ShareThisA hard foul ignited some tough talk, a few forearm shoves and a typical basketball scrum that was heated but mostly harmless. Nikola Pekovic peeled back to make sure it became nothing more than that.
As officials restored order, Indiana Pacers guard Dahntay Jones singled out the Minnesota Timberwolves' resident bouncer.
"Hey, we don't want any of you," he told Pekovic. "We don't want to mess with you."
Jones was only joking, probably his attempt to lower the temperature on the court. But he had a valid point. It's not wise to mess with "Pek."
That's the mushrooming reputation of the Wolves' rugged second-year center from Montenegro.
Pekovic is a 6-11, 290-pound cinder block with 11 percent body fat and hands as thick as a Christmas ham. He has tattoos of medieval warriors holding swords on his left biceps and calf. His voice is Barry White deep and made even more intimidating by his Eastern-bloc accent. The theme music from "The Godfather" plays after he scores, and he looks like a guy who could, you know, take care of certain things.
At least that's his on-court persona.
"Sometimes people get the wrong impression about me," he said. "I'm just a normal guy."
His teammates attest to that.
"Pek is a big teddy bear," forward Anthony Tolliver said.
Pek a teddy bear?
"He has two personalities," Tolliver said. "One on the court, which is a big brute, big monster. Off the court, he likes to have fun, likes to laugh, jokes around a lot."
Which is a relief to those who come in contact with him most.
"If he was a real mean guy, I would be a little concerned, a little afraid," longtime athletic trainer Gregg Farnam said. "He's got a great personality and funny sense of humor."
Some find humor in the way Pekovic hammers defenders on screens like a linebacker and treats post players like bumper cars. His physical brand of basketball has endeared him to Wolves fans and earned him a spot in the starting lineup. His cult status seemingly grows by the game, not merely because he's Paul Bunyan strong but also because he's proven to be skilled.
He's averaging 14.2 points and 9.2 rebounds and shooting 62.8 percent in eight games as a starter in place of his good friend Darko Milicic. Pek has provided toughness and scoring inside. He fights for offensive rebounds, and he has displayed some nimble -- no, seriously -- footwork around the basket.
In doing so, he has become a fan favorite, alongside Love and Ricky Rubio.
Pek didn't always tower over other kids growing up in his beloved Montenegro, a small, picturesque European coastal country that hails itself the "Jewel of the Adriatic." He didn't even really like basketball that much. He loved to fish more than anything. He became serious about basketball his freshman year of high school after he sprouted 6 inches that summer.
He moved to Belgrade when he was 16 and played in the Serbian SuperLeague, followed by a two-year stint in Greece in the Euroleague. NBA teams admired his size and skill, but his lucrative multiyear contract in Greece deterred them from committing a first-round pick on him. The Wolves selected him with the first pick of the second round in 2008, but had to wait two years for his arrival.
His rookie season didn't go smoothly. "Tough on me," he said. He faced a difficult transition to a new culture and new style of basketball. He missed 13 games because of a badly sprained ankle. He regularly battled foul trouble as he adjusted to NBA officiating and learning the line between physical play and being overly physical.
"I bet he must have had a million pick-and-roll offensive fouls last year," said Houston coach Kevin McHale, who drafted Pekovic as the Wolves personnel boss. "I imagine he ran down the court last year and ran into people and they fell down, and he was like, 'That's what they're supposed to do when I hit them.' "
Pekovic is averaging fewer fouls this season despite playing eight minutes more per game. He's wiser but not any less physical.
"I'm just trying to do my job," Pekovic said. "I'm playing pretty much the same basketball I have all my life. It's basketball that I like."
(Email ascoggins(at)startribune.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Editors: This story is for print use only. Must credit Minneapolis Star Tribune
