The last time we saw Nikola Pekovic on the court for the Timberwolves it was March 11 against the Suns. His ankles were sore, the ankles that have been a problem for him for a couple seasons now.
For a while now we knew the Timberwolves had basically shut him down for the season — it’s not like they need him for the playoffs — but of course they wouldn’t admit it. Because coaches and teams are like that for reasons that are sometimes hard to grasp.
Monday, coach Flip Saunders owned up to it.
Flip confirms that Nikola Pekovic will be out for the remainder of the season.
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 30, 2015
Pekovic averaged 12.5 points a game (on just 42.4 percent shooting) plus had 7.5 rebounds a night when he could play. He’s a solid center if one who is overpaid for what he can deliver at $12 million a season — and his contract runs through the summer of 2018.
Gorgui Dieng is the big man of the future for Minnesota, but they will have Pekovic around for a while.
Minnesota needs to get Pekovic’s ankles right or limit his minutes in season (they tried this year). Or both.
