Nikola Pekovic
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celticdb15
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Wolves' Pekovic one tough teddy bear
Good article about Nikola. At one point they call him the strongest player in the league and a Minnesota fan favorite next Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio!
Good article about Nikola. At one point they call him the strongest player in the league and a Minnesota fan favorite next Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio!
whiteathlete33
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Has he put on 50 lbs of muscle since the draft? Before the draft he was listed at around 240 lbs and now he's listed at 290lbs. Being that he's only 11 percent bodyfat that's very impressive. As much as I wanted Darko to succeed ,this kid looks to be a much better overall player.
celticdb15
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WA33 I have no clue but 6'11 290 and only having 11 percent body fat is freakish. In the article it mentioned that Nikola is close friends with Darko, who can continue to contribute off the bench.
JReb1
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Forget "Linsanity." In Nikola Pekovic, Timberwolves have their own rising star.
While Linsanity is spinning out of control in New York City, "Pek-tacular" is beginning to percolate in Minnesota.
Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic has become somewhat of an overnight sensation himself after averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds and making 63 percent of his field-goal attempts in the past four games.
Pekovic has been so impressive since taking over as starting center that teammates have taken to calling him "Pek-tacular" on their Twitter accounts. The nickname surfaced Friday night after the Montenegro native generated his fourth consecutive double-double at Houston with a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in Minnesota's 111-98 victory.
Now the Wolves (15-16) are trying to persuade NBA Commissioner David Stern to add Pekovic to the Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Fla. Stern added Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin and Miami's Norris Cole to the teams Thursday. The Wolves are asking: Why not Pek? "It's a shame they didn't look at him," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "I can understand Lin, but look around the league and see who's been doing things. Pek is a huge part of what we're doing now. As long as he keeps playing like he's playing, he'll get his due."
Pekovic has started the past eight games, and the Wolves are 4-4 in that stretch. His impact has been so significant that opposing coaches will have to start accounting for him in game plans.
"Maybe it's too late to add him to the game, but we're happy to have him," Wolves all-star forward Kevin Love said. "He's helping all of us a lot by drawing more attention from the other teams' big men. We've been able to get to the rim for layups or draw fouls. He's playing a great brand of basketball right now." Imagine the impact Pekovic would have had on the Wolves had he not missed the first seven games of the season with a groin injury. Even when he recovered, Adelman didn't give him much playing time.
"You look at Lin and Pek," Adelman said. "You stay ready, your opportunity comes, then maybe you're going to get the job."
Adelman was hoping Darko Milicic would assert himself in the middle, but Milicic has been slowed by injuries.
Adelman said after Saturday's practice he has no intention of taking Pekovic out of the starting lineup. Adelman made a subtle reference to Milicic when he praised Pekovic for being able to "finish around the basket." Milicic regularly missed layups or drives to the basket, a concern the Wolves haven't had to worry about much in the past three weeks.
"We're finishing now, and that's been a huge difference for us lately," Adelman said. "We've been able to do a lot more things inside with he and Kevin. They both open up things for each other. Pek has been a factor all the time when he's on the floor. The guy defending him can't let up on him, otherwise he's going to hurt him."
With his ability to catch the ball in traffic and score, his teammates' confidence in him is soaring. Wolves players are looking for Pekovic inside, and he's loving every minute of it.
"The game is lot of fun now for me, especially since we're winning," Pekovic said. "I just want to keep doing what I can to help us win games. It's a very good feeling to know my teammates are getting me the ball. I appreciate that a lot."
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19996938?source=rss
While Linsanity is spinning out of control in New York City, "Pek-tacular" is beginning to percolate in Minnesota.
Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic has become somewhat of an overnight sensation himself after averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds and making 63 percent of his field-goal attempts in the past four games.
Pekovic has been so impressive since taking over as starting center that teammates have taken to calling him "Pek-tacular" on their Twitter accounts. The nickname surfaced Friday night after the Montenegro native generated his fourth consecutive double-double at Houston with a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in Minnesota's 111-98 victory.
Now the Wolves (15-16) are trying to persuade NBA Commissioner David Stern to add Pekovic to the Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star Weekend in Orlando, Fla. Stern added Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin and Miami's Norris Cole to the teams Thursday. The Wolves are asking: Why not Pek? "It's a shame they didn't look at him," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "I can understand Lin, but look around the league and see who's been doing things. Pek is a huge part of what we're doing now. As long as he keeps playing like he's playing, he'll get his due."
Pekovic has started the past eight games, and the Wolves are 4-4 in that stretch. His impact has been so significant that opposing coaches will have to start accounting for him in game plans.
"Maybe it's too late to add him to the game, but we're happy to have him," Wolves all-star forward Kevin Love said. "He's helping all of us a lot by drawing more attention from the other teams' big men. We've been able to get to the rim for layups or draw fouls. He's playing a great brand of basketball right now." Imagine the impact Pekovic would have had on the Wolves had he not missed the first seven games of the season with a groin injury. Even when he recovered, Adelman didn't give him much playing time.
"You look at Lin and Pek," Adelman said. "You stay ready, your opportunity comes, then maybe you're going to get the job."
Adelman was hoping Darko Milicic would assert himself in the middle, but Milicic has been slowed by injuries.
Adelman said after Saturday's practice he has no intention of taking Pekovic out of the starting lineup. Adelman made a subtle reference to Milicic when he praised Pekovic for being able to "finish around the basket." Milicic regularly missed layups or drives to the basket, a concern the Wolves haven't had to worry about much in the past three weeks.
"We're finishing now, and that's been a huge difference for us lately," Adelman said. "We've been able to do a lot more things inside with he and Kevin. They both open up things for each other. Pek has been a factor all the time when he's on the floor. The guy defending him can't let up on him, otherwise he's going to hurt him."
With his ability to catch the ball in traffic and score, his teammates' confidence in him is soaring. Wolves players are looking for Pekovic inside, and he's loving every minute of it.
"The game is lot of fun now for me, especially since we're winning," Pekovic said. "I just want to keep doing what I can to help us win games. It's a very good feeling to know my teammates are getting me the ball. I appreciate that a lot."
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19996938?source=rss
Pekovic has done a great job since stepping in for the disappointing Milicic. Interestingly, they are from the small neighboring countries of Serbia and Montenegro.
There have been rumors that Pau Gasol might come to the T'Wolves; but betw. Pekovic and Keving Love, Gasol woud be redundant.
What they really need is a small forward.
There have been rumors that Pau Gasol might come to the T'Wolves; but betw. Pekovic and Keving Love, Gasol woud be redundant.
What they really need is a small forward.