Laettner Is Tougher Than He Looks : Pro basketball: Stylish rookie from Duke already making an impact with Timberwolves.

As the lone collegiate representative on America’s “Dream Team,” Christian Laettner was an easy target for his celebrated NBA teammates who continuously needled him about his cover-boy looks and the usual entourage of teeny-boppers seeking his attention.

“He’s a nice player, but he’s not that good-looking,” Charles Barkley remarked.

But Laettner, 1992’s College Player of the Year who led Duke to consecutive NCAA championships, is used to people judging his basketball talents on the basis of his clean-cut features and prep school upbringing.

“I’m thin, and I don’t look like a convict, so people constantly question my toughness,” said the 6-foot-11, 235-pound lottery pick who now leads the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.

But Laettner, who hit a buzzer-beating, game-winning shot to stun Kentucky in last year’s NCAA East Regional final, has repeatedly silenced the critics with his fierce will to win and grace under pressure.

It has always been thus for the kid from Angola, N.Y., a small town some 30 miles southwest of Buffalo. When he attended nursery school, a teacher sent him home with a message for his mother: “Christian has too much self-confidence.”

Some Duke teammates, who felt the lash of Laettner’s barbs his last two years in Durham, N.C., translated that to mean arrogance.

“Christian was tough on us,” said point guard Bobby Hurley. “He would never not say something.”

But Laettner, who was a starter and self-anointed leader as a freshman, insists that it was just his way to push his teammates to excel.

“My problem is being brutally honest, and a lot of people don’t like that,” he said. “At times, I may be too competitive, but I think my teammates appreciate that. I just don’t want to play with any slouches.”

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski saw his All-American forward in a different light.

“His competitiveness burns inside him like a forest fire,” he said. “And he’s a lot stronger, meaner and tougher than some people think.”

As an instant starter for the Wolves, Laettner, who was the third player chosen in the draft after Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning, has put up creditable numbers, averaging 18.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, second only to small forward Chuck Person. And he has not backed down from the challenge of playing the NBA’s premier power forwards.

And wouldn’t you know it? Laettner is not surprised by his success.

“When I was growing up near Buffalo, I played on a YMCA team against a lot of inner-city kids and held my own,” he told The New York Post. “And people said I was good because I was tall. You always have to prove yourself on different levels of competition.”

Wolves officials say he is just scratching the surface of his potential.

“I think Christian is really going to blossom when he realizes the things he does well and utilizes those gifts,” General Manager Jack McCloskey said. “I think he’ll eventually have all the credentials to back up everything he thinks of himself.”

Laettner takes no offense when critics compare him to his predecessor at Duke, Danny Ferry, who was labeled a major disappointment in his first year in the NBA after playing a season in Italy.

“It blows my mind when people complain about Danny not doing well with the Cavaliers,” he said. “You’ve got to look at Cleveland’s other big men -- Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams -- and realize how good they are, and why Danny doesn’t play a lot of minutes. But this talk still trickles down to me, and I have to prove myself once more.”

Laettner, who has appeared on the cover of GQ, is fast developing a cult following in Minnesota. He already has as many area endorsements as Twins superstar Kirby Puckett, and recently had a McDonald’s burger christened “32,” after his uniform number.

Said his agent, Ed Tiryakian, “We’re close to a shoe deal with Nike or Adidas. What we’re looking for in Christian’s first year from endorsements is a little over $500,000, and then things should escalate.”

Signing Laettner to his six-year package worth $21.7 million also translated into increased sales for the Wolves, who sold more than 2,000 season-ticket packages this year.

“None of this is going to change how I am,” Laettner said. “It might change me in some ways, but not in important ways.”

One major adjustment is learning to live with losing streaks after experiencing only a handful of losses his four years at Duke. The youthful Wolves (2-7) are caught in a five-game skid.

“We’re going to have to be mentally tough,” he said. “Hopefully, losing will motivate me even more than winning did.”