Manning Already Has a Reputation as a Money Player

Dribbling the basketball beat . . .

My sources tell me that as of this morning, the Clippers and Danny Manning are only $35 million apart.

Wild guess: These negotiations won’t be smooth and quick. Before they’re over, there will be threats of Manning playing in Italy (the Venice Menace?), sitting out a season, forming his own league or joining the Navy.

Manning’s agent is seeking $35 million for 10 years, Robinson-Ewing dollars, even though Danny doesn’t have the devastating potential of David Robinson or Patrick Ewing (back then). However, Manning’s agent will be negotiating with desperate people representing a desperate team, which is always a nice position for an agent.

Watch Kareem the first couple of times he handles the ball on offense tonight. If he reacts quickly and decisively, passing or shooting, the Mavericks are in trouble. If he holds the ball several seconds, like Atlas, the Mavericks have a chance.

Everybody gushes over Larry Bird, but nobody points out the guy’s indecisiveness. Nine seasons in the National Basketball Assn. and Larry can’t decide whether he’s right-handed or left-handed. In Sunday’s fourth quarter he was, I believe, 4 for 4 left-handed.

Friendly advice: Forget that show-offy right-handed junk, Larry.

Nice moment in the Laker-Utah Jazz series: Coaches Pat Riley and Frank Layden hugging after Game 7. When have you seen that in any sport?

Layden, for all his kidding about Riley’s wardrobe and hair, has campaigned for months that Riley should be coach of the year. And Riley, I’m guessing, has considerably greater respect for Layden’s coaching in that great seven-game series.

Easy-for-you-to-say Dept.: Late in Sunday’s game between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, Doc Rivers was called for goaltending on a layup by Danny Ainge. Replays showed that Doc whiffed, slapping neither ball nor hand. But a further replay angle showed Doc probably did slap the backboard, a violation. Either way, a crucial call.

Tommy Heinsohn lectured CBS viewers, “Everybody shouldn’t get so upset about that play.”

Hey, Tommy, not everyone was upset. The Boston Garden fans seemed to accept the call with gracious good sportsmanship.

Think the NBA regular season is too long, too draining? In 1960, their first year in Los Angeles, the Lakers played the Boston Celtics 16 times-- in preseason exhibition games . The Celtics won 12 of the games.

Opening the Manning-Clipper negotiating war, agent Ron Grinker reminded the world: “Danny Manning carried a very ordinary Kansas team to a championship.”

What a guy, that Grinker. Reducing a heroic Kansas effort to a greedy negotiating lever.

I’m sure Danny, his former Kansas teammates and Coach Larry Brown appreciate the subtle reminder that this was a one-man team. Funny, Danny was the guy who played down that kind of talk all season, out of respect and admiration for his unselfish and hard-working friends and teammates.

Tough season for Dominique Wilkins. Runner-up to Michael Jordan in the All-Star game slam dunk contest (in very questionable voting), edged by the late-surging Jordan for All-Star game MVP honors, and finally, upstaged and KO’d by Larry Bird Sunday despite 47 points, 17 in the final quarter. What does a guy have to do?

The Lakers didn’t get rid of the Mailman after all. Not for long, anyway. Karl Malone will spend a lot of the summer in Los Angeles, playing basketball, studying acting and working out with weights in an attempt to put some meat on his bones.

Mailman will maintain his usual low profile, but you might keep an eye out for a pickup truck with huge tires, “US MAIL” license plates and “Mailman” scripted on the cab door.

Advice to local NBA fans: Karl’s a nice fellow, if you run into him this summer he’ll chat and sign autographs, but don’t anger him by complaining about the new 25-cent stamps.

Heinsohn explained why Red Auerbach was absent from his usual Boston Garden seat Sunday. Tommy said that Red had a previous commitment, having agreed to accept an honorary college degree that afternoon.

“A man of his word!” Heinsohn gushed.

Comment: Gosh.

Quickie advice to the Clippers: Move to Irwindale. Seriously. Great untapped market there, no more head-to-head bumping with the Lakers for the fan dollar.

Hook up with Al Davis and build an arena near the Raider pit. When Bob Short moved the Lakers to Los Angeles from Minneapolis, he had a deal worked out with Walter O’Malley to build an arena adjacent to Dodger Stadium and work out a co-ownership of the teams. The deal got stalled temporarily, then broke off when Jack Kent Cooke bought the team.

Why not work same type of deal with the Raiders in Irwindale, if you have any money left after signing Manning.

Just a guess: Dallas Mavericks Coach John MacLeod, former sparring partner of heavyweight Jimmy Ellis, is encouraging a more physical effort on the part of his players in tonight’s Game 2.

This is the NBA playoffs, not Wimbledon. Full-body contact is not only condoned by the game officials, it is essential for survival. As Frank Layden pointed out, the league has gotten way too rough, too violent, but that’s the way it is.

I just checked with my sources. Manning and Clippers are still $35 million apart, but both sides say that excellent progress is being made.