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by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Riley force fed humble pie | Cartwright goes old school | Random Game Notes | Peep Show

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The Clippers of last season were considered the NBA's future. The Clipps were the hippest, most exciting and athletic young team in the NBA. One year later, that image is quickly eroding.

Yes, they're still hip, exciting, athletic and young. But instead of playing for the future, they resemble lame ducks.

After a summer of stonewalling and tight-fisted contract negotiations, the future of the Clipps has never looked so grim. To other teams around the league, the Clipps have become the NBA's equivalent of the Home Shopping Network.

They'll come to an arena near you, audition right in front of your coaches' eyes, and they can be yours for as little as a seven-year, $80 million contract. There's only one catch. You have to wait until July 2003 for delivery.

Michael Olowokandi

Center

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 17.1 10.2 1.2 .518 .655

You know by now that the Clippers will have a whopping seven free agents on the market this summer. Three, Michael Olowokandi, Eric Piatkowski and Sean Rooks, are unrestricted. Four others, Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom and Corey Maggette, will be restricted free agents. And did we mention that Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling become eligible for rookie extensions?

"I think a lot of GMs — I know I do — look at their roster and it's just loaded with talent, young talent," Heat coach Pat Riley said earlier this week when the Clippers showed up in Miami.

Young, available talent. In a league that has changed the rules to limit free-agent defections, young, available talent is in short supply these days. The free-agent market this summer was virtually devoid of proven young players worthy of big contracts. Next summer, it will be a little better, in large part thanks to Clipps owner Donald Sterling.

Sterling missed an opportunity to work things out when he had the chance. Somehow, the Pacers managed to lock up all of their young players without breaking the bank. By most accounts, the Clippers didn't even try. Olowokandi's negotiations dragged into September before agent Bill Duffy pulled the plug and took the Clipps' one-year tender offer. Brand was reportedly ready to settle for less than the max to remain in L.A., but his agent, David Falk, terminated the discussions when GM Elgin Baylor couldn't bring a credible offer to the table.

Elton Brand

Forward-Center

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 16.0 12.8 2.4 .510 .638

In the end, Sterling surprised no one by keeping his wallet shut and his players searching the want ads.

As you would expect, the move caused chaos in the Clippers' locker room. Players, uncertain of their future, have been downright surly this year and the Clipps are off to a disappointing 3-5 start.

Coach Alvin Gentry feels their pain.

"We can't do one thing as far as contracts until the season is over," he said of the rule banning negotiations until July 1. "I think what we have to do is we have to set goals to accomplish on the court and then, after that, whatever is going to happen is going to happen.

"I think it's a distraction, but obviously it's just kind of the way it is. I think our guys have handled it well. I don't see any selfish plays on the court for us. I understand, as a coach, I've got to be a little sympathetic with their situations, so there might be times when a guy plays a few extra minutes, because I understand how important stats are when you're a player and you're in a contract year."

With no one expecting to Sterling to match a big offer, teams are already getting in line for the Clipps' free-agent fire sale eight games into the season. On every road trip, players and Gentry are asked the same thing. Does this Clippers team have a future?

If you listen to the players, it sure doesn't sound like it.

In Miami, Olowokandi told the Sun Sentinel he's getting tired of being neglected.

"It would be nice if management did [take care of its players], but I very much doubt it."

Olowokandi told the Sun Sentinel that the Heat would be near the top of his free-agent shopping list. "Pat Riley is the kind of coach any player should definitely be honored to play for. He runs a first-class caliber type of system that gets the best out of players. Take how Ike Austin played with the Clippers than he did with Miami. . . I want to experience what it takes to win, to be in the front line where I'm exposed to what I have to do to win. So when I get on a team that does take care of its players, you know what it takes to be a good team player."

A day later, the Sun Sentinel did its second major Clipps feature, this time on Odom. Odom had a secret workout with the Heat just before the draft and reportedly bonded with Riley. "I feel like in those couple of days I built a little relationship with Coach," Odom said. "Maybe we'll meet up again one day. I hope so. . .If it was another place besides L.A., I'd say Miami would probably be my first choice. When your contract is up, even when you love a city, love the guys on your team, one day you might be somewhere else."

Andre Miller

Point Guard

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 17.4 4.4 8.9 .400 .824

Today, the Rocky Mountain News ran a full story about the Nuggets' potential salary-cap room next summer (close to $18 million) and the Clippers' top two targets — Olowokandi and Maggette. It's no coincidence that the Clippers are in town tonight.

Although NBA rules don't permit GM Kiki Vandeweghe to discuss players under contract to another team, you get the feeling he is looking west toward the Clippers like everyone else.

Vandeweghe had dinner this summer with Olowokandi, then a restricted free agent. Vandeweghe no doubt told Olowokandi, who is setting himself up for big bucks by averaging 17.3 points and 10.9 rebounds, to keep the Nuggets in mind next summer. Teams like Denver may have an advantage. Because of their cap space, they'll have the ability to go after two top-tier free agents. Since the Clippers are so tight, you can envision how the scenario might unfold.

"Because we can go after two guys, we can go after a free agent and say, 'Who do you want to play with? Pick a guy.' " Vandeweghe said. "Then we can go after him."

The speculation won't stop here.

Olowokandi's name will come up again when the Clipps hit San Antonio. The Jazz will have $21 million in cap room next summer and are already rumored to have recruitment plans for Miller and Brand, two good guys who fit into Jerry Sloan's blue collar work ethic. The Sonics are said to have Brand just a tick below Jason Kidd on their free-agent radar. The Wizards still have their eyes on Miller.

That about does it for team with max cap space. But a handful of other teams like the Knicks, Grizzlies, Mavs and T-Wolves will be willing to throw their full mid-level exceptions at anyone else who falls off the map.

It's conceivable that the Clippers' entire starting lineup won't be in L.A. next season. If that happens, it will be time for David Stern and the rest of the NBA owners to step in and do what they should've done a long time ago. Put the Clipps in the NBDL and deem them the NBA's feeder franchise. If things keep going at this pace, that's all they are.

Clippers free agents attractive targets

Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News

It all centers on Olowokandi

Harvey Fialkov / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Odom wouldn't mind playing for Riley

Ira Winderman / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Sterling doomed to repeat himself

Mark Heisler / Los Angeles Times

Riley force fed humble pie

Pat Riley's reign on top of the NBA coaching world is over. His new role as a mortal is taking its toll. Life for a good coach on a good team is glamourous and exhilarating. Life for a good coach on a bad team is purgatory. No matter how well Riley coaches this season, the losses will keep coming and coming and coming.

"I'm just another coach now," Riley tells the Miami Herald. "Take my name off the marquee.

"I'm humbled. I've always had players who knew how to do it. In fact, they probably knew more about their positions than I did."

Now Riley is playing two overworked veterans, an upstart rookie and a bunch of young players you've never heard of. The loss of Alonzo Mourning to an unexpected kidney illness has devastated the franchise and has left Riley groping for answers and solace in the wake of another miserable season.

"It started with Alonzo and ended with him," Riley says. "That's why we're starting again. We need to get the anchor. . .I can't be it. I'm a good leader, but we need to get a player, an anchor, and create a hope again with the people because a lot of our fans have probably lost hope."

"This is not something we're trying to run away from," Riley told Newsday. "Last year, we tried to plant a lot of Band-Aids on the team with one-year contracts. This year, we're committed to developing players and rebuilding the team. I don't like the word rebuilding, because it allows you an excuse to lose, and the players hang their hat on that. I'm still coaching to win. I still want the players to play to win, not play to lose."

It probably isn't time to lose hope just yet. The Heat will have around $12 million in cap room to throw at a major free agents next summer. At the top of their list is Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd. After that the list includes Michael Olowokandi, Jermaine O'Neal, Lamar Odom, you name it.

Heat's Riley: Take my name off the marquee

Dan Le Batard / Miami Herald

Riley Forced To Look Far Down Road

Barbara Barker / Newsday

Future free agents would be just the thing for the Heat

Harvey Fialkov / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Cartwright goes old school

Hubie Brown's edict on Wednesday — "You either play or you sit" — seems to be catching on.

Bulls coach Bill Cartwright brushed off complaints by several Bulls players, mainly Eddie Robinson, about roles and playing time Thursday in an unusual Hubie-esque manner.

"Playing time is really simple," Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm going to give 10 guys an opportunity to play. If you want more playing time, you work hard in practice and play your [butt] off in games. And you play well. If you're doing that, you'll stay. If you don't, the guys who are playing better than you will stay.

"We [coaches] reevaluate ourselves and our decisions every game. I didn't see anything in looking at the tape [Thursday] morning to tell me that I was wrong in what I did." Cartwright has been upset with Robinson's defense and shot selection. Robinson has played six minutes in each of the last two games.

"He's going to have to guard better," Cartwright said. "He's going to have to make a shot; that'd be pretty good. When that happens, he'll stay."

Robinson is still livid over the apparent snub. "They were telling me all summer when they were wanting me as a free agent [in 2001] that I was going to play major minutes," Robinson said. "What happened to that? I went through sitting out last year [because of injury]. Now that I'm healthy, I should have the opportunity to play basketball.

"OK, I'm not starting and I didn't complain about that. But now I come off the bench and it's like one mistake and come sit down. That's frustrating as [censored]."

Robinson's complaints come on the heels of disgruntled comments by Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer and, at times, even rookie Jay Williams. Factor in that the Bulls' best player, Jalen Rose, is reportedly trade bait and things seem to be headed down a familiar, dysfunctional path in Chicago.

GM Jerry Krause isn't worried. "That's just a young man who's frustrated. He wants to do better and help the organization. I don't mind a player doing that. It's the guys who don't want to play that I don't like."

Play hard or sit

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Robinson doesn't like sitting Bull role

Lacy Banks / Chicago Sun-Times

Let Bulls bloom with Rose

Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun-Times

Random Game Notes

You knew, eventually, it was going to come to this in Washington. The old guys are starting to take over and the young kids, once again, are getting pushed to the back of the bus. Winning is still king whenever Michael Jordan is on the floor. Development can happen later when he's watching the team from the owner's box.

Thursday night, against a veteran Jazz squad, the Wizards' young guns -- Kwame Brown, Larry Hughes and Jared Jeffries — played 21, 19 and 14 minutes, respectively. My, how things have changed. On opening night, Brown logged 40 minutes, Hughes played for 39 and Jeffries got 16. Since then, Hughes' and Jeffries' minutes have been all over the board, 30 minutes one night, 16 the next. But Brown's have been steadily declining. Brown has slipped from 40 minutes, to 30 minutes, down to the low 20s over the last few games.

Meanwhile, Jordan's numbers are slowly creeping up from the 30-minute cap coach Doug Collins said he was going to adhere to. Thursday night Jordan logged 34 minutes. Jordan averaged about 25 mpg in his first four games. In his last four, he's averaging 31 mpg.

The surprise emergence of Charles Oakley in the fourth quarter Thursday night fuels the speculation. Oakley used his toughness and veteran savvy to shut down Karl Malone.

Maybe Collins was inspired by the Jazz's collection of antiques. "It's a generation of players that absolutely loves competition, loves to play and can't get enough of it," Collins told the Washington Post. "I saw Michael out there and I saw Stockton and Malone and it was like a flashback when I was broadcasting for NBC. I watched them just go at each other and then Oak stepped into the fray."

After a couple of miserable defensive performances, the Magic turned up the heat on the Clippers Thursday night and waltzed away with a 20-point victory. Orlando held the Clippers to 39.7 percent shooting. The Magic outrebounded them 52-33 and forced the Clipps into 19 turnovers. It may have taken nine games for Doc Rivers to unveil the team's defense, but it was a thing of beauty.

At one point, Shawn Kemp dove to the floor a steal. I haven't seen Kemp dive for anything that didn't have the words "all-you-can-eat" on it in years. Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill, two excellent defenders, decided to put more energy on that end as well and the Clippers simply couldn't match their physicalness.

With a dearth of decent NBA games going on Thursday night, I must admit that I flipped over to ESPN's telecast of the Syracuse-Memphis game to check out freshman Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, if you remember, was on the verge of declaring for the NBA draft because of uncertainty surrounding his test scores. Had he declared, he would have likely been a mid first-round pick.

With Amare Stoudemire blocking shots for the Suns, Anthony is without question the top freshman product in the NCAA right now. He didn't disappoint Thursday. Anthony scored 21 points in the first half, sometimes in spectacular fashion. He had a beautiful one-handed dunk early in the game and on another possession faked out two defenders and then stepped back and calmly hit a three. The key word for Anthony, in his NCAA debut, was calm. He not only looked like he belonged, he played like he owned the place.

Admittedly, things got tougher in the second half. He was held scoreless over the last eight minutes and missed several key free throws. But as far as freshman debuts go, he'll have NBA scouts all hot and sweaty. If he keeps it up, it will be one and done for Anthony with a probable lottery slot awaiting him.

A Veteran Presence For Wizards

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Magic resort to some hard ball

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Syracuse's Anthony, Memphis' Hunt draw kudos in first action

Bob Herzog / Newsday

Peep Show

Knicks: Latrell Sprewell is practicing again and Don Chaney couldn't be happier. "Naturally he's going to try to prove 'I'm back and I can help this team win,' which is what I want, but I don't expect any other difference," Chaney told the N.Y. Times. "He's a leader. He's our best defender in the backcourt. He gives us another option to go to offensively, and he gives us another athletic body. He brought a lot of energy to practice. He was very vocal. He's very explosive. We're very happy that he's back, and it showed."

Rockets, Lakers: It looks like the anticipated showdown between Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming won't take place after all, the Houston Chronicle reported. O'Neal isn't expected to return from his toe injury until Nov. 22, when the Lakers play the Bulls. That means O'Neal, who stirred up controversy this week by referring to the Rockets' 7-foot-5 center as "Yao Who?" will miss his chance to "welcome" Yao to the NBA. The Rockets travel to Los Angeles on Sunday.

Bucks: It looks like veteran Toni Kukoc has played his way into George Karl's starting lineup. Karl said he plans to play Kukoc in place of rookie center Dan Gadzuric. "I don't know," Karl told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I've got 10 guys who want to play and deserve to play. I'm open to see where it goes. You might see Toni for Danny in some instances. Toni makes us go. Our bench is playing better than our starters now."

Sonics: Desmond Mason claims he's not going to be unrealistic when he heads into extension negotiations with the Sonics this summer. "I'm realistic," Mason told the Tacoma Tribune. "Agents are going to be agents. But I am realistic. When it comes down to when we need to start talking about renegotiating contracts, my voice will be heard and I am not going to be unrealistic with myself or my organization or my teammates. That is the way I am going to approach it. When it is time to talk about that we will, and we will look at numbers and other contracts and other salaries and we will go about it that way."

Cavs: The good news for the Cavs is that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is averaging 19.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.88 blocked shots. The better news is that health-wise, he's holding up well. "It's almost been two years since the surgery," he told the Morning Journal. "It's always in the back of my mind. Whatever happens is fine with me. If I'm done tomorrow, I know I did everything I could. Obviously, I hope that doesn't happen, but I'd be OK moving on."

Raptors: Antonio Davis, almost 100 percent sure to return from a sprained rib to face the Nuggets, wants to ease himself back into the offense and not dominate it because things have been working pretty well since he's been on the sidelines. "My only [concern] is that they try to change everything because I'm back," Davis told the Toronto Star. "That's not what I want to happen. They've been getting up and down the floor really well, they've had a lot of movement in their offence, they're helping each other on defence so I want that to continue."

Pacers: Reggie Miller (ankle) and Austin Croshere (foot) went through an entire practice for the first time Thursday. The veterans opened the regular season on the injured list. Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said there is no date set for the return of either player. "They've got a little rust on them, but it's good to have them back," Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "They'll let the medical staff know when they're ready to play."

Nuggets: Chris Whitney is listed as probable for Denver's game tonight at Toronto. But there's little doubt in his mind about whether he'll be in uniform. "I'm going to make it happen," Whitney told the Rocky Mountain News. "I'm going to say that I'm going to play." Whitney injured his ankle a week ago, but he's ready to play through the pain. "I'm sure it's an injury that's going to linger. It's not going to heal until you have complete rest, and that won't happen."

Heat: Sean Marks underwent surgery Thursday to alleviate pain in the plantar fascia of his right foot. Marks is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. "He's been playing hurt all year, so we just hope this cleans it up a bit," coach Pat Riley told the Sun Sentinel. "Maybe in four weeks he'll be ready to roll again and we'll have him when it counts."

Mavs, Celtics: Great story today in the Fort Worth Star Telegram about Dallas' agonizing draft day decision in 1998 between Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce. "We saw both players as being future All-Stars, we saw them as having the ability to be very, very special for a long period of time, and we saw them as cornerstones for franchises," coach Don Nelson said. "But our feeling was with Dirk we had a guy that had the ability to play center, power forward and small forward, so versatility was the thing that tipped the scales for us."

Knicks Welcome Sprewell's Return

Steve Popper / New York Times

Rockets summary

Janny Hu / Houston Chronicle

Shaq Starting to Feel Bullish About Return

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Spark plug Kukoc on Karl's mind

Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

More than money

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Z the man in the middle for Cavs

Bob Finnan / Lorain Morning Journal

Davis wary return may spoil mix

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

U.S. team's failure out of coach's mind

Sekou Smith / Indianapolis Star

Dedicated to his point

Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News

Marks is sidelined 4-6 weeks

Harvey Fialkov / South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A draft that couldn't fail

Dwain Price / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

[jaywalker72]

Thanks for always posting the Insider.....