The Pekovic problem/

[C.lupus]

Pek was asked what he missed the most not playing. His answer: "hitting people".

[urinesane]

I'm pretty excited to have Pek back. Especially if we get some minutes with KAT next to him, it'll be fun to watch him actually have a shot blocker next to him (Gorgui doesn't count, since he whiffs on most and slaps the rest out of bounds).

[perempe20]

I'm a fan, he's my favorite player in the NBA.

hope he will start and play well.

[Nitroglycerin]

Im glad that Smitch is not rushing Pek. I love Flip but seeing Pek being played 35 minutes last season made me cringe.

[urinesane]

Im glad that Smitch is not rushing Pek. I love Flip but seeing Pek being played 35 minutes last season made me cringe.

Pretty sure if Flip were still around they'd be treating Pek the same as they are right now...

[Popovich]

Now when Pek is back seems like a little bit crowdy on the C position. Gorgui played well recently so everyone from bigs deserve minutes. Pek will be useful in making good hard screens and KAT can play PF when both on the court.

[wolves_89]

With the return of Pek's foot problems (even with his minutes being extremely limited), I have come to believe that he is pretty much done. What really frustrates me is that they let him play in over 10 games. From what I remember, the rule for injury based retirement could have taken effect one year from the last time he played the previous year if he had played less than 10 games. Since he's now played over 10 games the Wolves have lost any chance to get his salary off the cap for next off-season.

[guest81]

With the return of Pek's foot problems (even with his minutes being extremely limited), I have come to believe that he is pretty much done. What really frustrates me is that they let him play in over 10 games. From what I remember, the rule for injury based retirement could have taken effect one year from the last time he played the previous year if he had played less than 10 games. Since he's now played over 10 games the Wolves have lost any chance to get his salary off the cap for next off-season.

Pek is not retiring and giving up that money

[Worm Guts]

With the return of Pek's foot problems (even with his minutes being extremely limited), I have come to believe that he is pretty much done. What really frustrates me is that they let him play in over 10 games. From what I remember, the rule for injury based retirement could have taken effect one year from the last time he played the previous year if he had played less than 10 games. Since he's now played over 10 games the Wolves have lost any chance to get his salary off the cap for next off-season.

Pek is not retiring and giving up that money

If it's a medical retirement, he doesn't have to I don't think.

[wolves_89]

With the return of Pek's foot problems (even with his minutes being extremely limited), I have come to believe that he is pretty much done. What really frustrates me is that they let him play in over 10 games. From what I remember, the rule for injury based retirement could have taken effect one year from the last time he played the previous year if he had played less than 10 games. Since he's now played over 10 games the Wolves have lost any chance to get his salary off the cap for next off-season.

Pek is not retiring and giving up that money

If it's a medical retirement, he doesn't have to I don't think.

That's correct, in a medical retirement Pek still gets the full value of his contract. The main issue has always been if the Wolves could get his salary off the cap. If the team had limited him to under 10 games before he had a recurrence of his foot problems, they could have had the potential to not have the last 2 years of his contract using up cap space if the doctors signed off on a medical retirement. Now, even if he retires due to medical reasons only the last year of his contract will be off the cap.

[Crazy-Canuck]

If the nba doctors confirm that he is retiring because he is physically unfit, then the wolves can buy himout and cap space opens up.

If pek cant play, but still thinks he can play and doesnt want to retire, then wolves are on the hook for full salary and the full cap hit

[Note30]

If the nba doctors confirm that he is retiring because he is physically unfit, then the wolves can buy himout and cap space opens up.

If pek cant play, but still thinks he can play and doesnt want to retire, then wolves are on the hook for full salary and the full cap hit

Seeing him play now, I hope he decides to hang them up

[breatnach]

If the nba doctors confirm that he is retiring because he is physically unfit, then the wolves can buy himout and cap space opens up.

If pek cant play, but still thinks he can play and doesnt want to retire, then wolves are on the hook for full salary and the full cap hit

Seeing him play now, I hope he decides to hang them up

I think that's a bit harsh. He obviously is still rusty and most likely will be injury prone for the remainder of his year, but there is no reason he couldn't become a role player in this league. Obviously, his current level of play doesn't justify his salary, but I do hope a unique player like him remains in the league.

[C.lupus]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/702195696254889986[/tweet]

[Devilzsidewalk]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/702195696254889986[/tweet]

which happens first: Pekovic plays a game, or Wiggins grabs 12 rebounds in a game

[Worm Guts]

This pretty much got to be it for him, you would think.

[C.lupus]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/APkrawczynski/status/702247653506023425[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/APkrawczynski/status/702247836876824576[/tweet]

[Grits n Gravy]

Might be time to hang em up big fella.

[C.lupus]

More information from Kander here. It doesn't sound as bad as I was thinking yesterday.

“He will be fine,” Kander said. “He will be Nikola Pekovic again.”

But it likely won’t happen this season after the team announced Tuesday that Pekovic would be out indefinitely.

“It’s not because of the surgery, but because of the weakness he had secondarily to the surgery,” Kander said. “It’s giving him heel soreness.”

Typically, Kander said, it takes from nine to 15 months to recover fully from such surgery. Pekovic’s size and physical style of play puts him at the long end of that spectrum. He missed the first 35 games of the season while rehabbing and trying to regain strength. Pekovic, Kander and the team decided to put him back on the court when he reached about 85 percent strength in that leg, and after tests ­determined he was moving well.

In retrospect, that wasn’t enough, especially the way Pekovic plays.

“Because of the Achilles and the weakness, you’re going to hit your heel a little bit harder when you come down,” Kander said. “So what we found is he was getting heel soreness. … When you get soreness your muscles get a little weaker.”

Tests showed his calf had gotten weaker, down to about 78 percent of full strength. It was at that point that Kander decided to pull Pekovic back.

Now the plan is Pekovic won’t play until his strength returns to 95 percent or better.

“It’s not going to work at 85 percent, that didn’t work for him. We tried,” Kander said. “So could he play this year? I never say no to that. If he demonstrates no heel soreness and his strength rises pretty quickly and he can run without pain there is a possibility he plays this year.”

But Kander said he’s confident that Pekovic will, eventually, be 100 percent again.

http://m.startribune.com/a-year-after-surgery-wolves-pekovic-see-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/369906431/?section=sports%2Fwolves

[Devilzsidewalk]

Sit him until 2016 training camp, no reason to do anything other than that. Hopefully Pek stays in town and works w/ Kander in the offseason if possible.