The NBA / Sam McManis : Warriors’ Chris Mullin May Be Trying Too Hard to Take His Best Shot

Back when he was just another guy from da naybuhhood in Brooklyn and into his college days at St. John’s, Chris Mullin used to deal with rare shooting slumps by simply locking himself in the gym and not emerging until he solved it.

Now he is playing in the National Basketball Assn., and Mullin sees no need to change his routine. But the Golden State Warriors, Mullin’s employers, are trying to get Mullin to take it easier.

Warrior Coach John Bach met with Mullin last week, basically telling the rookie guard that two hours of practice is enough and that he’ll never last through the NBA’s 82-game grind if he continues working out on his own.

After missing all nine of his shots in one game last week, the usually accurate Mullin’s field-goal percentage dropped to 40%. At one point last week, Mullin had made only 17 of 54 shots, perhaps his worst stretch ever.

So Mullin, who needs his hoop fix, started working on his shooting at the Stanford University gym after Warrior practices. He supplemented that by riding an exercise bicycle and lifting weights.

It was as if Mullin thought he was getting paid his $500,000 a season by the hour.

“It will wear out his legs if he continues to do it,” Bach told Bay Area writers.

Said Mullin: “I’ll cut out riding the stationary bike and lifting weights, but I still want to shoot.”

The day after deciding to take it a little easier, Mullin broke out of his shooting slump against the Clippers. He made 8 of 14 shots in 21 minutes.

Mullin has received shooting advice from many sources, but listened to teammate Joe Barry Carroll.

“He told me, ‘Keep shooting--that’s your job,’ ” Mullin said. “It was reinforcement. He kind of kept my confidence up, and I ended up all right. He said I was getting the offense out of sync (by not shooting). Players were expecting me to shoot, and I was passing up too many shots.”

As if the Houston Rockets don’t have enough height with 7-foot 4-inch Ralph Sampson and 7-foot Akeem Olajuwon, Coach Bill Fitch has wistfully talked about the highly unlikely prospect of acquiring a third tower.

Would you believe Wilt Chamberlain?

For years, people have talked about Chamberlain, 49, coming out of retirement. That’s all it has been--talk. Still, it didn’t stop Fitch from dreaming about it.

“For 14 minutes a game, I’d take him right now,” Fitch said. “There are certain guys who take care of themselves. He’s obviously done that with his volleyball. For what I’d want him for--just 14 minutes a game--I’d make room for him on my roster right this minute.”

No word yet from Wilt, who last played with the Lakers in 1973.

Add Rockets: What will it take for Houston to keep Sampson after his contract--$1.1 million this season and $1.3 million next season--runs out at the same time the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (i.e. the salary cap) runs out?

“I told them you’re looking at a $3-million-a-year power forward,” Tom Collins, Sampson’s agent, said. “Can you afford that? That’s a decision you’ll have to make.”

Meanwhile, Sampson, responding to a quote by Houston General Manager Ray Patterson last week that said Sampson would “never, ever” play for the Lakers, said to a Los Angeles radio reporter: “You can never say never.”

Add big men: Everyone knows about the Clippers’ problems at center. James Donaldson wasn’t the answer, so they traded him to Dallas for Kurt Nimphius, who is more effective at power forward. And first-round draft pick Benoit Benjamin has been a 7-foot disappointment.

It turns out that, over the summer, the Washington Bullets offered to trade center Jeff Ruland to the Clippers for the first-round pick (third overall). Ruland averaged 18.9 points and 11 rebounds but played only 37 games because of a serious shoulder injury that required off-season surgery. Ruland, however, has come back strong this season.

Like almost everyone else in the NBA, the Bullets no doubt thought Benjamin’s game was more advanced than it is.

At the time, Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer said that giving up the rights to Benjamin would hurt the franchise.

Wonder what he’d say now?

Ruland, by the way, had two triple doubles in four days last week, including a 28-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist performance last Wednesday at Philadelphia.

Before the 76ers put together a minor winning streak early last week, rumors circulated that Coach Matt Guokas would be fired and replaced for the rest of the season by assistant Jim Lynam, the former Clipper coach.

Guokas’ job may be in jeopardy again, since Philadelphia lost its second straight home game Sunday night against Seattle.

With the Indiana Pacers’ blessing, Coach George Irvine has been seeing a psychiatrist to help cope with the Indiana Pacers’ problems.

Maybe Clipper Coach Don Chaney should consult Nimphius’ psychic to determine how much more losing he’ll have to endure this season.

The Atlanta Hawks were accused by cynics of dumping games last spring so that they could qualify for the NBA draft lottery and get a chance at drafting Patrick Ewing. All along, Hawk General Manager Stan Kasten has denied the charges.

But Kasten, quite a comic, said recently: “If I had known the lottery was going to be fixed, we wouldn’t have bothered losing all those games.”

Honestly, Commissioner Stern, Kasten was only joking.

Add lottery: Here’s more depressing news for Clipper fans. Even if the Clippers fail to make the playoffs--again--they won’t be a participant in the draft lottery.

Philadelphia has the Clippers’ first-round draft choice as a result of a trade a few years ago that brought the legendary Joe (Jellybean) Bryant to San Diego.