Benjamin Reaches Tentative Agreement With the Clippers

Benoit Benjamin’s European vacation officially ended Friday evening when he arrived back in Los Angeles, a Clipper-in-waiting once again, with that status expected to change within days.

Representatives for the two sides reached a tentative agreement at 2 a.m. Friday on a contract that, barring any last-minute problems, should be signed Monday and have the free-agent center in camp at Cal Poly Pomona later that day. The deal is a one-year contract, with the Clippers holding an option for 1990-91.

“We’re in the same ballpark,” said Bob Platt, a Clipper attorney. “We are very pleased that Benoit reconsidered and that he is considering playing for us again. As soon as we can get some final details worked out, he’ll be back on the court, which is what both sides wanted all along.”

The all-but-finalized deal is basically the same as Benjamin turned down last week. The Clippers will kick in a little extra money that, including incentive bonuses, could push the package past $1.5 million for 1989-90, but the weight clause stays. That has been upped, too, from 255 pounds to 260.

“We assumed that we could go higher all along,” General Counsel Alan Rothenberg said of the weight plan that could give Benjamin bonuses but will not result in fines if he doesn’t meet the limit. “Just like you can negotiate dollars you can negotiate pounds, and we’re not talking a matter of currency.”

Said James Casey, Benjamin’s manager: “It looks real good. We should get it done in the next couple days.”

So everyone is surprised he is back, right?

“Nope,” said Clipper guard Gary Grant. “I thought he didn’t want to go, period. I guess he just wanted to go and experience a day or so.”

Benjamin got less than three days out of it before the deal apparently went sour, though officials of Philips Milan could not be reached for comment. He was there Tuesday evening, gone Friday afternoon, not having played even a game.

Ben, they hardly knew you.

“I missed the organization and the guys,” he said.

That, for those who have lost track, would be the Clippers, his home team once again. It’s not official, but Benjamin and his advisers didn’t uproot their lives and travel all this way to continue a holdout. Leaving all those friends behind is tough, you know.