1993–94 Minnesota Timberwolves season

Off-season

The Timberwolves received the fifth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Isaiah Rider from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Mike Brown from the Utah Jazz.^[5][6][7]

Regular season

Despite the addition of Rider and Brown, the Timberwolves continued to struggle losing their first five games of the regular season, then posted two seven-game losing streaks in December and February, holding a 14–32 record at the All-Star break.^[8] At mid-season, the team traded Luc Longley to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Stacey King.^[9][10][11] The Timberwolves posted an eight-game losing streak in March, and lost their final ten games of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Midwest Division with a 20–62 record;^[12] the team missed the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.^[1]

Second-year star Christian Laettner averaged 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, while Rider finished second on the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Doug West provided the team with 14.7 points per game. In addition, Michael Williams contributed 13.7 points, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while King averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 18 games after the trade, and Chuck Person provided with 11.6 points per game, and led the Timberwolves with 100 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Thurl Bailey contributed 7.4 points per game, second-year guard Chris Smith provided with 5.9 points and 3.5 assists per game, and Brown averaged 3.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Rider won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest,^[14][15][16] and was also selected for the inaugural NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Phenoms team.^[17][18] The Timberwolves finished ninth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 733,419 at the Target Center during the regular season.^[13][19]

Aftermath

Following the season, Person signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs,^[20][21][22] while Bailey retired, and head coach Sidney Lowe was fired.^[23] Meanwhile, the Timberwolves were nearly sold to a group of investors that would have moved the team to New Orleans, Louisiana, despite the stellar attendance at the Target Center. However, the NBA Board of Governors vetoed the sale, and new owner Glen Taylor promised to keep the team in Minneapolis.^[24][25][26]

Season standings

Game log

Ragular season

Additions