Schuler May Be Fired Soon; Clippers Lose : Pro basketball: Team officials are disappointed in lack of enthusiasm. L.A. falls to 5-8 after 105-97 loss to Suns.

Clipper management, disappointed in the team’s lack of enthusiasm and having been told by players of tension surrounding the team, may fire Coach Mike Schuler as early as next week, a source said.

However, the source added, no decision has been reached and Schuler, 13 games into this second season, has not been given any ultimatums.

Friday night, the Clippers lost, 105-97, to the Phoenix Suns at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

If Schuler does lose his job, Thursday’s 106-91 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Sports Arena might have been the one to seal his fate. In the fourth quarter, the Clippers seemed to be going through the motions. Lately there has been a lack of effort in the second half, often in close games.

“We certainly have to think about that,” the high-ranking source said of making a change. “Everyone has worked hard to put this team together. We know he (Schuler) has had troubles with injuries with Doc (Rivers) out and Charles (Smith) out, but it shouldn’t be like this.

“It’s something we’re very, very, very concerned about. We have too good a team to have this record. We have had a tough schedule lately with Golden State and Utah and a couple games with Portland. But we also had Dallas, and we did not give a good effort against Dallas.”

The Clippers (5-8) lost to the Mavericks, one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, 95-88, in a game that had at least two elements directly linked to Schuler’s future:

--Olden Polynice was openly critical about his playing time and the substitution system, though he apologized to Schuler the next day and declared it a dead issue. In truth, other players had been grumbling about the rotation. Polynice was merely the first to go public with his case.

--The Clippers were outscored, 51-46, in the second half. It was near the start of a recent trend: the team being beaten an average of 30.8-26.5 the last six fourth quarters and 60-47.8 the last six second halves.

In the front office, that is seen as a coach’s inability to motivate players.

“Look at the effort of the team,” the source continued. “If there is no improvement, we will have to take appropriate action.”

It is believed General Manager Elgin Baylor has spoken with Schuler about complaints from the players and Baylor’s own concerns about what, at times, appears to be a team going through the motions in the fourth quarter. Baylor, sensitive to avoiding a repeat of the players’ meeting that eventually led to the firing of coach Don Casey after 1989-90, has urged the players and Schuler to work together to get issues resolved.

Reached at his Sports Arena office before the Clippers lost for the sixth time in a row and seventh time in eight tries, Baylor declined to discuss Schuler’s future, saying: “Everyone’s performance is constantly being evaluated--players and coaches. Everyone involved.”

Schuler offered a “no comment” when asked for his reaction to the possible firing, offering only “that would surprise me.” The former NBA coach of the year while at Portland added that he continued to feel complete support from management and does not sense his job is in jeopardy.

Asked about his talks with Baylor, Schuler said: “The discussions between he and I were private, and I would want them to remain as such. I will truthfully and honestly say Elgin never tries to coach the team. He has been very terrific about that. By the same token, I seek him out and ask his opinions, so I want his input.”

Friday’s showing was a boost to Schuler’s cause.

“We lost, but we looked a lot better tonight,” said Polynice, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds, six on the offensive end. “We were a lot more aggressive in the second half. They (the Suns) just made some shots down the stretch.”

Clipper Notes

David Rivers, the former Clipper who is now with LaCrosse of the Continental Basketball Assn., is expected to work out for the Clippers today in hopes of being signed. If so, rookie Elliot Perry, who made a good impression in training camp but struggled once the games counted, may be cut. The Clippers still like Perry, a second-round choice from Memphis State, but realized when Doc Rivers was injured that they need experience behind starter Gary Grant. Lanard Copeland was expected to be the first guard to go, but Perry would lose the numbers crunch because he, like David Rivers, is a point guard. . . . Loy Vaught had a career-high 23 points.