L.A. to Have a Lot at Stake in This Game

Saturday could be the most significant day in the life and times of this Los Angeles professional basketball franchise.

It could be the day that turns everything downside up, the day that gets everybody buzzing, the day that, a dozen years from now, when 21st-Century followers of the National Basketball Assn., watching the games on 98-inch telescreens, want to know when the L.A. team’s turning point was, your answer will be: “May 21, 1988.”

Saturday is NBA D-Day for L.A., so sit forward now, on the edge of your seat. Unless you look like Frank Layden, that is, in which case you will be requiring the entire chair.

Are we talking here about Saturday’s possible seventh skirmish in the Western Conference playoff war between the Lakers and the Laydens, a.k.a. the Utah Jazz.?

No, afraid not.

There are other things to worry about in the NBA today, because it so happens we are trembling with anticipation over Saturday’s Dave Stern Super Duper Instant Winner Danny Manning Lotto game.

This could be the day that changes the L.A. Clippers from mice into men. This could be the dawn of a whole new age in Los Angeles basketball--$300 courtside seats, the Clipper Girls, Reggie (Magic) Williams, exciting Clipper-Celtic showdowns, Chick Hearn on “your world champion Clipper network” and so forth.

There will be two good teams in town instead of one. Around the NBA, the chants will be: “Beat L.A.s! Beat L.A.s!”

Watch how fast that Dyan Cannon changes camps when the Clippers are the hottest ticket in town. Watch how Donald Sterling becomes the owner with beautiful babes on each arm. Watch how popular the Clippers become when their best shooter isn’t the guy from the audience who competes in the halftime contest from half-court.

All it takes is a little better manning of the offense. Capital M. Because once our Clippers get the big man from Kansas, it’ll be the next-best thing to having Larry Brown. Just pray that Manning doesn’t change his mind at the last minute and decide to join the Navy or something. When it comes to guys from Kansas, don’t believe ‘em till you see ‘em.

So, come one, come all. Come on over to the Clip joint Saturday, to see if our lovable lugs have a future. D-Day is Danny Day, so drop on by. See if the Clippers’ number finally comes up. Patrick Ewing got away. David Robinson got away. They can’t all get away. Oh, Danny boy, the Clips, the Clips are calling.

Manning, the 6-foot 11-inch jumbo Jayhawk who carried Kansas to the national college championship, might not be the pivotman of Elgin Baylor’s dreams, but at least the Clipper general manager should be excited at the possibility of putting Manning out there alongside--or instead of--Benoit Benjamin every night, as opposed to, say, Joe Wolf or Greg Kite. Manning could play right away for the Clippers, who only need to fill three positions--center, forward and guard.

When asked the other day how he would feel about ending up in Los Angeles, Manning said it sounded pretty fresh to him. Even more surprisingly, Manning said exactly the same thing when it was made perfectly clear that the team in question was the Los Angeles Clippers, not those purple people across town.

“I think L.A. would be a great place to play,” Manning said. “I could be very happy out there.”

Which is more than the Clippers can say, at least for the time being. If NBA Commissioner David Stern calls their number at Saturday’s college draft lottery, though, the clouds will part over the Sports Arena, and Baylor, Sterling and Coach Gene Shue will go skipping merrily down the street, sort of like Judy Garland, the Scarecrow and the Lion.

Baylor, Shue and assistant coach Don Casey did not stick around town Tuesday to catch the Lakers’ act at the Forum. They took off for Colorado Springs, Colo., to inspect some of the goodies at the U.S. Olympic basketball trials. Since Baylor and Shue know John Thompson personally, he’ll probably let them in. Casey probably will have to sit in the arena boiler room, with the press.

Three years ago, the Clippers were in the lottery, lost out on Ewing and settled for Benjamin, which is sort of like expecting Morgan Fairchild on a blind date and ending up with Morganna. You’re hoping for somebody good, but all you get is somebody big.

Two years ago, the Clippers had no first-round draft choice. You know what they say about the poor getting poorer. There ought to be a law that the Clippers should always get one of the first seven draft picks, even if they win the championship. You know, like alimony. Something to ease the pain, and something to maintain the life style to which they have become accustomed.

Last year, the No. 1 pick in the lotto was worth the rights to Ens. David Robinson, the dunk that took to water. Well, another big one got away. The Clippers instead got Williams, Wolf and Ken Norman in the first round, none of whom sold extra tickets or turned the record around.

Manning may do both. Season ticket sales could shoot up by Monday if Manning becomes Clipper property Saturday. Let’s cross our fingers, as some of the Clippers do when they dribble.

This club deserves a break. The Clippers can become the Lakers of tomorrow, almost overnight. You won’t be able to tell the difference.

Just wait’ll you see Gene Shue with all that styling mousse on his hair.