Wilkes Waived, Ending an 8-Year Laker Career

After 8 seasons, 575 games and 10,601 points, Jamaal Wilkes became a former Laker Wednesday.

The Lakers put the 33-year-old forward on waivers, then wished him luck in finding another place to play.

To do that, Wilkes may not even have to leave town. The Clippers are interested but only if he clears waivers and can be signed to a $70,000 league-minimum contract.

If the Clippers, or any other team, claimed Wilkes during the 48-hour waiver period, they would have to assume his contract. Wilkes is guaranteed more than $2.4 million through the 1987-88 season. Even if Wilkes is not claimed, the Lakers still must pay him the difference between his existing contract and the amount he would be paid by another team.

“Jamaal passing through waivers at a realistic salary is very attractive,” Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer said. “At his old contract, he is not.”

At least two other teams--the New York Knicks and the Washington Bullets--are also interested in Wilkes, according to Edward Davis, a spokesman for the forward.

The Lakers, however, are not interested in Wilkes, which was not exactly a shock to the 11-year veteran. Wilkes said he had long sensed that something would happen to him that would end his playing career with the Lakers.

“I feel emptiness and some hurt, but to a small degree, I anticipated something happening,” he said. “I wasn’t as shocked as I could have been. I could see a pattern emerging.”

The pattern was cut out to fit James Worthy, who replaced Wilkes at the starting small-forward position last season. The Lakers won the NBA championship series with Worthy, not with Wilkes, who tore ligaments in his left knee in February and did not play again.

Wilkes said he had worked hard to rehabilitate his knee and that it is in good shape. General Manager Jerry West said that Wilkes passed one test when he showed he could run well during the summer league games.

“I think he proved he can be a very productive player,” West said.

But not apparently to the Lakers, who, for the second time since the season ended, moved a high-salaried veteran player off the roster. First, it was Bob McAdoo, who would have made $933,000 this coming season, then Wilkes, who will make $860,000.

West said, however, that the decision to put Wilkes on waivers had not come easily, and not just because the team may have to eat most of his contract.

“A ton of money,” West said.

West called Wilkes to the Forum, where they met for several hours Tuesday morning, and West told him he would be put on waivers.

“There was no easy way,” West said.

Wilkes said he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear.

“I knew we weren’t going to talk about a contract extension,” Wilkes said.

By waiving Wilkes, the Lakers are now in a position to sign A.C. Green, their No. 1 draft choice. Under the rules of the salary cap, the Lakers can claim half of Wilkes’ salary and use it for another player.

If Wilkes signs with someone else, only the amount that team pays him, not the $860,000 contract, would count against that team’s salary cap, which also might make him more attractive to another NBA club.

Wilkes said he would rather have finished his career with the Lakers.

Rookie of the Year at Golden State in 1974-75, Wilkes played three seasons with the Warriors before he signed with the Lakers as a free agent. He made the All-Star team three times and played on three NBA title teams, although he was not a major force on last season’s. He played in a career-low 42 games, his season cut short when the Knicks’ Ernie Grunfeld ran into his left knee in a game at the Forum Feb. 1.

Three days later, Wilkes had arthroscopic surgery, and he wore a cast on his knee for six weeks. He considered retiring then.

“But I wasn’t able to do it then and I’m not able to do that now,” he said.

The Lakers won despite his absence. They were 45-7 through the rest of the regular season and the playoffs with Worthy at small forward. Actually, Worthy had replaced Wilkes much earlier in the season.

When the Lakers got off to a 3-5 start, Coach Pat Riley benched Wilkes for Worthy, and the lineup stayed that way. Wilkes was just beginning to work his way into Riley’s regular substitution pattern when he tore up his knee in the game against the Knicks. It turned out to be the last game Wilkes played as a Laker.

Wilkes said he wasn’t sure how much he would be missed, even though he had played eight years with the Lakers.

“I was always treated great by the fans, but fans are fans,” he said. “I’m sure some will miss me and I’m sure some won’t care. They could say, ‘Hey, we won the championship without him.’ ”

Wilkes’ agent, Naomi Wilkes, who is his sister, said that the waiver decision had to be looked upon as a business situation.

“It’s a little strange because of the long and close relationship Jamaal had with the Lakers, but (owner) Dr. (Jerry) Buss has been fair,” she said. “We don’t think of it as a personal thing. It’s a business thing. There is no animosity.”

Her brother is “a great NBA performer,” she said, adding that she expects to speak to a number of teams once the waiver period expires.

One offer, from an Italian team, has already been rejected, Wilkes said.

“I love Italian food, but I prefer American basketball,” he said. “I don’t think my career is over. My career with the Lakers is over, but my basketball career is not.”

JAMAAL WILKES’ NBA CAREER

REGULAR SEASON

Season Team G Min FG% 3-PT FT % REB AST PTS 1974-75 Golden State 82 2515 .442 -- .734 671 183 1164 1976-75 Golden State 82 2716 .463 -- .772 720 167 1461 1976-77 Golden State 76 2579 .478 -- .797 578 211 1343 1977-78 Lakers 51 1490 .440 -- .716 380 182 660 1978-79 Lakers 82 2915 .504 -- .751 609 227 1524 1979-80 Lakers 82 3111 .535 3-17 .808 525 250 1644 1980-81 Lakers 81 3028 .525 1-13 .758 435 235 1827 1981-82 Lakers 82 2906 .525 0- 4 .732 393 143 1734 1982-83 Lakers 80 2552 .530 0- 6 .757 343 182 1571 1983-84 Lakers 75 2507 .514 2- 8 .743 340 214 1294 1984-85 Lakers 42 851 .488 0- 1 .773 99 41 347 NBA Totals 815 27170 .500 6-49 .758 5093 2035 14569

Season AVG 1974-75 14.2 1976-75 17.8 1976-77 17.7 1977-78 12.9 1978-79 18.6 1979-80 20.0 1980-81 22.6 1981-82 21.1 1982-83 19.6 1983-84 17.3 1984-85 8.3 NBA 17.9

PLAYOFFS

Season Team G Min FG% 3-PT FT % REB AST PTS 1974-75 Golden State 17 503 .446 -- .702 119 28 255 1975-76 Golden State 13 450 .430 -- .778 103 29 207 1976-77 Golden State 10 346 .429 -- .821 80 16 155 1977-78 Lakers 3 108 .469 -- .545 26 8 36 1978-79 Lakers 8 307 .477 -- .676 68 16 147 1979-80 Lakers 16 652 .476 0-1 .815 128 48 324 1980-81 Lakers 3 113 .438 0-1 .667 8 4 54 1981-82 Lakers 14 535 .502 0-1 .776 70 37 280 1982-83 Lakers 15 589 .498 0-1 .614 90 51 299 1983-84 Lakers 14 196 .400 0-1 .636 26 9 63 Totals 113 3799 .465 0-6 .727 718 246 1820

Season AVG 1974-75 15.0 1975-76 15.9 1976-77 15.5 1977-78 12.0 1978-79 18.4 1979-80 20.3 1980-81 18.0 1981-82 20.0 1982-83 19.9 1983-84 4.5 16.1