MINNEAPOLIS -- In the curious case of Nikola Pekovic, newfangled training regimens couldn't keep him healthy. Nor could periodic rest or intended minutes limits.
So the Timberwolves are resorting to more drastic measures. The team announced Thursday its 6-foot-11, 295-pound center -- and highest-paid player this season -- will undergo surgery on his right Achilles next Wednesday, April 8 in Charlotte, N.C.
Dr. Robert Anderson will repair and perform a debridement in the right ankle that's cost Pekovic nearly half of Minnesota's games the past two season. The 29-year-old from Montenegro played in just 31 games this year and 54 last season.
Coach and president Flip Saunders announced Monday that Pek would be shut down for the season. Wednesday, he said the team would explore all possible avenues to "get things taken care of."
"We've got to do something," Saunders said. "We're not going to just sit there. We've tried different ways to let it heal. We've got to just see other people and try to be as proactive as we can."
Thanks to a series of nagging injuries, Pekovic has played in just 65.7 percent of the Wolves' contests since his 2010 debut.
But this ankle ailment has been the worst, at least in terms of longevity. Pekovic sat out 28 of Minnesota's final 39 games last season -- after new members of the team's training staff had him on a strict exercise plan aimed at limiting wear and tear on his bulging muscles and large bones.
He wasn't able to train much during the offseason while recovering, and it didn't take long for the ankle, along with a sore wrist, to flare up again this year.
Pekovic signed a five-year, $60 million extension in 2013. Since then, he hasn't lived up to his goal of becoming a durable player.
The Wolves still owe him almost $36 million over the next three seasons.
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