Is it Mith'thrawn'nurudo Mi'thrawn'nurudo Mith'thrawn'urudo Mith'thraw'nurudo or something different?
Thrawn's full name is yet another testament to Zahn's "originality." What was one of Gandalf's other names? Oh yeah.
Yes, I noticed the "Mithrandir" thing as well. Wouldn't consider it a sign of inoriginality, though. Assuming that it's intention (which I'm not so sure about), it could also be classified as a tribute. Didn't Kathy Tyers also name a couple of Vong creatures in BP after the swords from The Hobbit?
Dev... I agree a single instance of lack of originality may be a tribute. However, an entire trilogy filled with "tributes" including major characters, plots, situations, etc. is... less so.