Questions Arise in Marques Johnson Trade : Clippers Say They Didn’t Know About His Treatment in a Rehab Center in 1983

When the newly arrived Clippers acquired Marques Johnson from Milwaukee in a trade they hoped would establish them in the Los Angeles market, the Bucks did not inform the Clippers that Johnson had undergone treatment at a drug rehabilitation center 14 months earlier, it has been learned.

Clipper President Alan Rothenberg said that if the Bucks had told him about the hospitalization, he would have “thought twice” about completing the late September trade that brought the former UCLA star back to Los Angeles, along with Junior Bridgeman and Harvey Catchings, in exchange for Terry Cummings and reserve guards Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce.

“I think for sure the Bucks were obligated to tell us,” said Rothenberg, who said he didn’t know about Johnson’s hospitalization until a reporter called his Los Angeles office Thursday. “If that’s true, we would have looked at the trade very carefully before completing it.”

Johnson declined to comment when asked about his stay at St. Mary’s Drug Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis in July, 1983. “I have no comment about it,” Johnson said Thursday before a Clippers’ game in San Antonio, adding, “I have nothing to do with drugs.”

Attempts to reach Johnson at his home Friday failed.

It is not known how long Johnson stayed at St. Mary’s or the type of treatment he received there.

Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer said that, before making the trade, he and Rothenberg had investigated rumors around the National Basketball Assn. that Johnson had a drug problem.

“I am convinced that, today, Marques Johnson is not on drugs,” Scheer said. “We checked substantiated sources, not rumored ones. . . . We called different people who associated with Marques, past and present teammates. I was sufficiently satisfied at the time we made the trade.”

The Clippers said, however, that they never asked the Bucks directly about the rumors.

“In the discussions of the trade, that didn’t come up,” said Rothenberg, who negotiated the deal with Bucks owner James Fitzgerald.

Scheer discussed the trade with Bucks Coach Don Nelson but said, “I don’t remember if I did or didn’t ask Don (whether or not Johnson had a drug problem). I’m not going to tell you that Don Nelson is a liar.”

Fitzgerald, reached by phone in Indianapolis where he will attend Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, said he would have no comment either on Johnson’s hospitalization or the Clippers’ claim that they should have been told.

Nelson, reached in Milwaukee, said he knew nothing about Johnson’s stay at St. Mary’s. “This is all new to me,” Nelson said.

Both Scheer and Rothenberg said they saw Fitzgerald Friday but did not discuss the matter with him.

“The ramifications of the whole thing might be serious,” Rothenberg said. “So I don’t want to shoot my mouth off until I get it solid.”

Since Johnson passed his Clipper physical upon joining the club in training camp, Scheer said he “did not think” the Clippers could void the trade. Under NBA rules, drug tests, which would only detect recent use, are not allowed in physicals.

“There is an ethical factor involved, if not a legal one,” Scheer said.

Rothenberg said: “You can’t unscramble an egg after it’s already been scrambled. If we decide to take some action, it won’t be (voiding the trade).”

When the trade was made, it was expected that the Clippers would receive immediate help from Johnson, who turned 29 Friday, whereas the Bucks would benefit in the long run with Cummings, a rising star at 23. It hasn’t turned out that way.

Cummings, currently the NBA’s 10th-leading scorer, is averaging 24.2 points a game, helping the Bucks move into first place in the Central Division. He was selected to represent the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game. Johnson, who has been bothered by various injuries, missed the entire exhibition season and nine games in the regular season. He is averaging 17.1 points a game, four below his career average, for the fifth-place Clippers. Bridgeman, however, has been effective off the bench.

“We studied this (trade) pretty carefully, weighing all the factors,” Scheer said. “Now, with Cummings going so well and Marques’ injury problems, it doesn’t look so good for us. His (injury) problems this season are a matter of bad luck.”

Rothenberg seemed upset when told of Johnson’s stay in a drug rehabilitation center.

“If it happened and it’s not publicly known, they are obligated to let us know,” Rothenberg said. “He passed his physical with us, but under league rules we can’t test a player for drugs. There had been rumors and we tried to check them out. Not rumors that he had been in a drug rehab center. But rumors that he had a (drug) problem. We were satisfied he didn’t.”

Rothenberg added: “The thing that absolutely frosts me is that there was a contingency in the deal that the Bucks would be able to check out Cummings with their own doctor before agreeing to the trade.”

During the negotiations, it was the Bucks who had reason to question a player’s health. Cummings suffers from arrhythmia, an irregular heart beat, that was first diagnosed in 1982. It has been controlled by Amiodarone, an experimental drug. Cummings remained healthy throughout last season, leading the Clippers in scoring.

Trade negotiations between the Bucks and Clippers began in February, 1984, when the Bucks, in search of a power forward for the playoffs, offered Johnson for Cummings in a straight-up deal. The Clippers turned them down. Then, the Clippers called the Bucks back in late summer and the Bucks added Bridgeman and Catchings to the deal.

The Clippers’ interest in Johnson was heightened when they moved to Los Angeles last May, figuring the former UCLA All-American would have strong local appeal. Johnson is also a four-time NBA All-Star whose presence at small forward, Scheer said at the time of the trade, “establishes us as a legitimate playoff contender.”

The Bucks, in addition to wanting a power forward, were rebuilding and wanted to unload Johnson’s contract, which pays him $900,000 this season and grows to $1.5 million by the 1988-89 season. Cummings is making $450,000 this season and $600,000 next season, the last of his contract.

“I’m still convinced the trade is going to be good for our team, when Marques comes back from all these injuries,” Rothenberg said. “I think he’ll really help. I said it when we made the deal and I’ll say it now, I’d bet that Marques will stay around as long or longer than Terry Cummings. People have to remember Terry’s heart problem.”