Hapless Clippers Routed Once Again, 134-95 : L.A. Is Such a Pushover That Even Denver’s Fans Can’t Enjoy Nuggets’ Win

As much as he would have liked to forget all about the Clippers’ gruesome 134-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets here Wednesday night, Coach Don Chaney planned to spend the night watching the slaughter on tape and doling out minor fines to players for every major mistake they made.

Expect Chaney to collect quite a bundle for this one, because the stumbling and bumbling Clippers once again were blown out with such severity it wasn’t altogether enjoyable for the 8,494 fans at McNichols Arena.

You have to go all the way back to last Saturday night to find a Clipper defeat this horrendous. In that game, the Clippers gave up early against the Utah Jazz and lost by 40 points. Afterward, they vowed in a team meeting that it wouldn’t happen again.

Well, it did. And both Chaney and team captain Marques Johnson said that “drastic” measures must be taken.

It was Johnson who recently proposed that Chaney fine the players approximately $25 for common mistakes such as not screening off defenders on rebounds and missing defensive assignments. The hope is that it will serve as a slap in the face to the guilty players.

After Wednesday, there probably will be enough money taken out of all the players’ wallets to put the Clippers under the salary-cap restriction again.

“At this point,” Johnson said, “we need whatever remedies he (Chaney) can get for us. We might eliminate ourselves from the playoffs before the All-Star break if not. Something drastic needs to be done.”

Clipper forward Junior Bridgeman, president of the NBA players’ union, said he isn’t certain whether a coach is allowed to assess fines simply for poor play. But Bridgeman is convinced that the Clippers need something like that.

“I guess the players can contest it,” Bridgeman said. “But, offhand, I’d say if it helps, I’m all for it.”

There was no contesting that the Clippers played, in Chaney’s words, “really lousy” Wednesday night. The inexplicable thing, though, was that sandwiched between the two blowout losses totaling 79 points, the Clippers actually looked good beating Dallas, 120-118, Tuesday night at the Sports Arena.

“This team has confused me,” Chaney said. “One night, we’re lousy, the next night great. Then, we’re lousy again. I wouldn’t be surprised if we came back Friday (in Seattle) and play sensational. We’re like a bouncing ball--in the air at one point, back on the floor again.”

The Clippers, floored early by the Nuggets, played as if they were using a deflated ball.

Certainly, their spirits were deflated when the Nuggets took a 31-17 first-quarter lead and extended it to 30 points (68-38) by halftime. Garbage time was ushered in early in the third quarter once Denver opened a 45-point lead, Nugget Coach Doug Moe saving his starters for another night.

Alex English led the Nuggets with 24 points, and Wayne Cooper added 22 to go with 9 blocked shots. Franklin Edwards had 15 points and Lancaster Gordon 14 for the Clippers.

The statistics were so lopsided that they are barely worth mentioning. The most amazing category was assists. Denver had 38, the Clippers 9. Nugget point guard Lafayette Lever alone had 14 assists.

It should be noted that the Clippers made only 39.1% of their shots, and 9 of their 92 shot attempts were swatted away by Nugget center Wayne Cooper. At times, the Clippers were colder than the local outdoor temperature, which never wavered from 3 degrees.

The Clippers also had 26 turnovers and enough defensive breakdowns to fill Chaney’s fine coffers.

Chaney, who has a one-year contract, is worried that he may be on shaky ground himself. Even though Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer said again Wednesday night that firing Chaney “hasn’t even entered my mind,” Chaney realizes that losses by 40 and 39 points in less than a week don’t make a coach’s job secure.

“Sure, I’m worried,” said Chaney, whose team has now lost 15 of its last 18 games. “But even as a player, I tried not to worry about things I had no control over. Nobody has said to me that my back’s against the wall. But I’m not stupid.”

However, Chaney is dumbfounded by the Clippers’ lack of effort. So, too, are the players who aren’t giving it.

“That (not trying for Chaney) would be the last thing you would expect from these players,” Bridgeman said. “The guys really like him as a coach and a person.

“I’m at a loss. I have no idea what’s happening.

Clipper Notes

Injured guard Derek Smith (torn cartilage in his left knee) probably won’t return to action Friday. . . . Jamaal Wilkes missed the 6:50 a.m. team flight to Denver Wednesday morning because the Clippers had a last-minute change in the itinerary. Wilkes arrived later in the day. He was fined a minor sum. . . . Marques Johnson said he discussed the idea of fining players for on-court mistakes last week. “Some agreed and some didn’t say much,” Johnson said. “But after tonight, I don’t think anyone will be opposed to it.”