NBA DRAFT LOTTERY : Clippers Get Their Manning and Sixth Pick in Draft Lottery

The Clippers hit the jackpot in the National Basketball Assn. draft lottery Saturday, winning the first pick and the accompanying right to select All-American forward Danny Manning of Kansas in next month’s draft.

Manning, however, won’t come cheap.

Manning will reportedly seek a $35-million contract, the richest rookie deal ever.

Ron Grinker, Manning’s agent, said he plans to ask for a contract that will exceed the $33.5-million, 10-year deal that center Patrick Ewing signed with the New York Knicks in 1985 and the $26-million, 10-year one that center David Robinson signed with the San Antonio Spurs. Both contracts, however, included substantial interest-free loans. Ewing was the first choice in the 1985 draft, and Robinson was the first player selected in last year’s draft, but he is serving a Navy commitment.

“The only thing I can assure you is that Danny Manning won’t consider anything less than either Ewing or Robinson got,” Grinker said from his home in Cincinnati. “Danny Manning is the most unique player to come into the NBA because he can play five positions like (Boston Celtics star) Larry Bird. Danny Manning carried a very ordinary Kansas team to a championship.”

Grinker said he hopes to have Manning signed by draft day, June 28.

“We want and anticipate that a contract will be finalized before the draft, if that’s within the rules of the NBA,” Grinker said. “It’s not fair to make him wait. He’s going to be tied up with the Olympics from July 10, when he reports, until the closing ceremonies Oct. 2,” Grinker said.

Said Clipper President Alan Rothenberg: “It’s going to cost a ton of money, but I think it is money that will be happily spent. We’ll sign him, no question. We know it’s not going to be cheap. It’s going to cost an arm and a leg.

“This is a wonderful day in our history,” Rothenberg said. “Maybe the gods of fortune are finally starting to smile on us after all the bad luck we’ve had.

“Last night, my wife and I opened an entire bag of fortune cookies, and there was nothing good until the last one. It read: ‘Your fondest wish will come true.’ ”

Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor, who represented the club here, said he never doubted that the club would win the lottery. Baylor held up a Clipper jersey that read: “Manning No. 25,” immediately after the results of the lottery were announced at the American Museum of Natural History.

“This is the happiest moment I’ve had since I’ve been associated with basketball,” Baylor said. It’s a great moment for the L.A. Clippers. My prayers worked. I had everyone praying every day and night. This is terrific.”

It marked the first time in the lottery’s four-year history that the team with the worst record got the first pick.

“In a way, this is poetic justice,” said Cotton Fitzsimmons, the new coach of the Phoenix Suns. “The Clippers have been down for a long time. They deserve it. They need the most help of any team here because they had the worst record.”

Baylor said that Manning, a 6-foot 9-inch, 230-pound forward who was selected as college basketball’s player of the year after leading Kansas to the 1988 National Collegiate Athletic Assn. title, is expected to make a major contribution to the Clippers, who have compiled the league’s worst record for the last two seasons.

“He’s definitely an impact player,” Baylor said of Manning. “He’s an unselfish player who has all the qualities of being a star. He can play small forward or power forward.

“He’ll definitely make us a better team. He’s the type of player you love to have around. He’s a terrific player and a fine young man. I played against his dad.”

Manning, who was participating in the U.S. Olympic basketball trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., wasn’t available for comment. However, Manning and Grinker are expected to come to Los Angeles next week to meet with the Clippers and reporters.

Clipper Coach Gene Shue, who also coached Manning’s father, Ed, with the Baltimore Bullets, said Manning may be the missing ingredient for the Clippers, who have failed to make the playoffs for the last 12 years.

“Our franchise has been in bad shape for a long, long time,” Shue said from Colorado Springs. “I can’t tell you how important it is that we finally got an element of luck.”

The Clippers, the first team to have two lottery picks in one season, also wound up with the sixth selection as a result of a 1986 trade that sent guard Derek Smith to the Sacramento Kings.

“A lot of things could happen with that pick,” Baylor said. “We might keep it or we might trade. There are a lot of fine players in the draft who can play and make a contribution to our team. We were hoping for the first and second picks, but we’ll settle for one and six. We could get a good player with the No. 6 pick.”

The lottery, which was televised by CBS, had all the elements of a TV game show, except for the absence of Vanna White.

Envelopes containing the logos of the six lottery teams were mixed in a clear drum before they were drawn by representatives of the teams. NBA Commissioner David Stern then opened the envelopes in inverse order.

The Phoenix Suns wound up with the seventh pick, the Golden State Warriors the fifth, the New Jersey Nets the fourth, the Philadelphia 76ers the third and the Indiana Pacers the second.

It was the second time in the last four years that the Pacers had finished second in the lottery. Indiana was the runner-up behind the New York Knicks in the 1985 lottery and selected Wayman Tisdale. Indiana finished fourth in the 1986 lottery and took Chuck Person, who went on to become the rookie of the year.

Donnie Walsh, the Pacers’ general manager, said his team may try to trade its draft pick for a veteran player. “We’ll leave our options open,” Walsh said. “We’re in no position yet to make a determination as to what we’ll do. Two is fairly open now. I’m going to talk to teams about a trade, but I’ll look at the players that are there, too. There are five or six players in that group.

“It’s amazing to come in with the best record and come away with No. 2. I was worried we’d be one of the first four envelopes picked. I think we came out well. When it came down to Nos. 1 or 2, my heart was beating pretty good.”