Minnesota Timberwolves Walking Wounded Coming Back
Nov 15, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center
Tyson Chandler(6) passes as Minnesota Timberwolves center
Nikola Pekovic(14) defends during the second quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been hit very hard by the injury bug this season, but some of the walking wounded are finally returning.
Nikola Pekovic will play tonight for the first time since November 15. Per Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune:
Pek will come off bench, minutes will be limited
— Kent Youngblood (@BloodStrib) January 21, 2015
It stands to reason after missing over two months, it will take some time to get to full speed and to play his usual complement of minutes. Still, the Timberwolves lack size, so it will be good to see the giant Serb out on the floor again tonight. In the long run, I think all the extended minutes Gorgui Dieng racked up will be a positive, but this team is at its best when a healthy Pekovic is a part of it.
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Kevin Martin has been activated, but according to Flip Saunders per Youngblood, he will not play tonight. It still seems crazy to me that he broke his wrist on his shooting hand in the early goings of his best game of the season, scoring 37 points in a victory over the New York Knicks on November 19th. At this point everyone knows what Martin brings to the table, namely crafty scoring and a nice stroke from downtown. Getting him back into the mix will alleviate some of the pressure on Zach LaVine, allowing the rookie to step back a bit as he is learning the NBA game.
The most important injury return for the Timberwolves is still on hold for a bit. We will throw it back to Youngblood for an update on Ricky Rubio:
Flip: bone bruise, muscle tears have complicated Rubio's return
— Kent Youngblood (@BloodStrib) January 21, 2015
In other words, we now know what I feared as Rubio’s injury occured: This was not simply a high ankle sprain. The good news is that Rubio is practicing again. I am still hopeful he will be ready for the game against Cleveland coming up but the worst thing the Timberwolves could do is rush him.
Clearly, all that matters at this point this season is development. There has been talk of tanking, but this is the Timberwolves we are talking about so it’s not like they will win the NBA Draft Lottery anyway. What is still exciting is the prospect of watching a developing Andrew Wiggins run the floor with Ricky Rubio, a still recovering Shabazz Muhammad and the rest of our cast of characters. It is not a playoff berth, but it is something.