"Who was that wearing No. 14 for the Timberwolves?

That No. 14 fellow had 23 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. He schooled hotshot young center DeMarcus Cousins. And once he even stole the ball at midcourt and drove for a layup. My roster sheet says No. 14 is Nikola Pekovic. Really? I'm surprised.

"I surprise myself a little bit how I run," big Pek said after the Timberwolves' 86-84 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

Earlier this season I compared Pekovic to a tree. And not in a good way. It wasn't that at 6-11 Pekovic was tall like a tree. Or that he projected a certain calmness, a certain serenity like a tree. No, I was suggesting that Pek's mobility was very treelike. So was his nimbleness. I watched a couple of Ricky Rubio passes bounce off his head. I watched him swing to his right like a big ol' rusty gate, only to leave the basketball behind. "