A Match That’s Not Made in Heaven

Et tu, Lamar?

Donald T. Sterling must be wondering what more he could do. He gave Elton Brand $82 million, breaking the team record -- by $67 million -- plus $42 million to Corey Maggette, not to mention the $60 million they offered Gilbert Arenas, who didn’t even play for them, which was another first.

Of course, there’s still a little gap between Sterling’s reality and the actual thing.

This was a herculean effort for Sterling but came a little late for his players, because all the ones who could leave did (Michael Olowokandi, Eric Piatkowski and Sean Rooks), and all the restricted free agents accepted offer sheets, including Brand, Maggette and Lamar Odom, who were supposed to be their core guys.

This wasn’t hard to predict because general managers all over had this summer circled on their calendars from the time the Clippers put this group together. With a group of agents advising them how to front-load deals to make it even harder for Sterling to match, they attacked in concert like killer whales.

Now with Olowokandi, Piatkowski and Andre Miller gone and Odom, Sterling’s longtime favorite, hoping to play for that nice Pat Riley, they’re down to this:

Match Miami’s six-year, $64-million offer or start rebuilding again.

That’s not a happy choice. I’ve always been as keen to spend Sterling’s money as he was to keep it but, even recognizing Odom’s potential and the Clippers’ predicament, this is off the charts.

Putting aside Odom’s two suspensions, the 84 games he missed the last two seasons and this summer’s pout after the Clippers offered only $8 million a season, Odom hasn’t come close to realizing his potential and he’s a four-year veteran.

At his zenith in his second season, he averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. In his third and fourth seasons with Brand here, the offense no longer went through Odom, who no longer looked as special. His numbers slid to 13-6-6 in 29 games and 14-7-4 in 49 games, respectively.

That’s before one gets to his stability, as one should because he would single-handedly take up 20% of the Clippers’ cap space through 2009.

He drew two suspensions for failing to abide by the drug program. Insiders don’t think he tested positive in either case; he didn’t show up for tests or return league officials’ calls.

He was a disaster as a patient. With his left wrist in a cast in 2001-02, he dunked a basketball right-handed while watching practice, landed on a ball and injured an ankle, putting him out the rest of the season. That spring, he took his soft cast off the ankle, after which the medical staff put it back in a hard cast so Odom couldn’t mess with it.

Nonetheless, the team never wavered in its support. Odom was on the list in July with Brand, Maggette and Arenas when Sterling gave the startling go-ahead to spend whatever it took.

That meant signing Odom quickly. With his agent, Jeff Schwartz, volunteering to take a short-term deal, the Clippers offered $24 million over three seasons.

The problem wasn’t the team’s generosity, which was unprecedented. The problem was Odom no longer wanted to be here.

Of course, the slick move would have been to sign Olowokandi and renounce Odom, putting the Clippers in position to get Arenas, another high-priced young comer who, at least, is tracking upward.

Now, Odom is doing his angry number for the Miami Herald (“To sign somebody back out of spite is gutless and is sorry. I just want to get as far away from the Clippers as possible”), ESPN.com, et al., hoping to provoke the Clippers into turning him loose.

Where did they get the idea Sterling cares? After Brand signed his offer sheet with Miami, he called Sterling personally, begging to be let go. See how fast Odom, who says he’s “disgruntled,” gets un-gruntled if he learns he’s back here for six years.

Amazingly enough, the Clippers say that’s where this is headed. Elgin Baylor, distressed at the sight of his roster melting away, has been promising Miami officials that they’ll match, refusing to even entertain sign-and-trade offers.

Clipper officials say the market has determined Odom’s value but that’s not quite true. The market has determined Odom’s price.

Personally, I couldn’t do it. If they had re-signed Olowokandi and it hadn’t worked out, they could have unloaded him because he’s a 7-foot center. Odom’s a small forward and will be hard to move at those numbers.

This is still Clipperdom, a cobwebbed castle that runs on its own time, according to the whim of its quirky monarch.

Remember last summer when Sterling didn’t sign anyone because, as usual, he didn’t think he had to? Now might be a good time to re-think that one.

Then by the time he gave the go-ahead on Brand, Odom, Maggette and Arenas this summer, it was mid-July and the other teams, who’d already spent weeks wining and dining free agents -- many of them Clippers -- were well along in negotiations.

Olowokandi was written off here months ago, even as it became obvious he could be had cheap. He spent months signaling he was open to staying but by the end, when the Clippers actually put in the high bid (a deal starting at $6 million, to Minnesota’s $4.9 million), he just wanted out.

Not that the Clippers can’t make it work with Odom, but it’s not exactly a sure thing.

Of course, it’s important to focus on the future, rather than dwell on the mistakes of the past, however familiar.

Look at the bright side: maybe the gods will drop another budding powerhouse in their lap.