MINNEAPOLIS -- If the pillars are weak, the structure can crumble.
The Timberwolves believe they have a centerpiece around which to build by the name of Andrew Wiggins. But just below him on the food chain is a pair of veterans who played in a combined 53 games this year, underwent ankle operations toward the end of the season, and have displayed an alarming penchant for injuries since coming from Europe to the Twin Cities.
Point guard Ricky Rubio and center Nikola Pekovic are expected to make full recoveries after surgeries five days apart earlier this month, head coach and president Flip Saunders said. But after their latest prolonged absences characterized a 16-win season sideswiped by physical ailments, this summer will be a pivotal point for both players' careers.
And the franchise, for that matter.
"We've got to get them healthy how we can, from that perspective," Saunders said. "We'll do whatever we can."
The most recent effort therein began April 8 at Ortho Carolina in Charlotte, N.C., when Dr. Robert Anderson performed a debridement and repair of Pekovic's right Achilles tendon. April 13, the Southern California Orthopedic Institute's Dr. Richard Ferkel completed diagnostic arthroscopic surgery on Rubio's left ankle in Van Nuys, Calif.
Pekovic's right ankle damage dates back to at least 2012, when he had bone spurs removed from the area. In each of the past four seasons, the 6-foot-11, 295-pound big man has missed at least 17 games, including 28 last year and 51 in 2014-15.
Even when he was able to play this season, Pekovic was far from his post-dominant self. His 42.4-percent shooting clip was a career low, and his 12.5 points were his fewest since his rookie season.
"When thing keeps coming back again and again and again and again for years, it's like a month, then it's two months, then six months, a year, it's really tough," said Pekovic, who has grown increasingly concerned about his physical health after his basketball career. "It's just tough mentally just kind of to go through all this. You want to play. It just doesn't let you go, doesn't do anything, doesn't do much."
This offseason will be one of rest and recovery after an operation aimed at removing a damaged part of the Achilles tendon. Once that part is taken out, a surgeon repairs the remaining tendon with sutures or stitches.
According to the Arlington Orthopedic Associates website, it can take up to 12 months before someone who undergoes a debridement and repair is pain free. Saunders said it'll be at least 5-to-6 months before Pek is "where we need him to be" -- that is, able to give Minnesota 20-25 minutes a game, consistently, throughout an entire season.
"Doctors have given an indication that what they did in that surgery, he'll be able to do that," said Saunders, who inked Pekovic to a five-year, $60 million contract in 2013. "I know this: I know Pek, he and our medical people and everyone involved on his side and our side is doing everything we can to put him in a position to perform for us, so we'll see where that takes us."
Saunders said the team's new Mayo Clinic Square practice facility -- and its partnership with the well-known health system -- across the street from the Target Center should help Pekovic and the rest of his players stay healthy. The Wolves will also dedicate staff to work with Pekovic either in person or remotely throughout the offseason, as is the case with most of their under-contract players.
Pekovic is from Montenegro and usually spends most of his offseason there.
Rubio, on the other hand, is expected to be fully ready by the time training camp rolls around this fall. His procedure was more minor than that of Pekovic, but it still carries some of the same concerns.
After rolling his left ankle Nov. 5 at Orlando, the Spaniard played in just 22 games this year. He missed parts of his first two NBA seasons with a torn ACL before starting all 82 contests in 2013-14.
"It's been a tough season," said Rubio, who returned briefly in February and March but sat out 17 of the Wolves' final 18 contests this season. "I'm trying to get healthy, finding ways to get kind of healthy. I was playing with the pain, and at one point, I couldn't do it anymore."
Rubio won't play for Spain during Olympic qualifying this offseason. Instead, he'll focus solely on the necessary rehab and recovery for his ankle.
"Priority this summer is my health," he said. "In four years, I only have one good season, like 82-game season, so I owe this team a lot."
With Rubio signing a four-year, $55 million (plus $1 million in incentives) extension early last season, he and Pekovic could take up as much as 37.9 percent of Minnesota's 2015-16 payroll.
That's a lot of coin for a pair of players developing a troubling injury history. But it's something every team has to deal with, Saunders said.
"I'm sure Oklahoma City (which fired coach Scott Brooks on Wednesday) is thinking right now they could be in the playoffs if (Kevin) Durant hadn't gotten hurt," Saunders said. "You have no control over what happens to players. It's a very dynamic game, and good players get hurt, and sometimes good players get hurt continuously, and what you have to do is deal with it.
"What you hope to do is you hope to build a team that has enough balance and depth that you can overcome that a little bit."
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