Opportunity Knocks, but Benjamin Isn’t Home : Clipper Officials Concerned as Big Rookie Fails to Respond in a Starting Role

On Monday morning, when the Clippers traded center James Donaldson to Dallas for Kurt Nimphius, Coach Don Chaney took aside rookie Benoit Benjamin and explained the responsibilities of being a starting center in the National Basketball Assn.

“I’m the man in the hole now,” Benjamin said after his motivational meeting with Chaney. “It’s time for me to come forward, and I know I can do it.”

What Benjamin has done in two games as a starting center has only contributed to the genuine concern the Clippers harbor about his performance--on and off the court--in the first 16 games of the season.

After a three-point, three-rebound performance Tuesday night in his first start at Seattle, Benjamin missed the team’s flight back to Los Angeles. But Benjamin made it back in time to contribute a mere five points and four rebounds against Houston Wednesday night.

So, then it was Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer’s turn to talk with Benjamin, who is only 21 but playing and acting younger. Scheer is concerned because Benjamin’s only consistency so far is that he’s usually late for practice and is the Clipper most likely to miss a team flight.

“ Irresponsible is the word I used when I talked to Ben,” Scheer said. “He’s got a big responsibility as our center. We talked, and he’s promised me a new direction. He says he’ll work at it.”

Benjamin, the third player selected in last June’s draft, will get another chance tonight when the Clippers meet the San Antonio Spurs at San Antonio. If Benjamin once again fails to deliver, Chaney said he won’t hesitate to give Nimphius the bulk of the playing time.

In fact, Nimphius, who had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in his debut Wednesday, could end up the starter as soon as he adapts to his new situation. Already, Chaney is considering it.

“There’s a chance of that,” Chaney said. “But you can’t expect Ben to respond overnight. You have to be patient with the kid. I didn’t expect him to become Superman just because he’s starting.”

If Benjamin was Superman, he wouldn’t have to worry about missing team flights. Benjamin has amassed at least four hefty fines for being late for practice, missing meetings or flights.

Understandably, Clipper players don’t have a great deal of confidence in Benjamin, which is why several veterans privately have griped about the trade. Scheer and Chaney concede Benjamin’s lack of reliability can be a disruption.

“Ben is so naive, he doesn’t realize that missing planes and being late for practice causes problems with other players,” Chaney said. “I talked to him again today and I don’t think you’ll see any more fines.”

But the fines haven’t even started to make a dent in Benjamin’s wallet, since the Clippers are paying him $800,000 a year for four seasons.

“I called Larry Fleisher (Benjamin’s agent) and told him this is costing Ben a lot of money,” Scheer said. “He said he’d talk to him. I talked to Ben’s aunt in Los Angeles, and she said she’d talk to him.

“Ben’s had a lot of problems adapting to a new life in L.A. But I don’t think it’s time to panic. We’re only 16 games into the season, and you’ve got to put it into perspective. Remember, he’s 21 and he should be entering his senior year in college.”

Until the Donaldson trade, Chaney brought Benjamin along slowly and received several promising performances in return. But in his two games as a starter, Benjamin has played with a distinct lack of effort and interest.

The Clippers can only hope Big Ben gets his wake-up call soon.

Clipper Notes

After tonight’s game in San Antonio, the Clippers play at Dallas Saturday night. . . . Marques Johnson complained of blurred vision after being hit in the cheekbone early in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s overtime loss to Houston. He returned to the game but still had problems afterward. . . . Injured guard Derek Smith will start practicing with the team, with only minor restrictions, on Monday. It will have been 19 days after Smith had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn cartilage in his left knee. . . . The Spurs are 8-8, but they are 6-2 at home.