West feature story (March 1990)
1989-90
Completed his rookie season in the NBA, playing in 52 games
Selected by Minnesota in the second round (38th overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft
Shot .281 in 23 Metrodome games, 493 in 29 road contests
Averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.3 minutes
Season highs of 23 points and 6 rebounds Dec. 9 at Atlanta
Also poured in a club-record 3 three-pointers vs. Hawks
1990-91
Appeared in 75 games, with one start (Feb. 16 at Utah)
Reached double figures six times, including a season-high 17 points April 14 at Philadelphia)
Surged in April, averaging 7.7 ppg on 52.3% shooting; he'd been scoring 3.3 ppg before that time
Had four double-figure efforts during April, and averaged 8.5 rebounds/48 minutes as well
Had a career-high eight rebounds Feb. 3 vs. Philadelphia
Season-high three assists April 15 vs. Sacramento
Played an average of 15.1 minutes over the last quarter of the season
The Wolves were 11-12 when he played 15 or more minutes
1991-92
Played in 80 games, missing the season opener vs. Utah (bruised thigh) and a March 18 contest at Golden State (sprained wrist)
Inserted into the starting lineup Nov. 20 at San Antonio, and started 72 of the final 74 games
Broke the club records for both field goal percentage (51.8%) and free throw percentage (80.5%)
Selected to participate in the Gatorade Slam Dunk Championship as part of All-Star Weekend in Orlando
In 35 games after the All-Star Break, averaged 15.7 ppg and 4.1 apg while shooting 53.7% from the floor
Led the team in assists on 12 occasions, dishing out a career-high 9 assists twice (Dec. 19 vs. L.A. Lakers, April 19 vs. Charlotte)
Tallied 20 or more points 18 times, including a career-high 28 Dec. 17 at Golden State; 12 of the 18 came on the road
Notched his first career point/rebound double-double Dec. 14 at Milwaukee (14 points, 10 rebounds)
Named the Wolves' Defensive Player of the Year by the Twin Cities media
Signed a four-year contract extension on April 6
1992-93
Played in 80 games, missing Feb. 24 vs. Seattle (sprained ankle) and April 23 at Dallas (one-game league suspension for making contact with an official)
Topped the Wolves in scoring (19.3 ppg), the third-highest mark in franchise history
Third straight year he's raised his scoring average
Led Minnesota in field goal accuracy (51.7%), ranking third among all NBA guards
Ranked 12th in the league in minutes (38.8 mpg)
Scored 20 or more points in each of his final six games, averaging 24.8 ppg in that stretch
The Wolves' leading scorer 31 times; scored 20+ on 41 occasions
Shot a career-best 84.1% from the free throw line, with a string of 36 in a row in early March
Scored a career-high 39 points Dec. 19 at Golden State, the third-highest single-game effort in club history
Hit 55.2% on the road, compared to 48.2% at Target Center
Lone holdover from Minnesota's inaugural season
1993-94
Hampered by injuries early in the season, missing nine December contests with two separate injuries — six due to a rib separation, and three with a sprained left ankle
Also sat out the March 13 game vs. the L.A. Lakers because of neck spasms
Started a total of 61 games, 39 at forward and 22 at guard
Minnesota's third-leading scorer (14.7 ppg)
Moved into second place on the Wolves' all-time scoring chart Feb. 18 vs. Cleveland
Scored the 4,000th point of his career April 8 at Boston
Became the franchise's all-time leader in games started (214) and minutes played (9,028) during the season as well
Tallied a season-high 30 points twice in an eight-day span (Jan. 29 at L.A. Clippers, Feb. 6 at Houston)
Led the Wolves in scoring 14 times
Minnesota's leading rebounder three times, including back-to-back games March 6 and March 8
1994-95
Became the Wolves' all-time leading scorer March 8 vs. Seattle, surpassing Tony Campbell's total of 4,888 points with two free throws at the 4:43 mark of the second quarter
Missed 11 games with five separate injuries; Minnesota went 2-9 in those 11
His 71 games played is his lowest total since his rookie season
Drew 65 starts, 57 at forward and 8 at guard
Shooting dipped to 43.8% after Christmas, after hitting 50.6% in his first 20 outings
Led the Wolves in scoring seven times, with a season-high 33 points Feb. 15 at Philadelphia
That game was the 400th of his career
Grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds as Minnesota upset Houston on Jan. 16
The Wolves went 15-24 in games he played 36 or more minutes, compared to 6-37 in all others
Topped the team in assists six times; averaged 4.8 assists/48 minutes over the final two months
Ranked 26th in the league in free throw percentage (83.7%), the second-best mark of his career
Scored his 5,000th career point April 7 at Dallas
Pulled down his 1,000th career rebound Dec. 26 vs. the L.A. Clippers
1995-96
Signed a contract extension on Oct. 5
Scoring average decreased for the third consecutive year; 6.4 ppg marked the first time in five seasons below double features
Missed nine games due to injury or illness — two (Dec. 22-23) with the flu, six (March 20-31) due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and one (April 8) with a sty on his left eye
Shot 44.5% from the field, his lowest since hitting 39.3% as a rookie
Made 16 starts — 12 at guard and 4 at forward
Reached double figures on 16 occasions, with a season-high 16 points March 17 vs. Vancouver
Had a team- and season-high 7 rebounds Nov. 17 at Toronto
Played in his 500th career game April 14 vs. Denver
Moved into second for Wolves' all-time steals March 8 vs. Seattle
Recorded his 1,000th career assist Jan. 15 vs. Sacramento
1996-97
Appeared in 68 games (66 starts), missing a total of 14 contests with five separate ailments (Dec. 23-26 and Jan. 3-9, sprained right wrist; Feb. 6, mid-back strain; March 7, flu; March 14-21, lower back strain; April 16, sprained left ankle)
Posted 21 double-figure outings, including a team- and season-high 19 points Dec. 11 at Chicago
Grabbed a season-high seven rebounds Jan. 28 vs. Sacramento
Became the Wolves' all-time steals leader in that game
Handed out a season-high six assists Dec. 8 at the L.A. Lakers
Hit 14 of his final 30 three-point attempts, after starting the season 1-for-15 from beyond the arc
Committed just eight turnovers in his final 17 games
Hit 49.1% of his field goal attempts at Target Center compared to 44.6% in road games
Scored his 6,000th career point March 26 at Denver
1997-98
Played in 38 games for the Wolves, averaging 4.1 points and 1.2 assists per game
Traded to Vancouver for guard Anthony Peeler
