Dare, both of African descent, they may have lied about their age (or not known it, either way). One worked out wonderfully, the other was Yinka Dare.

[M-DYMESParticipant]

Because this draft class is so weak. 

And when I said "I could see him going top 10 though like Udoh did", I dont agree that he should go that high but I think the hype, potential, and lack of talent in the draft may propel him into the top 10.   It shouldnt happen but i very well may.  With so little nba ready talent in the draft, guys with high upside are going to be @ a premium.

 

Serge Ibaka’s success and Biyambo’s play in the Jordan Classic along with his measurables will make him coveted and he will go alot higher than he probably should.  Def. not top 3 though.

[freddy79Participant]

Usually there’s a big question mark about these guys who come from Africa regarding their age, but in this case I’m not so sure about that. According to reports, Biyombo is the son of a ranking government official. So, unless he’s trying to cheat, I think you should be pretty safe about his true age. Honestly, even if you can never know, I don’t think he’s older than what he says, and even if so, I don’t think he’s already 24-25…

That said, this age question is been too inflated. To me, the real question is about his desire and will to improve as a player, and his toughness. Maybe he’ll never be a great offensive player, but he has enough tools to be an important player in the defensive end of the court. Question is, how much does he want to be that player? After all, this is the biggest question when you draft a player, but in this case it’s a lot more important, since you’re getting a raw talent: if he doesn’t develop at all, you’ve just wasted a pick…

Anyway, I think that somebody will pick him in the first round of this NBA draft. His buyout is reasonable, and there are teams selecting in the middle of the first round who could afford to take this risk. I think he could be taken between the 15th and the 20th pick, maybe a little higher, but not too much…

[aamir543Participant]

I have not seen this guy at all, but if scouts think he is 2-3 years older than he says he is, this guy must be raw!

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I keep laughing at this "savior complex" thing you mention with Biyombo and some of these other guys. I mean, even in the comparisons you made to Biyombo as far as having some strength and bulk, Kevin Seraphin was drafted 17th last year and was by far the highest drafted player you listed. That being said, I see very few people on here, or in general, thinking that Biyombo is a savior. He could be a role player, he could be a bust, but even with inflated expectations, I do not think people see him as being a franchise foundation.

Biyombo being a franchise cornerstone at this point seems, well, crazy. If he is indeed a top 3 pick, he would more than likely be another giant mistake of one much in the Thabeet category. However, if he does indeed drop to the 15-25 range, he might not turn out to be a horrible value pick. I never heard your thoughts on the 82games.com list of pick by pick averages, and what to really expect from these picks. Truly, if you have anything below a top 10 pick, it is gamble as to whether they will turn into a credible player. For every Kobe Bryant, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith (Just three guys picked outside the top 10 that come to mind, I know there have been many more solid players) and so on, their many more numerous players chosen out of the top 10 who more than likely will never be more than role players. While I think Biyombo will more than likely never be close to a savior, he seems to have a strong work ethic, and a skill to build on, not to mention a solid frame. So, in this draft class, I think the 15-25 range is suitable. Any higher than that you are taking a pretty big risk on a player still to be developed.

http://www.nbadraft.net/forum/pick-pick-draft-expectations

 

[Author]

Posts